Stop Windows from Altering Floppy Disks Intended For Windows Vista Windows XP Windows 2003 Windows 2000 Windows Me Windows 98 Windows 95 You probably don't know it, but Windows will change the contents of any floppy inserted into a modern Windows System (Win95 or later). This is to update the file system on the floppy to accept long filenames, but can have disasterous effects on your valuable data. Diskettes affected include some older versions of MS-DOS startup diskettes, many copy-protected programs, and software that inspects the validity of the diskette before installing. In particular, the place being changed is the OEM-ID of a disk, offset 3 in the boot-sector. To prevent Windows from altering your floppies, the solution is quite simple: Write protect any floppies before putting them into a modern Windows machine. Written by: Annoyances.org Last updated: Wednesday, February 7, 2007 Care to discuss this article with other Windows users? Select your operating system here, and click Continue to post your question. - Choose your OS -Windows 7Windows VistaWindows Server 2003Windows XPWindows 2000Windows MeWindows 98Windows 95 Previous discussions about this article: (open a message to see applicable responses, if any) [Windows Me] Question about 'Stop Windows from Altering Floppy Disks' (Jack Gulley: Tuesday, April 16, 2002) [Windows 98] Question about 'Stop Windows from Altering Floppy Disks' (Eloise Dunn: Sunday, July 28, 2002) [Windows XP] Question about 'Stop Windows from Altering Floppy Disks' (melanie r: Monday, January 6, 2003) [Windows XP] Question about 'Stop Windows from Altering Floppy Disks' (Durward Leeper: Tuesday, December 20, 2005) Return to "Troubleshooting"