Enter the Floppy Disk: The 9855M

Front of the HP 9855M floppy disk drive. Enlarge
Photo of the HP 9855M floppy disk drive with an 8-inch disk partially in the drive. Enlarge
Photo of the HP 9855M floppy disk drive with an 8-inch disk partially in the drive. Enlarge
Back of the HP 9855M floppy disk drive. Enlarge
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Date: 1976

The advent of flexible (or “floppy”) disks made data storage and transfer far easier and proved crucial to the success of personal computers. This 9855M drive from Hewlett-Packard used 8″ disks, the first commercial generation of floppy disks. The disks had a maximum storage capacity of 485KB, while the drive started at $2500.

Tags: 1970s • 1976 • Floppy Disk Drive • PC • peripherals • storage

( C ) HPCA

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