Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Ten removable storage media -- including floppy disks, hard drive cartridges, and magneto-optical disks -- that were released between 1971 and 1998. But how many do you know? Or even remember using?!
My video on making animation at the BBC in the 1980s and 1990s, where I first encountered 8 inch floppy disks, is here: youtube.com/watch?v=TkOOMYWgn14
My previous video on the Atari Portfolio is also here: youtube.com/watch?v=-B_GaZDkhU0
And all of my retro computing videos are linked on this page: explainingcomputers.com/classic_computers.html
SELECTED REFERENCES:
For the interested, further information on some of the media featured in this video can be found as follows:
IBM page on the invention of floppy disks: ibm.com/history/floppy-disk
IBM System 3740 brochure: bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/ibm/brochures/IBM3740DataEntrySystem.pdf
Excellent RetroCMP page on floppy disks: retrocmp.de/fdd/diskette/diskette.htm
8 inch floppy disks retired by US military in 2019: popularmechanics.com/military/a29539578/air-force-floppy-disks
Fuji 2 inch floppy disks: storagenewsletter.com/2018/11/06/history-1989-2-inch-floppy-disk-lt-1-made-by-fujifilm
Excellent Maxoptix page on the state-of-play of magneto-optical discs: maxoptix.com/the-state-of-magneto-optical-discs
Sony 3.5 inch MO Discs brochure: https://pro.sony/s3/cms-static-content/file/58/1237486481358.pdf
Sony 5.25 inch MO Discs brochure: https://pro.sony/s3/cms-static-content/file/72/1237486492172.pdf
Sony MDH-10 MD-Data data drive: minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDH-10.html
More videos on computing and related topics can be found at:
youtube.com/@ExplainingComputers
And more videos on film and other making, plus retro tech, can be found on my Christopher Barnatt channel: youtube.com/@ChristopherBarnatt
Chapters:
00:00 Titles & Intro
00:36 Floppy Days
06:24 SyQuest vs Iomega
12:39 Solid State
14:35 Magneto-Optical
10:45 Our Binary Containers
18:13 End of an Era
#floppydisk #SyQuest #Iomega #Zipdisk #Jazdisk #DVD-RAM #MDData #AtartPorfolio #retrostorage #retrocomputing
Ten removable storage media -- including floppy disks, hard drive cartridges, and magneto-optical disks -- that were released between 1971 and 1998. But how many do you know? Or even remember using?!
My video on making animation at the BBC in the 1980s and 1990s, where I first encountered 8 inch floppy disks, is here: youtube.com/watch?v=TkOOMYWgn14
My previous video on the Atari Portfolio is also here: youtube.com/watch?v=-B_GaZDkhU0
And all of my retro computing videos are linked on this page: explainingcomputers.com/classic_computers.html
SELECTED REFERENCES:
For the interested, further information on some of the media featured in this video can be found as follows:
IBM page on the invention of floppy disks: ibm.com/history/floppy-disk
IBM System 3740 brochure: bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/ibm/brochures/IBM3740DataEntrySystem.pdf
Excellent RetroCMP page on floppy disks: retrocmp.de/fdd/diskette/diskette.htm
8 inch floppy disks retired by US military in 2019: popularmechanics.com/military/a29539578/air-force-floppy-disks
Fuji 2 inch floppy disks: storagenewsletter.com/2018/11/06/history-1989-2-inch-floppy-disk-lt-1-made-by-fujifilm
Excellent Maxoptix page on the state-of-play of magneto-optical discs: maxoptix.com/the-state-of-magneto-optical-discs
Sony 3.5 inch MO Discs brochure: https://pro.sony/s3/cms-static-content/file/58/1237486481358.pdf
Sony 5.25 inch MO Discs brochure: https://pro.sony/s3/cms-static-content/file/72/1237486492172.pdf
Sony MDH-10 MD-Data data drive: minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDH-10.html
More videos on computing and related topics can be found at:
youtube.com/@ExplainingComputers
And more videos on film and other making, plus retro tech, can be found on my Christopher Barnatt channel: youtube.com/@ChristopherBarnatt
Chapters:
00:00 Titles & Intro
00:36 Floppy Days
06:24 SyQuest vs Iomega
12:39 Solid State
14:35 Magneto-Optical
10:45 Our Binary Containers
18:13 End of an Era
#floppydisk #SyQuest #Iomega #Zipdisk #Jazdisk #DVD-RAM #MDData #AtartPorfolio #retrostorage #retrocomputing
