How to play old-style 5.25 inch floppy disk games on a modern PC, using the FC5025!

The FC5025 from Device Side Data is a replacement legacy floppy drive controller that can be used to access an old style 5.25 inch floppy drive via USB on a modern PC or laptop, running Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 10, whatever. You can use it to load old DOS games and games from other platforms onto your PC, as long as they aren't copy protected.
In the video, I show how to connect the FC5025 to your computer and play with a couple of sample disks - the Lucasarts Sampler (with demos of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure, Loom, and The Secret of Monkey Island), and Double Dragon III for DOS.
The FC5025 can be ordered from Device Side Data here:
shop.deviceside.com/prod/FC5025
I have no affiliation with them.

[@cappa310]

They do exist. They have the same usb connector for the 5.25 disk. Works the same way. They have it on Newegg. I'm also aware that you did this video about 6yrs ago. However I have had this 5.25 inch floppy disk to Usb connector for over 10 yrs.

[@StusGameReviews]

What do you mean they exist? Link please. :)

[@CoachingChaos]

I'm an old-school gamer (started in 1983 on an Apple //e); gimme Wizardry and Ultima and The Bard's Tale and I can STILL entertain myself for hours. I still have all the old Apple // stuff and have been looking for a solution to allow me to access the disks I have. Not sure I'll be able to do much with the old Applewriter text files - that would be the Holy Grail for me, I have all KINDS of papers for school, fraternity stuff from mid-to-late-80s, on and on. I love this video - you did an excellent job explaining the process. Subscribed and thank you!

[@StusGameReviews]

The FC5025 should work for your non-protected disks with your documents. For any of the games that are copy protected (most of them), you'll need another solution. I have the Kryoflux and I'm still learning to use it and hope to make a video on it one day. For Apple II specifically, there is a new solution that might be the best from what I can tell so far, but I don't know enough about it yet. It is called Applesauce, was only released in 2019, and requires an original Apple II disk drive, not any generic drive. It's also fairly pricey. More in future videos as I learn more.

[@mrwebber35]

Don't those old games play too fast on modern computers? You probably made up an old 386 or kept your Apple II.

[@CoachingChaos]

@@mrwebber35 A number of those old games can be played by today's computers so long as you use DOSBox, etc. I have copies of all three IPs that I mentioned (Wiz 1 - 8, Ult 1 - 9, BT 1-4) and all of them are playable on my newest PC. You're exactly right on the second part, I kept my Apple. Actually I have two Apple ][e machines (original for parts, traded for the second one) and a few odds and ends (single disk drive, I use the duo drive that came with the newer model).

[@dfortaeGameReviews]

Fun stuff. Thanks for sharing!

[@StusGameReviews]

Thanks!

[@markmanning8832]

In DOS Box - you can change various keys to do other things. There is a write-up (PDF I think) that tells you what you need to know. :-)

[@intel386DX]

cool video! I have on my 2007 PC with FDD controller on a motherboard 3.5" and 5.25" floppys at the same time :) but the newer BIOSes from around 2004 supports only one floppy 3.5 or 5.25, but there is a works around for this situation :)

[@mrwebber35]

Ya, I'm picking up what you are putting down. I think I have in storage one of those PCI for IDC floppy's cards that allowed for more than one drive. At least I hope it is a PCI card. I know many were the older ISA slot type for the 286-386 or 486 MB's. Even if it is PCi I am wondering how my 64bit Win10 22H2 system will be able to dumb itself down for it? I really don't want to use those USB adapter drives or the super PCI IDE 3.5 drive that I have since I'm not entirely sure if it will damage my IDE PCI slot. It seems to have a short or something. Lots of options available. Still, the old games fly at 10x speed so don't play well with fast computers. Maybe there is a work around in BIOS for that too? I can shut down the threads and the multiple cores there. On going project that never seems to end.😉😉🤞🤞

[@clrodrick]

Interesting video I always wondered if a similar tech existed to read 5.25 floppies on modern PCs as does 3.5 floppies. I had the good foresight back in the day to copy all of my 5.25 floppy games to 3.5 floppy back in day when I acquired an old computer that had both types of floppy drives. Took an entire day to accomplish, but now I'm good (until 3.5 floppy goes bad heh heh). I shouldn't laugh as those suckers do in fact go bad if you so much as look at them sideways!

[@StusGameReviews]

Thanks man! I've been amazed at just how many 5.25 inch disks still work today.

[@clrodrick]

@@StusGameReviews it is amazing actually. Guess they are somehow more durable than the 3 1/2" disks somehow, someway

[@mrwebber35]

@@clrodrick Bigger disks simply encode on a larger area so minor scratches don't mess things up so easily. At least that is my theory.

[@MsBuggywuggy]

I found some diskette 3.5 in and bought the prorable diskette drive but when I put it in it says cannot open. is there a special program i need to download on my laptap

[@ivorybow]

Is your operating system able to recognize your disk drive? There may be some commands it needs. Are you using Command Prompt?

[@stephenma2518]

Does the LED light of floppy drive turns on when you connect the power cord? or the light lits only when it is reading the disk?

[@StusGameReviews]

I think it turns on briefly when you connect the cord but that's it...

[@TheGamersGrotto]

Good to know!! Now I have to dig out all my floppies!! lol

[@matticolo]

Thank you very much, i was just looking how to read 5.25floppy disks… but, i have a question, i am looking for a 5.25 floppy drive, do you know any sites were i can buy a cheap one? Thanks you very much! (Sorry for my English, i’m Italian 😅)

[@StusGameReviews]

I would say Ebay - I see them on there pretty often.

[@matticolo]

@@StusGameReviews Thanks for the answer!

[@TheGamersGrotto]

Also... Glad KZbin recommended this video to me FOUR YEARS LATER ...

[@alexabadi7458]

Thanks !

[@vtc116]

I miss double dragon (only black white color). can't find any video or image on internet.

[@StusGameReviews]

I'm not following - what are you asking exactly?

[@vtc116]

@@StusGameReviews Hmm...I mean double dragon was once made for 5.25" and it is not colorful. Gameboy's double dragon is something similar. But, Gameboy's is not as good as PC 5.25" 's .

[@pcretropcworkshop8031]

wow good~

[@TomokoAbe_]

This is cool. So sad it won't write to it. I guess I just have to use my old DOS computer to make it read/write.

[@StusGameReviews]

Using an old DOS computer is probably always the best option. However, there are also read/write solutions now. But this is mostly for pulling data off of disks. If you need to store data, I'd suggest the cloud at this point. :)

[@aonaisstuohangzeke5393]

why can't make more of those floppy to usb solutions where it turns into the FDD socket! I could only find converters for 3.5inch drivers' newer pin connectors, and this wonderful deive only ships in the US...

[@StusGameReviews]

What type of disks are you trying to read?

[@aonaisstuohangzeke5393]

@@StusGameReviews the 5 inch ones, I could only find converters for 3inch drives... I'm gonna try to hotwire them and plug them into the usb through a male-male 34pin thingy

[@StusGameReviews]

@@aonaisstuohangzeke5393 No I meant like are these IBM PC disks? Apple disks? Commodore disks?

[@SwedishEmpire1700]

You think this would work on the C64 Maxi?

[@StusGameReviews]

The issue is that most C64 commercial games are copy protected and so this solution will not work. There is another device called the Kryoflux that does really well with C64 games. I recently streamed a few C64 games that I loaded up using the Kryoflux. I have more of those coming and also an update to this video specifically focusing on C64 games and the Kryoflux.

[@SwedishEmpire1700]

@@StusGameReviews We really need a 5 1/4' floppy USB discdrive, kinda odd that nobody have made one yet like those 3.5' ones.

[@StusGameReviews]

@@SwedishEmpire1700 No kidding - I want that so badly, but nobody has made one and it doesn't look like it's happening.

[@SwedishEmpire1700]

@@StusGameReviews My bredbin C64 was fried in january (thanks to me being stupid and using the original brick) and im now thinking about getting the C64 Maxi, but with no way to connect the Enhancer 2000 and the 1084S monitor via USB it feels sad that i have to put away my old stuff and get some flatscreen and 3.5' USB discdrive :(

[@StusGameReviews]

@@SwedishEmpire1700 Yeah I hear....nothing beats the original unfortunately, but there are good substitutes and a lot of my aim with this channel is playing older games on newer hardware.

[@ivorybow]

Maybe not elegant, but much simpler than taking a PC apart and trying to mess with things inside. Try checking thrift shops for those drives. I have all and I mean ALL my 5 1/4 floppies with precious data and programs. This makes it possible to access it all. I have a collection of old laptops which have older operating systems, MS-Dos through Win98. I think I could try this with those. thank you!!!

[@StusGameReviews]

I'm glad you found the video valuable!!!

[@mrsteamtrains2193]

Does it matter what drive or will any drive work

[@StusGameReviews]

Pretty much any drive should work.

[@mrsteamtrains2193]

@@StusGameReviews ok I mean like could I use an IBM drive for dos disks

[@StusGameReviews]

@@mrsteamtrains2193 I believe it requires a PC compatible drive as opposed to a Commodore drive or an Apple drive or something like that. But it shouldn't matter which brand or anything like that.

[@dosnostalgic]

Great job, Stu! Double Dragon 3 on DOS is absolute garbage, but it has a beautiful title screen tune for MT-32 and AdLib.

[@StusGameReviews]

Thanks Anatoly!!! And thanks for helping to spread the word about this video!

[@mrwebber35]

How can someone get an ancient 5.25 DOS game to accept a standardized VGA driver when it insists on using a MCGA driver that nobody would have unless they had an Apple II, 286, 386 or 486 computer that used a MCGA card? Someone must have set up this using PASCAL C++ already... surely?

[@StusGameReviews]

Which game?

[@kaimln]

thank you so much for this video it was great I just purchased a five and a quarter from eBay and I'll have to pick up some of the other parts don't pay any attention to those six down votes I can't believe why anyone would down-vote this video

[@StusGameReviews]

I'm glad you liked it! I really need to make some more videos like this, and better than this one too, my audio in this is pretty bad in retrospect. :)

[@christalbott450]

Breathe air. God made all. His son, Jesus, pardoned all wrongs.

[@StusGameReviews]

I will certainly continue to breathe air as long as possible. :)

[@dagglock7615]

Total shame you can't write to the disk. Better off getting an old computer and installing the drive to it. It's $50+ for being able to just read a disk..lol

[@StusGameReviews]

I agree it's a shame that you can't write to the disk, but I have a question - let's say you could write to the disk - what are you going to do with that functionality?

[@dagglock7615]

@@StusGameReviews What the functionality of a 3.5 in modern computers? It's just for fun :)