Floppy disk

What may be the most powerful storage medium the humans have ever produced.

A floppy disk is a human portable data storage device, using a magnetized disc inside of a plastic casing to store data in magnetic form. In the case of human computers, this is usually in binary code. How exquisitely crude of them.

Floppy disks come in several forms, specified by width:

• 3.5 inches; these flop little, having a fairly rigid case.
• 5 ¼ inches, encased in flexible plastic, as seen at right.
• 8 inches, from the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
• 10 feet across, used by the Autobots in 2011 or so.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

When Optimus Prime "lost" his simulated duel with Megatron in the computer game Multi-World, he accepted the agreed-upon fate... his real body was destroyed. However, the human Ethan Zachary had copied Prime's entire personality and memories onto a single 5¼″ floppy disk. (No, really.) Afterdeath! Later, Goldbug acquired the disk from Ethan Pretender to the Throne! and took it to Nebulos in the hopes that the planet that birthed the Headmasters and Targetmasters could build a body to house Optimus Prime's personality. The disk interfaced easily with the alien technology (just go with us on this, all right?), and Powermaster Optimus Prime was born. People Power! Following Optimus Prime's return to earth, Scorponok used a stolen copy of the floppy disk containing Optimus' personality in combination with the stolen A.B.C. to devise a smart bomb to target and destroy Optimus Prime. Long story short, Getaway recovered the disk and the plan failed. Prime Bomb!

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

...Or maybe not.

When the Decepticons raided Doctor Alcazar's antimatter laboratory, he sent the formula for the powerful substance to Chip Chase, who memorized it and destroyed the only known copy by tearing the floppy disk in half with his bare hands. Roll for It

The Headmasters cartoon

"I put Dune II on this as well."

What appeared to be a gigantic floppy disk was used by Fortress Maximus to store data on the Master Sword when he was forced to hand the data over to the Decepticons. The Master Sword Is in Danger!!

Notes

• The original Kup toy has a pair of 5 ¼ inch floppy drives printed on his chest-sticker. Because he's old, you see.

External links

• Floppy disk on Wikipedia