Time is almost up for magnetic storage from the 80s and 90s. Various physical limitations in storage methods from this era are conspiring to slowly degrade the data stored on things like tape, floppy ...

Data storage mechanisms have come a long way since IBM proudly introduced the first "memory disk" in 1971. By the end of the '70s, a number of manufacturers were churning out 5.25-in. floppy disks.

From lectures by Stephen Hawking to the letters of British politician Neil Kinnock – it's a race against time to save the historical treasures locked away on old floppy disks. Some of the world's most ...