You can always use a network card for transferring files to an old computer.

Alternatively, use a CF to IDE adapter on your retro rig and a card reader on your modern system.

over time yes, older systems will slowly disappear from circulation

right now there still seems to be plenty to go around, but it will change

to make day to day use of an old system, and to use peripherals, hard discs, floppy discs and so on of the era will become less and less viable over the next 10 years or so as time wears things out

if you have data you really want then capture it while you can and copy it to a modern backup, and if you want a day to day machine of the MSDOS/Win95 mid 90's or earlier period (i.e you'll be generating new data you want to keep) then it may be time to move onto VMs or emulation

null

I would not worry, this is a continuous thing as time passes and the not-viable marker just changes place.
Think about the XT-IDE cards for example that gave new life to XTs or the GoTek for the home computers... When a win98 pc will really be difficult to build and use, I'm sure new solutions will appear as they always do.

Ah...floppies are still viable yes.....but only for small files! Most files...not even word processing documents...are not going to fit on a 1.44 Mb floppy anymore.

I thought about the network idea
And hard drives....better be sure your "newer" motherboard still has an IDE interface
I have a 4 Gb stick that still works...but then you rum into the speed limitations of of USB on an older motherboard!
🤣 I wasn't really speaking of transferring files specifically...just the number of things you can do with it

A couple of things got me thinking along these lines. First was the killing off of XP activation...I kept wanting to build something a little more modern than an Athlon for XP. Now that seems not to be an option - and maybe for the better. And then I was thinking of doing something I have never done before - getting a new computer brand new, with office. And with office another function (word processing) would be transferred to an older computer!

Continuation - I never liked that XP activation concept - that's why I stuck with 98se for so long. It was the last OS you could install from a CD-ROM without having to connect to the internet for updates or activation or some other nonsense. I

And something else I realized as changed - storage. CD and DVD now seems (almost) as archaic as floppies. I started creating backups on hard drives many years ago. First it was just mirroring what I had on DVD. But now - there's just no putting the genie back in the bottle - the drives have slowly become the primary backup. Now it's a move from magnetic drives to SSD

There are legitimate versions of WinXP Professional which don't require activation.

They were mostly reserved for corporate use, but some used copies can be purchased even now.

ncmark wrote on 2021-07-26, 12:05:

Just a (more or less) random thought Seems like older systems are becoming less and less viable. I already killed off DOS and 95 […]
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Just a (more or less) random thought
Seems like older systems are becoming less and less viable. I already killed off DOS and 95 - oldest I now use is 98se. And it is fine for running older apps......but the problems arise getting files off the machine. Floppies are no longer viable, only some memory sticks will work (those old enough to come with win98 drivers), cannot recognize external drives. When the scanner finally dies new one will not be usable.
And not to mention that some of the newer external drives like SSDs are not even compatible with XP anymore. Of course you CAN repartition and reformat, but just showing how older systems are moving further and further away....I guess even XP is now "retro"
I always had the idea of 98se forever - and I probably could make that happen (or just about). But I seem to be moving more and more towards newer machines. Lamenting? Just recognizing the inevitable?

Why not repair it, once it's broken? 😀
When I learned one thing from watching "the brave little toaster",
then it is that everything deserved a second chance.
The scanner will likely have its CCFL light being broken.
Just replace the light or fix the inverter.
Using modern white LEDs as a replacement may also work, not sure.
The motors may also need new oil/grease at some point.
But you're lucky, because Win98 era hardware was still bulky and based on off-the-shelve parts.
So chances for a repair are bigger than for today's hardware.

That reminds me of an old saying/rhyme that says there's nothing good (in the world), except if you do.
("Es gibt nichts Gutes, außer man tut es.")

Let's just think positive, especially in times like this.
Optimism may seem naive and futile in or days, but it can at least lead to something.
Pessimism never accomplishes anything. Or prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.
That way, someone can't be disappointed. 😉

ncmark wrote on 2021-07-26, 12:40:

Ah...floppies are still viable yes.....but only for small files! Most files...not even word processing documents...are not going to fit on a 1.44 Mb floppy anymore.

What about a Flash Path adapter? 😀

That's a fake floppy that uses a flash card.
Without a special driver (DOS/Win95), it can be used as 1.44/2.88MB diskette.

But most of these problems already have solutions, and quite cheap as well.
Floppy disk is easily replaced with a Gotek. with the USB stick been much more reliable then a disk was even when new.
IDE you have many options IDE to CF, SD, SATA converters or get a PCI SATA card if you prefer that path.

Windows networking is getting harder to setup but you'll always have FTP to fall back on.

Even CD's I've mostly replaced with iso's and a virtual drive, not always a perfect solution but suits my needs 99% of the time.

Using an old rig as a "daily driver" is becoming harder depending on your needs. You could probably just about get away with it with XP maybe? Brower support is the main thing.
But then it's the same with a lot of things.
Cars for example. You can use a 70's car as a your daily driver but parts, maintenance, fuel economy, creature comforts, etc start to make it a lot less attractive then getting something new and keeping the "old girl" just for special occasions

Sure, I do have installed a Gotek in my XT, too. But I'd rather consider it an alternative than a replacement.
(Drive A: in my XT is a real 360KB drive.)

Working with physical datasettes and diskettes is more satisfying than
using MP3 players and USB pen drives, I think.

So if possible, I would like to keep the original drives installed.
Not sure how to describe this, but using old media makes things feel much more real.

It draws a spiritual connection/bond to another era, so to say.
That's why I find these adapters so fascinating, I guess.

There are also cassette adapters, by the way.
Some merely convert AF signals they're fed into through an audio cable.
Others contain electronics, flash memory and come with a remote control.
At least for loading programs, they can be used in most home computers. 😀

It's like Highlander, you start with 8 machines, breakages happen, you swap all the parts until you have 4 working, time passes, things break, part swap, now you've got two, but There can be only one! 🤣

So yeah, either gotta git gud at component level repair, or buy all the new made parts that come out, I think it's possible to assemble a complete new XT class machine now, with vid and sound and storage replacement options all being produced.

Somebody will start manufacturing new floppy disks again eventually, when the old supply finally dries up and the old disks have all gone bad.

Has anyone recently tried to get lifetime guarantee replacements out of whoever offered them? Think Memorex, Verbatim and 3M had them at some point.

LAN using NetWare or The Microsoft Network predates many large removable storage formats (CD-R, MO, LS-120, Zip, Jaz, SyQuest, USB HDD and Flash), sharing large files in a corporate environment without the need of physical media. You can either set up a LAN or just use CF-IDE converters.

And I don't see why XP not compatible with SSD; my XP retro build has an SSD. Are you trying to use SSD initialized with GPT on XP?