Should I insert a disk in a floppy disk drive before sending?

[arkpandora]

Besides packing it well, is there any special precaution I should take before sending a 3.5 floppy disk drive by post?

For example, is it better to insert a disk, or not?

Thank you for any advising!

[Jope]

Just pad it well, I wouldn't bother with a disk.

[s2325]

There were cardboards for 5.25 floppy disk drive to keep dust off.

[demolition]

Since inserting a floppy is not much of a bother you could do it, but since I have never seen 3½" drives shipped with head protection like 51/4" drives I doubt it is necessary.

[arkpandora]

Thank you for your answers!

If inserting a disk has an effect, for example on the drive's heads, can you confirm that it is a positive effect, not a negative?

[wiz12]

I recently received a floppy drive that had been damaged in post. The front button had broke off and the inner frame was bent. I managed to fix it but it would be a good idea to at least protect the front with extra padding just in case.

[Akira]

Originally Posted by s2325

There were cardboards for 5.25 floppy disk drive to keep dust off.

I think that was because the 5 1/4" drive's mechanism floats a lot and it rattles if you move it around, but when you insert a disk it's more secured into place. Such a thing does not happen with a 3 1/2" drive.

But somebody please correct me if I am talking a load of shit

[s2325]

My 5.25 drive was too heavy to shake...

[demolition]

Originally Posted by s2325

My 5.25 drive was too heavy to shake...

UPS has a proven record of shaking anything to bits..
I think that in a 3½" drive, it is not possible for the two heads to hit one another when there is no disk in the drive, thus there is no need for a protection sheet.

[Jope]

Originally Posted by wiz12

I recently received a floppy drive that had been damaged in post. The front button had broke off and the inner frame was bent. I managed to fix it but it would be a good idea to at least protect the front with extra padding just in case.

I've had that happen too when receiving drives bought online. If the drive has no front panel, it's a good idea to actually unclip the eject button and ship it loose in the box.

This is actually quite a good reason to not insert a disk into the 3.5" drive when shipping it. The eject button will protrude out and might cause damage if you didn't add enough padding.

[arkpandora]

If the heads can't touch and since new 3.5 drives were shipped without internal protection, I will send drives without disk inside. I always pack well, so padding won't be a problem.

Thanks for the help!