Talk:Iomega Zip drive

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Contents

[edit] Jaz

-To Fyrefiend: The Jaz Drive link, IMO, should be in the Zip See Also. The Jaz Drive existed around the same time as the Zip drive, was made by the same manufacturer, was also a magnetic removable media, and shared market share and marketing strategies at the time of its existance. Tell me what you think, but I think that the removal should be RVed. --Borisborf 06:45, 1 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Look at the actual article and not just the diff of his edit. He only removed a duplicate. Look more carefully at your version from [1]. - Keith D. Tyler [flame]
Sorry about that. I was very tired and likely didn't see that it was already in there. I'll be more careful in the future.--Borisborf 21:53, 3 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] ZipPlus

Wouldn't the SCSI connector just shortcircut the PPA3 (SCSI-Parallel converter) chip found in ordinary ZIP drives? And can we get a source on the compatability problems? Thanks. ~Netdroid9

The zip plus offered both paralell and scsi through the same physcial port with automatic detection of which was in use. I don't have any sources to hand (its been mentioned in at least one major british computing magazine though, i think the magazine was "personal computer world" but i can't easilly get you an issue number). Plugwash 17:01, 5 November 2006 (UTC)I do not know what to do about this topic,and what is the speed of a Zip Disc?[[[Link title]]]

[edit] unpopularity or complete obsolescence?

In the first paragraph, it states that the ZIP drive has faded from popularity. wouldn't it be more accurate to say that it has disappeared almost entirely? 68.228.111.250 17:52, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Not necessarily... I still see them around quite often. Just because they are there and aren't used doesn't mean that the Zip drive has disappeared almost entirely. I know a few pathology labs that still store old stacks of slides on Zip disks and many schools still include them in their machines.--Borisborf 02:57, 24 December 2006 (UTC)
Actually, I'd say that they have become obsolete because you can't buy them in local stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, etc. I'd say that makes them specialty items that you have to special order because they are obsolete. -- Suso 03:45, 9 March 2007 (UTC)
Does anybody know how the transfer rate for the 250MB Zip drive compares to the 1GB Hi-MD MiniDisk? I like the cost and size of the Hi-MD much better, but I'm sure the transfer rate is going to have to be much slower because it just doesn't spin very fast.KJ-386 19:36, 30 March 2007 (UTC)


The question I had reading the article, which wasn't answered, is: Does Iomega still make any? If so, how many? If not, when did they stop? I haven't had a drive on my computer since earlier in this decade, but there have to be some people who still have them and use them. Remember, eight-track cartridges were still made and sold (via the mail) to diehards until 1988, and Sony only stopped making DAT machines two years ago. Technologies, even when clearly obsolete, still have a longer terminal period than most people realize. Daniel Case 02:38, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
To at least partially answer my own question, the company does still offer them for sale on its website.[2]. I don't think they sell in retail stores anymore, however. Daniel Case 03:14, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
I saw the 100MB and 250MB USB-powered drives for sale recently at a Staples store in NC. Of course, sales (or lack thereof) reveal nothing about how many old drives are still in regular use. I just recently connected my first USB 250MB drive (w/ separate power supply) to its third computer. The drive gets used for about fifteen seconds a day, backing up financial data files of less than 10MB total size. It may very well outlast three more computers, but its performance and utility won't put another dime in Iomega's pocket. I have never worn out a Zip disk either, which means that I haven't needed to buy one in years. KJ-386 16:05, 24 April 2007 (UTC)
I just bought a brand new Zip drive and three disks yesterday at Office Depot, so they're still out there. — User:ACupOfCoffee@ 00:26, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interface

I've never used a Zip drive and therefore know nothing of its interface. Will someone with information on the interface please update the article?--Fermin (talk) 22:05, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

In MS Windows, zip drives can be accessed through Windows Explorer: the OS assigns them a drive letter, if this is what you're asking. - Measure for Measure 14 March 2008