OK I found the hardware and it powers on. I found the software. Will 40 yo floppies read/boot? If so how long would they be reliable? I have to admit I like classic condition. I don’t like seeing classic cars with modern rims and tires.
Actually the answer is no. None of my TRSDOS disks booted. So is it these old floppies or the floppy drive itself? Or both? My guess it the floppies are probably definitely bad. They’re so bendy and floppy they just don’t seem reliable to me.
Which brings me to another mystery. Where are my 4P floppies? The first thing I would have done was to backup the original floppies. I wouldn’t have booted from the original.
I’ve been seeing on YouTube, these Gotek floppy emulators that replace the diskettes and it seems it would make the 4P into something I would actually find useful. My biggest problem with them is the USB flash drives sticking out. I ruins the classic look. Also they seem a bit too DIY at my age I prefer something more plug and play.
Never fear the trs80gp emulator has built-in 4p emulation.