Cambridge University archivists are working to extract and conserve valuable information from floppy disks before they become unusable due to degradation over time.
The initiative began with a box of 5.25-inch floppy disks from physicist Steven Hawking's DOS-formatted computer, highlighting the challenges of preserving data from outdated technology.
The iron oxide on the surface of the plastic may corrode material away, or it may lose its magnetism, preventing it from being read at all.
Author's summary: Archivists rescue historical data from old floppy disks.