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- Iomega 100MB External Parallel Zip Drive Z100P2 ZIP100
Iomega 100MB External Parallel Zip Drive Z100P2 ZIP100
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As you likely have gathered from the name, Iomega's Zip 250 uses 250 MB disks for incremental data backup. Since the media is removable, you can buy new disks when you need more storage instead of buying an entirely new drive. The 250 MB capacity is a much more reasonable standard for shuttling around files than the 1.44 MB diskettes used by a typical floppy drive.
You might be worried about purchasing a drive that uses a parallel interface, as that's the port most printers occupy. Iomega thoughtfully has designed the Zip 250 with a pass-through port, meaning you can attach the drive to the PC and then attach a printer to the Zip drive. It worked flawlessly in our tests. The drive comes with both an AC adapter and a parallel cable, along with one 250 MB Zip disk--everything you need to get started.
Zip drives always have been designed well, and the Zip 250 is exceptional in this regard. There's a well on the side for the power plug so it doesn't protrude from the jack. This makes it possible to stand the drive on its side if it's taking up too much space lying flat.
Zip products have been around long enough that the software for them has had plenty of time to mature. The included CD-ROMs contain useful tools like Copy Machine, which lets you copy a Zip disk using a single Zip drive, and a one-step backup/restore utility, which easily backs up files from your hard drive. We also liked the included Norton Zip Rescue Disaster Recovery software, which lets you make a working backup copy of your Windows installation so you can easily restore it if the system goes bad. It works much better than the Startup Disk utility included with Windows 95 and Windows 98.
The main drawback to the parallel-port Zip 250 is its abysmal transfer rate. Peaking at 0.8 MB per second, we're talking at least five minutes for a 250 MB transfer. That's under perfect circumstances, and we all know how often computer users encounter perfect circumstances. Regardless, it's better than the 1.44 MB floppy drive it replaces, and most users won't need to transfer more than a few megabytes worth of data at a time. --T. Byrl Baker
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Zip drives answer the call for your demanding storage needs such as downloading software, images, and information from the Internet, or delivering your latest brochure or artwork to a pre-press service bureau. Zip 100 and 250 drives work right along with you, matching your need for speed and providing a spacious, easily organized solution in the form of Zip 100 MB or Zip 250 MB disks. You can view these disks as your lifeline and insurance policy. Easy to duplicate and back up, rugged, reliable Zip disks can protect your data from hard drive crashes and even physical computer theft. On Zip disks you can build your personal library of downloaded software, personal and work projects, scanned images and scrapbook material, financial records, tax history, even your personal music selection--and rest easy knowing that your life is safe there.
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The drive comes with detailed, easy-to-follow installation instructions, but you probably won't even need them. Just run the setup program and plug the drive into your USB port; your PC will automatically assign a drive letter to it and recognize it as a removable disk drive. There aren't any jumpers or switches to set; in fact, the drive has only one button, which ejects the disk. Once it's installed, you use it just like a floppy drive to save or copy files.
Physically, the drive sports a very thin, light plastic case, measuring 169 by 117 by 26 millimeters and weighing only 1.5 pounds. It draws all its power from the USB port, so there's no need for batteries or an external power supply. And, like any USB device, it's hot swappable: you can plug or unplug it without restarting your computer. It can sit flat on a table or stand upright with the included plastic stand.
Once we started playing with the USB-powered Zip 250, we immediately saw many situations in which it would come in handy. For example, say you wanted to do some work at home. You could easily copy the files to a Zip disk, take the drive home with you, and then just plug it into your PC and be ready to go. Since it's compatible with both PC and Macs, it's perfect for sharing files across operating systems. And of course, its compact shape makes it ideal for taking on the road.
The drive performed well in both our read and write testing; we didn't encounter any glitches, and it took just a little over 2 minutes to copy 100 MB of MP3 files to the drive. That's fast enough for most uses, and much faster than a Zip drive hooked up to a standard parallel or serial port, but not as fast as an internal IDE or SCSI Zip drive.
Iomega includes some valuable backup utilities with the Zip drive, as well as some other useful applications. Iomega Backup lets you create and schedule compressed backups of specific folders or entire drives. MusicMatch Jukebox is an excellent utility for ripping CDs and organizing your digital music files. And Adobe's ActiveShare offers a slick interface for manipulating photos and sharing them on the Web.
The USB-powered 250 MB Zip drive offers an inexpensive and simple way to add removable storage to your PC or Mac. Its slim, light design makes it absolutely invaluable for road warriors who needs to take their data with them. --Ken Feinstein
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