Hi. I am a computer illiterate. Those were the words I uttered not so long ago when I walked into the office supply store in search of something called a “zip disk” for some “zip drive” that had been installed on my computer. Before you get too concerned, I didn’t install the drive – I had the local computer geeks crack open the case and do the deed and even though they explained how it worked in basic common terms – most of it went over my head. Realizing that I needed to clean out my computer and back up some important files I – reluctantly – entered the world of blank media storage.

If I would have known how easy these were to use I would have taken advantage of this method of storage a long time ago. If you find yourself with too many MP3’s, Word documents, photos or just simply in need of a good disc cleaning – I highly suggest that you check out the Iomega 100 MB disks. Now, if you have large monster sized files that are larger than 100MB then you will need to find another avenue of storage. I find these great for Word files, photos, MP3’s and odds and ends that seem to clutter up my computer and make it rather difficult to navigate through the Windows Explorer program.


Getting Started

As I said, I am pretty much a complete moron when it comes to computers. I went into the whole experience blindly so I hope that some of what I am writing helps someone. When I first purchased the three pack of zip disks I was under the impression that all you had to do was crack open the case, toss a disk in the drive and transfer the files from your hard drive to the disk. Well, what happened when you did that Freak? When I put in the disk I went to the Windows Explorer and click on the D: drive since this is where the Iomega Zip Drive is located [yours might have a different destination so don’t assume that your will be located at D: as well]. Clicking on that I saw a small Iomega icon that said “click here”. Well, I did that and my entire desktop went from a very nice shade of blue to white. From there I experienced a system freeze and the eventual lock up of the computer. The pop up box hovered for a few minutes and remained blank so I did the old “control alt delete” trick to see which of the programs were working and which were frozen. The pop up box showed ‘not responding’ so I gave it a few more minutes before I reached over to the tower and hit the reset button.

While the computer restarted I kicked back and started to think - I wasn’t sure if I needed software to install to get it to work correctly, if there was a disk that came with the Iomega Zip Drive – I was completely lost. So what do I do when backed into a corner with no immediate cure in site? Self-exploration. I figured I would either get to the bottom of it or break the computer all together. One way or the other I would figure out exactly how these little puppies worked! Of course if I had taken a few minutes to read the small cardboard sleeve that was bundled around the disks I would have found that the disks were formatted and ready to use – but that still didn’t tell me if I needed a special program to transfer files or move them.

When I restarted the computer I didn’t click on the deceptive little file called “click here” but rather went right into Word and created a “test file”. I saved it to the D drive [keep in mind your ‘drive’ letter may be different] and played around with edited the file a few times to see if it was saving correctly and if I could edit it and save it again. After about ten minutes I was satisfied that I got some of the basic skills on using the disk but I was still curious about the “click here” icon so once again I clicked it and found myself - and the computer – locked up. Now I just avoid it like the plague and chanced the file name to “DO NOT CLICK”.

The Disks

If you have never seen a zip disk they are about the size of a floppy only about twice as thick. These disks come packaged in very nice translucent plastic cases that are pretty sturdy but – like all plastic products – will eventually break. On the face of the disk there is enough room to write a few lines of reference text but not much more. I suggest using a felt tipped pen or a permanent marker rather than a ballpoint pen – but that is just personal preference. There is a paper sleeve that covers the front and back of the inside of the case – this can be removed and turned inside out so you can list the different files you have saved to the disk.

Warranty

To read the complete warranty you have to literally peel the cardboard sleeve apart and break out the magnifying glass. The long and short of it is this – you are covered for five years from the date of purchase. If you leave it in the sun, take it to the beach, spill soda on it or do anything else to it – you are out of luck since the warranty only covers defects. If you are a smart cookie you’ll do what I do and save everything. I have gotten into the habit of taping the receipts to the packages and making copies of the receipts since some stores issue thermal receipts that do fade over time.

To read the complete warranty visit this page of the Iomega website: www.iomega.com/supportpolicy.html This page will also give you the specifics about the warranty and how it differs slightly from state to state. You can also access the information needed to file a claim and obtain a replacement disk or disks from the manufacturer.

Prices

I purchased the three pack for $28.99 plus tax. At the time I thought this was a great deal – until I ran out of space on the disks that is. I have seen these sold individually for about $9.99 and in large bundles of 20. What it all boils down to is what you will be using the disks for. If you simply want to store your odds and ends or have a safe copy of files and programs then these are a great choice. If you plan on saving huge files or massive HTML spreads then you might want to opt with another type of storage that will better suit your needs.

But How Much Can You Store On One Of Them?

That all depends on what you are saving my dear. I had some music videos and live performances that I downloaded from a few “sites” and while I didn’t watch them very often I couldn’t bring myself to delete them since it took a while to download them. I managed to transfer eleven music videos and three live performances [one song each] to the zip disk before I got the pop up message that the disk was full.

According to the Iomega website one of the 100MB disks will hold the equivalent of 70 floppy disks. I have used floppies in the past and never really had any trouble with space issues – but then again I was using them predominately to save photos and send them overseas to family and friends. I am a computer genius compared to them – so that should tell you the level of computing skills they have. I would email them the photos and they would either delete the attachment, save it to some bizarre folder on the computer or simply forget to open the file. It’s simpler for me to just copy the photos to a disk and pop them in the mail. As soon as they get their Iomega drive installed we can send the disks back and forth and I can include footage from the video camera as well as just still photos.

Things To Know

I sort of went a little nuts when I figured out how to use the disks. I wanted to move a lot of small files off the hard drive and onto a zip disk just so I could avoid having to weed through all the clutter. One very important lesson I learned was this – if you are moving files from your hard drive to the Iomega disk you have to keep track of what you moved and what you didn’t move before you start deleting files from your hard drive. I assumed that if I moved a file from the C: drive to the D: drive it would do just that – move it. wrong It doesn’t move it – it merely copies it. So once I moved all the little tid bits I had to go back and double check that they were copied before I erased them off the hard drive. Of course I missed a few which meant I had to dig though the computers recycle bin to retrieve them.

Before you invest in an Iomega Zip drive and the disks make sure that this is something that you will use – and more importantly – something that you need. That is something that you have to ask yourself since only you know you systems specifics and how much of a benefit or burden this type of media storage will be.

The Iomega website is there if you need help – but don’t count on it to just hand over the answers to your questions. I spent a good half hour there before I found the information I was looking for and if the sections were labeled correctly I could have been in and out in less than five minutes. Be sure to read over the complete warranty at the website if you are planning on purchasing an Iomega drive or buying the disks in bulk.

The Bottom Line

All things considered, the Iomega Zip Disk has been a real lifesaver. I’ve been able to get a little more organized, get rid of some of the clutter on my hard drive and be prepared if my computer ever dies on me [knock wood]. I know that I will have to upgrade to something that offers me more storage power but for right now these disks seem to be just the right size for me.

Much like passing notes in school, these have become almost indispensable for my neighbor Jane and I to use. We can swap photos, recipes, craft projects and HTML files without having to drag out 10 floppy disks in the process. No longer do I have to weed though floppies to try and find what I am looking for – I just pop in the zip disk, open the D: drive and work from there. Now if they would just bring down the price on them …..



As always, thanks for the visit!

^V^ Freak ^V^

© 2002 Freak369



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