Mac software program was once distributed on 3.5-inch floppy disks. Now, utilizing the MacDisk utility, you possibly can learn them on fashionable Home windows computer systems.
When the Macintosh was first launched in 1984, it did not embody any mass storage, a tough drive, or SSDs. As an alternative, it shipped with a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive designed by Sony.
Earlier than the Web, most private pc software program was bought and distributed this fashion. First on 8-inch floppies, then on 5.25-inch disks with the Apple II and IBM PC, and at last on 3.5-inch disks.
The truth is, when the Mac was nonetheless being designed, Steve Jobs made a particular journey to Japan to speak to Sony about licensing the three.5-inch drive to be used within the unique Mac.
Apple additionally toyed with the concept of constructing a twin 5.25-inch floppy Mac mannequin, however later deserted these plans.
Later, Apple bought 3.5-inch exterior floppy drives in 800K and 1.44MB capacities. These plugged into the again of the Mac with a particular proprietary Apple connector and cable.
Floppy drives had been sluggish, and early Mac customers needed to endure the effort of regularly swapping floppy disks out and in of the Mac, so the pc might entry each the working system and apps. The primary three fashions of Macs labored this fashion.
Apple later added its first inner SCSI onerous drive within the Macintosh SE, which additionally included an inner 3.5-inch floppy drive. Some later SE fashions did ship with twin 3.5-inch floppy drives, or an possibility so as to add a second drive later.
In 2019, the Steve Jobs-autographed 3.5-inch floppy proven on the prime of this text bought for a whopping $84,000 at public sale.
Apple-formatted floppies
Early Macs used a proprietary floppy disk format, and as soon as a Mac 3.5-inch disk was create,d it could not be learn on the IBM PC normal. This made file transfers between the 2 forms of computer systems troublesome.
Later, firms got here out with third-party software program corresponding to AccessPC, which allowed Macs to learn PC-formatted 3.5-inch disks.
Apple itself ultimately determined to promote related software program known as PC Change. It will definitely made its means into the Mac OS itself, so Mac customers might learn PC floppies on their Macs.
Nonetheless, going within the different course, from Mac to PC, remained troublesome.
Steve Wozniak-autographed 3.5-inch floppy disk.
To make issues worse, early Mac recordsdata included two forks – one for information and one for assets. The useful resource forks in Mac apps made up the consumer interface, however assets is also used to retailer small quantities of information in app recordsdata for later retrieval.
The issue was that when you tried to switch early Mac recordsdata to PCs, the useful resource forks can be stripped out of the recordsdata, often damaging them.
Some software program distributors overcame this drawback by creating Mac compression utilities (corresponding to BinHex) which might bundle the info and useful resource forks into one compressed file. Doing this meant they could possibly be copied to PCs on floppies or over networks.
Utilizing 3.5-inch Mac floppies with fashionable PCs
Because of a number of utilities for Microsoft Home windows, now you can entry classic Mac 3.5-inch floppy disks on fashionable PCs.
One such utility is MacDisk from L&S Duhem. The corporate additionally makes two different Mac-related Home windows utilities: Mac2SFM and MacImage (for producing CDs and DVDs).
Mac2SFM is included within the MacDisk bundle.
All of those utilities are older 32-bit apps and have not been up to date in over a decade. Nonetheless, the web site does say they run on Home windows XP, 7, and 10, however assist for Home windows 11 is not talked about.
Sadly, MacDisk solely helps the later 1.44MB Mac floppy format and would not assist earlier 800K/400K codecs.
Utilizing a 3.5-inch USB drive to entry Mac floppies
Apple stopped together with floppy disk drives on Macs someday within the mid-to-late Nineteen Nineties – across the time Steve Jobs returned in 1997 to avoid wasting Apple. The unique iMac, which shipped in 199,8 included an inner CD-R drive, however no floppy drive.
A number of firms on the time bought exterior 3.5-inch USB floppy drives to plug into newer Macs so customers might proceed to learn their disks.
Generic 3.5-inch USB PC floppy drive.
In the present day, even some exterior USB PC 3.5-inch floppy drives will work on fashionable Macs. You could have hassle studying disks on this case, relying on the disks’ unique codecs.
For the latest Macs, which solely have USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, you may additionally want a USB-C to USB-A kind adapter (round $10) to plug the drive in.
MacDisk options
The obtain and set up of MacDisk on a Home windows pc is easy. Simply obtain the one .exe file to your PC and run it.
MacDisk is pretty straightforward to make use of on Home windows 10, with a single essential window, toolbar, and menus. You possibly can learn from, write to, and format 3.5-inch floppies for Macs in MacDisk.
It additionally has plenty of different cool superior options, corresponding to creating a brand new Mac disk from an current Home windows disk, and likewise from Mac recordsdata themselves.
You possibly can bundle a set of Mac recordsdata on a floppy after which learn it on a Mac. You may also create .dsk recordsdata, which had been a typical format for Apple II and early Mac computer systems.
For an entire view of MacDisk in operation, take a look at Tommy Ovesen’s video I acquired life into my Macintosh Traditional from 1990! on his Arctic Retro YouTube channel.
In the event you want a extra fashionable (and industrial) method to learn Mac disks on Home windows, together with Home windows 1,1 see OWC’s MacDrive ($49.99 with a free trial).
For older Mac software program that runs on traditional Macs, take a look at the Web Archive or, for networking software program, see Mac Orchard.
For an actual journey down Mac reminiscence lane, head over to The Classic Mac Museum, which additionally has plenty of fascinating articles and classic Mac assets.
