{"slug": "greaseweazle", "name": "Greaseweazle", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 4, "warners": 0, "score": 3.745, "rising": 1.35, "first": "2026-05-30", "latest": "2026-09-09", "why": "Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives:", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives:", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/keirf/greaseweazle", "official_url": "https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Greaseweazle"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 793979776, "item_id": 49623736, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49623736", "by": "snvzz", "date": "2026-09-09", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "GreaseWeazle[0] is where it's at now.", "excerpt": "GreaseWeazle[0] is where it's at now. KryoFlux was all we had before, but GW has overtaken it, and is open source proper. 0. https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: 3.5 inch diskette read errors, would a period correct drive do better?"}, {"id": 788692800, "item_id": 49293300, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49293300", "by": "VorpalWay", "date": "2026-08-13", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The best (and most flexible) way to get data of old floppies is", "excerpt": "The best (and most flexible) way to get data of old floppies is https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle which reads the data at a raw magnetic level using a standard floppy drive and a custom open source circuit board which replaces the host controller. However, if you are specifically dealing with PC floppies, it is potentially overkill (but it might still be the easiest way to hook up a 5.25\" floppy drive to a modern", "context": "", "use_case": "Reading old floppy disks", "switched_from": "", "story": "Donkey.bas is 45 Years Old \u2013 131 line of Glory"}, {"id": 777804992, "item_id": 48612812, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48612812", "by": "snerbles", "date": "2026-06-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "tools like Greaseweazle [0] are necessary to compose full magnetic flux maps of archived floppies", "excerpt": "A lot of floppy-based games have on-disk copy protection patterns that take advantage of undocumented behavior of disk drives at the time. So much so that tools like Greaseweazle [0] are necessary to compose full magnetic flux maps of archived floppies. Another thing is that these games are often made to run on a wide variety of graphics and sound hardware, and effectively have drivers compiled into them. [0] https:/", "context": "", "use_case": "Floppy flux imaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "DOS Game \"F-15 Strike Eagle II\" reversing project needs DOS test pilots"}, {"id": 773340336, "item_id": 48333771, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48333771", "by": "Joel_Mckay", "date": "2026-05-30", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives:", "excerpt": "Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives: https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle Then use clean disk images on USB floppy emulators for old equipment: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy It is rare to need these tools, but for some folks it is important. =3", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "What It Takes to Preserve Floppy Disks"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["reading old floppy disks", "floppy flux imaging"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49598009", "title": "Ask HN: 3.5 inch diskette read errors, would a period correct drive do better?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49289465", "title": "Donkey.bas is 45 Years Old \u2013 131 line of Glory", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48609766", "title": "DOS Game \"F-15 Strike Eagle II\" reversing project needs DOS test pilots", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48303623", "title": "What It Takes to Preserve Floppy Disks", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 793979776, "item_id": 49623736, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49623736", "by": "snvzz", "date": "2026-09-09", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "GreaseWeazle[0] is where it's at now.", "excerpt": "GreaseWeazle[0] is where it's at now. KryoFlux was all we had before, but GW has overtaken it, and is open source proper. 0. https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: 3.5 inch diskette read errors, would a period correct drive do better?"}, {"id": 788692800, "item_id": 49293300, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49293300", "by": "VorpalWay", "date": "2026-08-13", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The best (and most flexible) way to get data of old floppies is", "excerpt": "The best (and most flexible) way to get data of old floppies is https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle which reads the data at a raw magnetic level using a standard floppy drive and a custom open source circuit board which replaces the host controller. However, if you are specifically dealing with PC floppies, it is potentially overkill (but it might still be the easiest way to hook up a 5.25\" floppy drive to a modern", "context": "", "use_case": "Reading old floppy disks", "switched_from": "", "story": "Donkey.bas is 45 Years Old \u2013 131 line of Glory"}, {"id": 777804992, "item_id": 48612812, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48612812", "by": "snerbles", "date": "2026-06-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "tools like Greaseweazle [0] are necessary to compose full magnetic flux maps of archived floppies", "excerpt": "A lot of floppy-based games have on-disk copy protection patterns that take advantage of undocumented behavior of disk drives at the time. So much so that tools like Greaseweazle [0] are necessary to compose full magnetic flux maps of archived floppies. Another thing is that these games are often made to run on a wide variety of graphics and sound hardware, and effectively have drivers compiled into them. [0] https:/", "context": "", "use_case": "Floppy flux imaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "DOS Game \"F-15 Strike Eagle II\" reversing project needs DOS test pilots"}, {"id": 773340336, "item_id": 48333771, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48333771", "by": "Joel_Mckay", "date": "2026-05-30", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives:", "excerpt": "Indeed, some create master disk images with forensic tools, and physical drives: https://github.com/keirf/greaseweazle Then use clean disk images on USB floppy emulators for old equipment: https://github.com/keirf/flashfloppy It is rare to need these tools, but for some folks it is important. =3", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "What It Takes to Preserve Floppy Disks"}]}