Do I need an expensive floppy drive and modem?

[DSDchemE]

I was planning to use the modem and floppy drive from my old computer in my new one. However, my dad would prefer to keep the old one intact (to donate or send to relatives or something). I have the ultimate say, but I'd at least like to humor him and look into getting new parts (I think he'll pay for them). I found some really cheap modems ($8) and floppy drives ($13) at Fry's Outpost. Depending on whether my computer will boot off the DVD burner I may need a CD-drive as well ($25).

Since I only need the floppy and CD drives for installing Windows and drivers, do I really need to worry about their quality? At home I have dial-up, but at school we have LAN (my MB has onboard LAN), so I don't plan on using the modem for anything other than occasionally surfing the web during the summer. Will a $10 modem work as well as a $30 modem (both 56k) for my purposes?

I don't need the newest functions, but if cheaper components will put my system or other hardware at risk...that's another thing completely. Let me know what you think about getting the cheaper stuff.

 

[bryanf445]

just go get the cheaper stuff, not like it will matter anywaty since your just surfing the web

 

[psyno]

Why get it at all?

Most motherboards now can boot from DVD drives. If you desperately need a floppy drive, you can borrow the one in the other computer and return it when you're done.

 

[DSDchemE]

Right...I think I can boot from my DVD drive, but someone said that some burners don't boot (I was planning to test that first before buying a CD drive). As for the floppy, I need it to install the Windows SATA drivers (you can't use a CD cause the Windows CD is still in the drive). I think it would be good to have around in case I need to flash the BIOS and stuff, or ever need to reformat.

So back to my original question. Would a cheap floppy drive and modem work just as well as expensive ones?

 

[ComradeBadger]

Modem wise, the cheaper ones tend to have craptastic driver support and can be a pain in the arse to install. At work we have a plastic bag full of the buggers, they aren't worth the trouble...

Oh - and a word on DVD drives - don't go installing OSs with them, they're by far the monst likely to have lens problems, and can fark installs spectacularly.

 

[DSDchemE]

ComradeBadger, what would you recommend as the cheapest modem I should get (with decent driver support), and should I try the DVD burner first before getting a CD-drive? Will I notice any problems immediately or will it just happily install then crash later due to corrupted files?

Also, I seem to remember needing a modem to install window (for registering and verification). Is that right, or is it optional? If it's needed, how would I install the drivers?

Since these are really non-vital components in the large scheme of things, I'd rather spend as little as possible (unless my dad says he'll pay, since he's the one wanting me to get them), but I would like to make sure they work.

 

[ComradeBadger]

Yeah you'll notice it straight away, when Windows XP's installation bluescreens :O

Driver-wise, you'll want a modem with drivers that come on a floppy, hopefully a well known one.. I don't know US suppliers etc, but I can tell you the cheapest of the cheap should be avoided.. are we talking internal modems or external? External I don't have much experience with, but I seem to remember Dynamode being a bit of a bastard, and US Robotics being quite good. ...

 

[DSDchemE]

Well...Since I'll know about lens problems right away, I think I'll try the DVD burner first. That way I'll find out if there is a problem immediately (if it can't install windows, it probably won't read any other discs well).

For the modem, I'm planning to go internal.
Here's the list of internal modems at Fry's Outpost (where I'd like to get the modem):
http://shop2.outpost.com/search?que...y=p03a&cat=-47178&pType=pDisplay&from=0&to=24

Are there any that should work OK (that are $20 or under)? How about this one?
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/36...13168/184095268/6/7001/7001/7002/7002/7001/-1
http://www.usr.com/products/home/home-product.asp?type=specs&sku=USR5660A

Finally, I haven't heard much about floppy drive qualities. Any opinions?

 

[Pesmerga]

you can't go wrong with a 7 dollar floppy. Floppy drives are just like toothbrushes, they're all the same.

 

[Vorac1ous]

Haha, floppy drives. What do you plan to do with it? If you're not sure than just don't get it, it's outdated technology and a waste of money.

 

[DSDchemE]

Vorac1ous, I need the floppy drive to install SATA drivers during Windows installation (plus it's only $7, so it's not much of a financial expenditure)

 

[Vorac1ous]

OK then. Most anything $10 US and up you can trust for the most part. Makes little difference in performance these days.

 

[AndyOdish]

you can't go wrong with a 7 dollar floppy. Floppy drives are just like toothbrushes, they're all the same.

Damn, I knew i shouldnt of paid £100 for that Oral B Electric toothbrush when I could of bought a toothbrush from the pound shop! :cheese:

 

[Sanada]

I've had bad experiences with cheap internal 56K modems. Before I got ADSL, I had a £10 modem. It was quite frankly a POS. It's stability was worst than Windows ME on a bad day, with it sometimes disconnecting every 2-5 minutes. It did my head in and I just wanted to take it out and put a hammer to it (but I got more sense than that ). It might have just been because I was on Freeserve. I heard bad things about their reliability.

If you want a modem that'll most likely be good, I'd pay that little bit extra. Before I went to Uni I was going to get a £29 extrenal Creative one but didn't need it in the end. Get a modem that's from a well known make as they'll most likely provide good drivers and support.

 

[EVIL]

$7 sony floppydrives will suffer, you really don't need to spend alot on floppydrives, modems are a bit diffrent tho, a good modem will get a more stable connection (good quality cables and connectors to)

but these days, you can get modems for not alot of money, they almost give them away on packs of butter or in chips bags like flippo's they are almost that cheap

edit: and Vorac1ous, alot of older stuff and even modern stuff have drivers on floppy´s, you will never know when you need one, and alot still use them as storage mediums for word documents.

And you never know when you get that funky retro feeling and get the urge to pull out one of those fun old games on diskette to play them