How to handle floppy disks carefully?

The following are the major points you should remember for careful handling of floppy disk.
1. A floppy disk should always be kept in a plastic box (or paper envelop ) when  it is not in use.
2. Do not touch the exposed area of the read/write surface with fingers.
3. Do not write on the label of the disk with a pencil or dot pen (or with any hard point pen.
4. Do not use eraser to erase the written name, you should use feel-tipped pen to write on the disk label.
5. Do not expose the disk to excessive heat or sunlight.
6. Do not bend or fold floppy disk.
7.Do not expose the disk to magnetic field. Data may be lost if magnet is brought near a disk.
8. Keep disk in the dust and moisture free environment.
9. Do not remove the floppy disk while disk drive is running.

Advantages of floppy disk compared with magnetic tape :
1. Random-access processing is possible.
2. Quick and direct inquiry to records is possible.

Disadvantages of floppy disks :
1. Disk packs  are more expensive than tape ( for the same storage capacity ).
2. The sequential processing using disks may be slower and less efficient than sequential processing using tapes.