Portable storage with few downsides
Written: Oct 12 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Useful, standard, works well
Cons: Slow, problems on NT
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| JackWilliamBell's Full Review: Iomega ZIP 100 MB Parallel Port (32009) External Z... |
Summary: Extremely useful, is a standard format, could be faster, NT users may experience problems...
I have owned an external Zip drive (parallel port connection) for over three years now and it has performed nearly flawlessly. I use it to back-up data, to transfer large files between home PC, laptop and work and to store large files that I access only occasionally. I like, and use, my Zip 100 so much that I recently purchased an internal ATAPI version for my home PC. A ringing endorsement when you consider that I could have purchased any of the four or five new products with more storage and speed.
The downsides? First off Zip drives are not the speediest. My parallel port Zip can be annoying when I am copying twenty or thirty megabytes of data. Plus I have experienced problems with the Windows NT drivers using the parallel port. Often I will have to boot an NT machine three or four times before it will recognize the Zip drive. I have also occasionally experienced the 'dead disk' syndrome where a Zip disk will suddenly go bad -- meaning that any data on it is lost.
On the other hand Zip drives have become a standard in the computer world. Almost anywhere I go I will find someone in the office has a Zip drive hooked to his or her computer. And if they do not, I can easily hook up my parallel port Zip, load a few drivers, reboot the machine and go. Because the Zip is becoming so common the blank media has dropped in price and are available nearly everywhere.
I like it and use it. Recommended.
Recommended:
Yes
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