Zip drive: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Removable floppy disk storage system}} |
{{Short description|Removable floppy disk storage system}} |
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{{ |
{{Distinguish|ZIP (file format)}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023|cs1-dates=y}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023|cs1-dates=y}} |
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{{Infobox computer hardware |
{{Infobox computer hardware |
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| logo-size = 0.5 |
| logo-size = 0.5 |
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| logo_caption = Iomega Zip 100 drive logo |
| logo_caption = Iomega Zip 100 drive logo |
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| image = |
| image = Iomega Zip 100 drive with a disk.jpg |
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| caption = Zip 100 drive |
| caption = Zip 100 drive with a disk |
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| invent-date = |
| invent-date = |
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| invent-name = |
| invent-name = |
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| designfirm = |
| designfirm = |
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| manufacturer = Iomega |
| manufacturer = Iomega |
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| introduced = {{start date|1994}} |
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| discontinued = |
| discontinued = |
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| cost = {{USD|200}} |
| cost = {{USD|200}} |
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[[File:Internal zip drive inside computer.jpg|thumb|An internal Zip drive installed in a computer]] |
[[File:Internal zip drive inside computer.jpg|thumb|An internal Zip drive installed in a computer]] |
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[[File:Internal zip drive outside of computer.jpg|thumb|An internal Zip drive outside of a computer but attached to a {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch to {{frac|5|1|4}}-inch drive bay adapter]] |
[[File:Internal zip drive outside of computer.jpg|thumb|An internal Zip drive outside of a computer but attached to a {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch to {{frac|5|1|4}}-inch drive bay adapter]] |
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[[File: |
[[File:Iomega ZIP100 Disk.jpg|thumb|The Zip disk media]] |
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[[File:ZIP Drive 100, 5.jpg|thumb|The back of a parallel-port ZIP-100 with printer pass-through]] |
[[File:ZIP Drive 100, 5.jpg|thumb|The back of a parallel-port ZIP-100 with printer pass-through]] |
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The '''Zip drive''' is a removable floppy [[disk storage]] system that was |
The '''Zip drive''' is a removable floppy [[disk storage]] system that was announced by [[Iomega]] in 1994 and began shipping in March 1995.<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://edgar.secdatabase.com/1197/35278995000002/filing-main.htm |
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|title=IOMEGA CORP (Form Type: 10-K, Filing Date: 03/30/1995) |date=30 March 1995 |
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|quote=... new Zip products that it announced in 1994 and expects to start shipping in the first half of 1995.}}</ref> Considered medium-to-high-capacity at the time of its release, Zip disks were originally launched with capacities of 100 [[megabytes|MB]], then 250 MB, and finally 750 MB. |
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The format became the most popular of the superfloppy products which filled a [[Niche market|niche]] in the late 1990s portable storage market. However, it was never popular enough to replace the {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch [[floppy disk]]. Zip drives fell out of favor for mass portable storage during the early 2000s as [[CD-RW]] and [[USB flash drive]]s became prevalent. The Zip brand later covered internal and external CD writers known as Zip-650 or Zip-CD, despite the dissimilar technology. |
The format became the most popular of the [[superfloppy]] products which filled a [[Niche market|niche]] in the late 1990s portable storage market. However, it was never popular enough to replace the standard {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch [[floppy disk]]. Zip drives fell out of favor for mass portable storage during the early 2000s as [[CD-RW]] and [[USB flash drive]]s became prevalent. The Zip brand later covered internal and external CD writers known as Zip-650 or Zip-CD, despite the dissimilar technology. |
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==Overview== |
==Overview== |
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The Zip drive is a "superfloppy" disk drive that has all of the {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch floppy drive's convenience, but with much greater capacity options and with performance that is much improved over a standard floppy drive. However, Zip disk housings are |
The Zip drive is a "superfloppy" disk drive that has all of the standard {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch floppy drive's convenience, but with much greater capacity options and with performance that is much improved over a standard floppy drive. However, Zip disk housings are similar to but slightly larger than those of standard {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch floppy disks.<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=https://blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/archivesandmanuscripts/2010/03/22/media-recognition-guide-iomega-zip-disks/ |
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|title=Media Recognition Guide – Iomega Zip Disks |date=March 22, 2010 |access-date=June 3, 2023 |
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|quote=Zip disks are physically similar to floppy disks, ... dimensions are 97 x 98 x 6mm compared to 3.5” floppy disk dimensions of 90 x 94 x 3mm.}}</ref> |
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In the Zip drive, the heads fly in a manner similar to a [[hard disk drive]]. A linear actuator uses the [[voice coil]] actuation technology related to modern hard disk drives |
In the Zip drive, the heads fly in a manner similar to a [[hard disk drive]]. A linear actuator uses the [[voice coil]] actuation technology related to modern hard disk drives. |
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The original Zip drive has a maximum data transfer rate of about 1.4 MB/s (comparable to 8× CD-R; although some connection methods are slower, down to approximately 50 kB/s for maximum-compatibility parallel "nibble" mode) and a [[seek time]] of 28 ms on average, compared to a standard 1.44 MB floppy's effective ≈16 kB/s and ≈200 ms average seek time. Typical desktop hard disk drives from mid-to-late 1990s revolve at 5,400 rpm and have transfer rates from 3 MB/s to 10 MB/s or more, and average seek times from 20 ms to 14 ms or less.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} |
The original Zip drive has a maximum data transfer rate of about 1.4 MB/s (comparable to 8× CD-R; although some connection methods are slower, down to approximately 50 kB/s for maximum-compatibility parallel "nibble" mode) and a [[seek time]] of 28 ms on average, compared to a standard 1.44 MB floppy's effective ≈16 kB/s and ≈200 ms average seek time. Typical desktop hard disk drives from mid-to-late 1990s revolve at 5,400 rpm and have transfer rates from 3 MB/s to 10 MB/s or more, and average seek times from 20 ms to 14 ms or less.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} |
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Early-generation Zip drives were in direct competition with the [[SuperDisk]] |
Early-generation Zip drives were in direct competition with the [[SuperDisk]] (LS-120) drives, which hold 20% more data and can also read standard {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch 1.44 MB diskettes, but they have a lower data-transfer rate due to lower rotational speed.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} |
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The Zip drive was Iomega's third generation of products, different from Iomega's earlier [[Bernoulli Box]]es in many ways, including the absence of the Bernoulli plate of the earlier products.<ref>Radman et al.,, "Flexible-Disk Cartridge Drives Combine Reliable Operation, Removability," Computer Technology Review, Summer 1984, p. 77-81</ref> |
The Zip drive was Iomega's third generation of products, different from Iomega's earlier [[Bernoulli Box]]es in many ways, including the absence of the Bernoulli plate of the earlier products.<ref>Radman et al.,, "Flexible-Disk Cartridge Drives Combine Reliable Operation, Removability," Computer Technology Review, Summer 1984, p. 77-81</ref> |
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===Interfaces=== |
===Interfaces=== |
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[[File:ZipDrives.jpeg|thumb|Later ([[USB]], left) and earlier (parallel, right) Zip drives (media in foreground)]] |
[[File:ZipDrives.jpeg|thumb|Later ([[USB]], left) and earlier (parallel, right) Zip drives (media in foreground)]] |
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[[File:ZIP 250 USB Drive.jpg|thumb|upright|ZIP 250 USB Drive]] |
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Zip drives were produced in multiple interfaces including: |
Zip drives were produced in multiple interfaces including: |
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* [[Integrated Drive Electronics|IDE]] True ATA (very early ATA internal Zip drives mostly sold to OEMs; these drives exhibit software compatibility issues because they do not support the ATAPI command set) |
* [[Integrated Drive Electronics|IDE]] True ATA (very early ATA internal Zip drives mostly sold to OEMs; these drives exhibit software compatibility issues because they do not support the ATAPI command set) |
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* [[ATAPI]] (all Zip generations) |
* [[ATA Packet Interface|ATAPI]] (all Zip generations) |
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* [[USB]] 1.1 (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations) <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.org/details/iomega-zip-250-drive |title=Iomega ZIP 250 Drive |date=11 May 2006 |via=Internet Archive }}</ref> |
* [[USB]] 1.1 (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations) <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.org/details/iomega-zip-250-drive |title=Iomega ZIP 250 Drive |date=11 May 2006 |via=Internet Archive }}</ref> |
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* USB 2.0 (Zip 750 MB generation; backwards compatible with USB 1.1 systems) |
* USB 2.0 (Zip 750 MB generation; backwards compatible with USB 1.1 systems) |
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!colspan=5| Interface |
!colspan=5| Interface |
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|- |
|- |
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! style="width:60px;"| [[ATAPI]] |
! style="width:60px;"| [[ATA Packet Interface|ATAPI]] |
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! style="width:60px;"| [[SCSI]] |
! style="width:60px;"| [[SCSI]] |
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! style="width:60px;"| [[Parallel port|LPT]]<ref group="note" name="fn_1"/> |
! style="width:60px;"| [[Parallel port|LPT]]<ref group="note" name="fn_1"/> |
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! style="width:60px;"| [[USB]] |
! style="width:60px;"| [[USB]] |
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! style="width:60px;"| [[FireWire]]<ref group="note" name="fn_2"/> |
! style="width:60px;"| [[IEEE 1394|FireWire]]<ref group="note" name="fn_2"/> |
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|- |
|- |
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| Zip 100 |
| Zip 100 |
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Driver support: |
Driver support: |
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* [[DOS]] (requires a minimum of a [[80286]] or processor) |
* [[DOS]] (requires a minimum of a [[Intel 80286|80286]] or processor) |
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* [[Microsoft Windows]] family (Parallel drives not supported on [[Windows 7]] and above) |
* [[Microsoft Windows]] family (Parallel drives not supported on [[Windows 7]] and above) |
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* Some [[Linux]] / [[BSD]] etc. (not universal) |
* Some [[Linux]] / [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] etc. (not universal) |
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* Oracle [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] 8, 9, 10, 11 |
* Oracle [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] 8, 9, 10, 11 |
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* IBM [[OS/2]] |
* IBM [[OS/2]] |
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* [[Classic Mac OS|Macintosh System]] 6.x,<sup>(See NB 1)</sup> 7.1–7.5, and Mac OS 7.6–9.2 |
* [[Classic Mac OS|Macintosh System]] 6.x,<sup>(See NB 1)</sup> 7.1–7.5, and Mac OS 7.6–9.2 |
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* [[ |
* [[macOS]] |
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* [[RISC OS]] Requires !zip drivers. |
* [[RISC OS]] Requires !zip drivers. |
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* [[AmigaOS]] 3.5 or higher |
* [[AmigaOS]] 3.5 or higher |
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* [[BeOS]] from version 3 onwards. |
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* [[IRIX]] 6.4 or higher (SCSI only) |
* [[IRIX]] 6.4 or higher (SCSI only) |
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''NB 3: Requires a driver older than 5.x.<ref name="Using a Zip drive on Mac OS 6.x">{{cite web |url=http://www.jagshouse.com/zipMacPlus.html |title=Using a zip Zip drive on a Mac Plus |access-date=11 August 2009}}</ref>'' |
''NB 3: Requires a driver older than 5.x.<ref name="Using a Zip drive on Mac OS 6.x">{{cite web |url=http://www.jagshouse.com/zipMacPlus.html |title=Using a zip Zip drive on a Mac Plus |access-date=11 August 2009}}</ref>'' |
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==Compatibility== |
==Compatibility== |
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Zip disks must be used in a drive with |
Zip disks must be used in a drive with an equal or greater storage capacity. Higher-capacity drives can read lower-capacity media. The 250 MB drive writes much more slowly to 100 MB disks than the 100 MB drive, and the Iomega software is unable to perform a "long" (thorough) format on a 100 MB disk (They can be formatted in any version of Windows as normal; the advantage of the Iomega software is that the long format can format the 100 MB disks with a slightly higher capacity. 250 MB disks format to the same size either way). The 750 MB drive has read-only support for 100 MB disks.<ref>Iomega 750MB drive documentation states this</ref> |
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The retroreflective spot differs between the 100 MB disk and the 250 MB such that if the larger disk is inserted in a smaller-capacity drive, the disk is immediately ejected again without any attempt being made to access the disk. The 750 MB disk has no reflective spot.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} |
The retroreflective spot differs between the 100 MB disk and the 250 MB such that if the larger disk is inserted in a smaller-capacity drive, the disk is immediately ejected again without any attempt being made to access the disk. The 750 MB disk has no reflective spot.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} |
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==Sales, problems, and licensing== |
==Sales, problems, and licensing== |
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Zip drives initially sold well after their |
Zip drives initially sold well after their shipments began in 1995, owing to their low price and high (for the time) capacity. The drive was initially sold for just under US$200 with one cartridge included, and additional 100 MB cartridges for US$20. At this time [[hard disk]]s typically had a capacity of 500 MB and cost around US$200 {{citation needed|date=August 2022}}, and so backing up with Zip disks was very economical for home users—some computer suppliers such as [[Dell]], [[Gateway, Inc.|Gateway]] and [[Apple Inc.]] included internal Zip drives in their machines. Zip drives also made significant inroads in the graphic arts market, as a cheaper alternative to the [[Syquest]] cartridge hard disk system. The price of additional cartridges swiftly dropped further over the next few years, as more companies began supplying them. Eventually, the suppliers included [[Fujifilm]], [[Verbatim Corporation|Verbatim]], [[Toshiba]] and [[Maxell]], [[Epson]] and [[NEC]]. NEC also produced a licensed 100 MB drive model with its brand name. |
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[[File:ZipDiskNDrive unitsales 1998to2003.svg|thumb|Zip Disk and Drive sales, 1998 to 2003]] |
[[File:ZipDiskNDrive unitsales 1998to2003.svg|thumb|Zip Disk and Drive sales, 1998 to 2003]] |
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In September 1998, a [[class action suit]] was filed against Iomega over a type of Zip drive failure dubbed the "[[click of death|Click of Death]]", accusing Iomega of violation of the Delaware Consumer Fraud Act.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oo5MfD6y8hwC&pg=RA1-PA32 |title=Products liability: recreation and ... - Google Books |date=14 September 1985 |access-date=12 September 2011|last1=Wittenberg |first1=Jeffrey D. }}</ref> |
In September 1998, a [[class action suit]] was filed against Iomega over a type of Zip drive failure dubbed the "[[click of death|Click of Death]]", accusing Iomega of violation of the Delaware Consumer Fraud Act.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oo5MfD6y8hwC&pg=RA1-PA32 |title=Products liability: recreation and ... - Google Books |date=14 September 1985 |access-date=12 September 2011|last1=Wittenberg |first1=Jeffrey D. }}</ref> |
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In 2006, ''[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]'' rated the Zip drive as the 15th worst technology product of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/125772-4/the_25_worst_tech_products_of_all_time.html|title=PC World: The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time, 2006-05-26}}</ref> Nonetheless, in 2007, ''PC World'' rated the Zip drive as the 23rd ''best'' technology product of all time<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/130207-6/the_50_best_tech_products_of_all_time.html|title=PC World: The 50 Best Tech Products of All Time, 2007-04-02}}</ref> despite its known problems. |
In 2006, ''[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]'' rated the Zip drive as the 15th worst technology product of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/125772-4/the_25_worst_tech_products_of_all_time.html|title=PC World: The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time, 2006-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130034623/http://www.pcworld.com/article/125772/worst_products_ever.html?page=4|archive-date=30 January 2017}}</ref> Nonetheless, in 2007, ''PC World'' rated the Zip drive as the 23rd ''best'' technology product of all time<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/130207-6/the_50_best_tech_products_of_all_time.html|title=PC World: The 50 Best Tech Products of All Time, 2007-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130023126/http://www.pcworld.com/article/130207/article.html?page=6|archive-date=30 January 2017}}</ref> despite its known problems. |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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Zip drives are still used today by retro-computing enthusiasts as a means to transfer large amounts (compared to the retro hardware) of data between modern and older computer systems. The [[Amiga|Commodore-Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], [[Apple II]], and [[Old World ROM|"old world"]] [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] communities often use drives with the SCSI interface prevalent on those platforms. They have also found a small niche in the music production community, as SCSI-compatible Zip drives can be used with vintage [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]] and [[electronic keyboard|keyboard]]s of the 1990s.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} |
Zip drives are still used today by retro-computing enthusiasts as a means to transfer large amounts (compared to the retro hardware) of data between modern and older computer systems. The [[Amiga|Commodore-Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], [[Apple II series|Apple II]], and [[Old World ROM|"old world"]] [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] communities often use drives with the SCSI interface prevalent on those platforms. They have also found a small niche in the music production community, as SCSI-compatible Zip drives can be used with vintage [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]] and [[electronic keyboard|keyboard]]s of the 1990s.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} |
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Zip disks were still in use in [[aviation]] until at least 2014.<ref>{{cite web |
Zip disks were still in use in [[aviation]] until at least 2014.<ref>{{cite web |
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The company released an open standard CD-R drive and CD-RW media under the same ZipCD name. |
The company released an open standard CD-R drive and CD-RW media under the same ZipCD name. |
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Early models of ZipCD drives were relabeled [[Philips]] drives, which were also so unreliable that a [[class action lawsuit]] succeeded.<ref>{{Cite web |url= |
Early models of ZipCD drives were relabeled [[Philips]] drives, which were also so unreliable that a [[class action lawsuit]] succeeded.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cdrecorderclassnotice.com/ |title=Information Page for the Philips and Hewlett-Packard CD Recorder Class Action |date=4 December 2000 |website=CdRecorderClassNotice.com |access-date=2017-09-19 |archive-date=2000-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001204085100/http://www.cdrecorderclassnotice.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Later models were sourced from [[Plextor]]. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Caleb UHD]] |
* [[Caleb UHD]] |
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* [[Castlewood Orb Drive]] |
* [[Castlewood Orb Drive]] |
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* [[Doctor V64]] |
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* [[EZ 135 Drive]] |
* [[EZ 135 Drive]] |
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* [[Jaz drive]] |
* [[Jaz drive]] |
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* [[Mr. Backup Z64]] |
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* [[PocketZip]] |
* [[PocketZip]] |
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* [[Sony HiFD]] |
* [[Sony HiFD]] |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{Commons category-inline|Zip drive}} |
* {{Commons category-inline|Zip drive}} |
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* "[https://www.edocr.com/v/vl86awkv/Fred_C_Thomas_III/innovation-and-invention-bucknell-presentation-1-2 Meeting the Challenges of Innovation- The 1990s Inventive Story of the Zip Drive...]" - Presentation to Bucknell School of Engineering, January 2012 - Author: Fred Thomas |
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{{Iomega storage devices}} |
{{Iomega storage devices}} |
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[[Category:Computer-related introductions in |
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1995]] |
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[[Category:Floppy disk drives]] |
[[Category:Floppy disk drives]] |
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[[Category:Iomega storage devices]] |
[[Category:Iomega storage devices]] |
Latest revision as of 17:17, 16 April 2024
Manufacturer | Iomega |
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Cost | US$200 |
Type | Floppy drive |
The Zip drive is a removable floppy disk storage system that was announced by Iomega in 1994 and began shipping in March 1995.[1] Considered medium-to-high-capacity at the time of its release, Zip disks were originally launched with capacities of 100 MB, then 250 MB, and finally 750 MB.
The format became the most popular of the superfloppy products which filled a niche in the late 1990s portable storage market. However, it was never popular enough to replace the standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy disk. Zip drives fell out of favor for mass portable storage during the early 2000s as CD-RW and USB flash drives became prevalent. The Zip brand later covered internal and external CD writers known as Zip-650 or Zip-CD, despite the dissimilar technology.
Overview[edit]
The Zip drive is a "superfloppy" disk drive that has all of the standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy drive's convenience, but with much greater capacity options and with performance that is much improved over a standard floppy drive. However, Zip disk housings are similar to but slightly larger than those of standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy disks.[2]
In the Zip drive, the heads fly in a manner similar to a hard disk drive. A linear actuator uses the voice coil actuation technology related to modern hard disk drives.
The original Zip drive has a maximum data transfer rate of about 1.4 MB/s (comparable to 8× CD-R; although some connection methods are slower, down to approximately 50 kB/s for maximum-compatibility parallel "nibble" mode) and a seek time of 28 ms on average, compared to a standard 1.44 MB floppy's effective ≈16 kB/s and ≈200 ms average seek time. Typical desktop hard disk drives from mid-to-late 1990s revolve at 5,400 rpm and have transfer rates from 3 MB/s to 10 MB/s or more, and average seek times from 20 ms to 14 ms or less.[citation needed]
Early-generation Zip drives were in direct competition with the SuperDisk (LS-120) drives, which hold 20% more data and can also read standard 3+1⁄2-inch 1.44 MB diskettes, but they have a lower data-transfer rate due to lower rotational speed.[citation needed]
The Zip drive was Iomega's third generation of products, different from Iomega's earlier Bernoulli Boxes in many ways, including the absence of the Bernoulli plate of the earlier products.[3]
Interfaces[edit]
Zip drives were produced in multiple interfaces including:
- IDE True ATA (very early ATA internal Zip drives mostly sold to OEMs; these drives exhibit software compatibility issues because they do not support the ATAPI command set)
- ATAPI (all Zip generations)
- USB 1.1 (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations) [4]
- USB 2.0 (Zip 750 MB generation; backwards compatible with USB 1.1 systems)
- IEEE 1284 (parallel port) with printer pass through (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations) (See NB 3)
- IEEE 1394 (FireWire) (Zip 250 MB and 750 MB generations)
- SCSI (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations; both internal and external editions; external editions limited to ID 5 and 6)[5]
- "Plus" (Zip 100 MB external drive with both SCSI and IEEE 1284 connections; SCSI ID limited to ID 5 and 6).
Parallel port external Zip drives are actually SCSI drives with an integrated Parallel-to-SCSI controller, meaning a true SCSI bus implementation but without the electrical buffering circuits necessary for connecting other external devices. Early Zip 100 drives use an AIC 7110 SCSI controller and later parallel drives (Zip Plus and Zip 250) used what was known as Iomega MatchMaker.[6][7] The drives are identified by the operating system as "IMG VP0" and "IMG VP1" respectively.
Early external SCSI-based Zip drives were packaged with an included SCSI adapter known as Zip Zoom. The Zip Zoom is a relabeled ISA Adaptec SCSI host controller. Also, originally sold separately was a PCMCIA-to-SCSI adapter for laptop compatibility, also a relabeled Adaptec.
Name | Interface | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ATAPI | SCSI | LPT[note 1] | USB | FireWire[note 2] | |
Zip 100 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Zip 250 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Zip 750 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
|
Driver support:
- DOS (requires a minimum of a 80286 or processor)
- Microsoft Windows family (Parallel drives not supported on Windows 7 and above)
- Some Linux / BSD etc. (not universal)
- Oracle Solaris 8, 9, 10, 11
- IBM OS/2
- Macintosh System 6.x,(See NB 1) 7.1–7.5, and Mac OS 7.6–9.2
- macOS
- RISC OS Requires !zip drivers.
- AmigaOS 3.5 or higher
- BeOS from version 3 onwards.
- IRIX 6.4 or higher (SCSI only)
NB 3: Requires a driver older than 5.x.[8]
Compatibility[edit]
Zip disks must be used in a drive with an equal or greater storage capacity. Higher-capacity drives can read lower-capacity media. The 250 MB drive writes much more slowly to 100 MB disks than the 100 MB drive, and the Iomega software is unable to perform a "long" (thorough) format on a 100 MB disk (They can be formatted in any version of Windows as normal; the advantage of the Iomega software is that the long format can format the 100 MB disks with a slightly higher capacity. 250 MB disks format to the same size either way). The 750 MB drive has read-only support for 100 MB disks.[9]
The retroreflective spot differs between the 100 MB disk and the 250 MB such that if the larger disk is inserted in a smaller-capacity drive, the disk is immediately ejected again without any attempt being made to access the disk. The 750 MB disk has no reflective spot.[citation needed]
Sales, problems, and licensing[edit]
Zip drives initially sold well after their shipments began in 1995, owing to their low price and high (for the time) capacity. The drive was initially sold for just under US$200 with one cartridge included, and additional 100 MB cartridges for US$20. At this time hard disks typically had a capacity of 500 MB and cost around US$200 [citation needed], and so backing up with Zip disks was very economical for home users—some computer suppliers such as Dell, Gateway and Apple Inc. included internal Zip drives in their machines. Zip drives also made significant inroads in the graphic arts market, as a cheaper alternative to the Syquest cartridge hard disk system. The price of additional cartridges swiftly dropped further over the next few years, as more companies began supplying them. Eventually, the suppliers included Fujifilm, Verbatim, Toshiba and Maxell, Epson and NEC. NEC also produced a licensed 100 MB drive model with its brand name.
Sales of Zip drives and disks declined steadily from 1999 to 2003.[10] Zip disks had a relatively high cost per megabyte compared to the falling costs of then-new CD-R and CD-RW discs.
The growth of hard disk drives to multi-gigabyte capacity made backing up with Zip disks less economical. Furthermore, the advent of inexpensive recordable CD and DVD drives for computers, followed by USB flash drives, pushed the Zip drive out of the mainstream market. Nevertheless, during their prime, Zip disks greatly eased the exchange of files that were too big to fit into a standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy or an email attachment, and there was no high-speed connection to transfer the file to the recipient. However, the advantages of magnetic media over optical media and flash memory, in terms of long-term file storage stability and high erase/rewrite cycles, still affords them a niche in the data-storage arena.[citation needed]
In September 1998, a class action suit was filed against Iomega over a type of Zip drive failure dubbed the "Click of Death", accusing Iomega of violation of the Delaware Consumer Fraud Act.[11]
In 2006, PC World rated the Zip drive as the 15th worst technology product of all time.[12] Nonetheless, in 2007, PC World rated the Zip drive as the 23rd best technology product of all time[13] despite its known problems.
Legacy[edit]
Zip drives are still used today by retro-computing enthusiasts as a means to transfer large amounts (compared to the retro hardware) of data between modern and older computer systems. The Commodore-Amiga, Atari ST, Apple II, and "old world" Macintosh communities often use drives with the SCSI interface prevalent on those platforms. They have also found a small niche in the music production community, as SCSI-compatible Zip drives can be used with vintage samplers and keyboards of the 1990s.[citation needed]
Zip disks were still in use in aviation until at least 2014.[14] Jeppesen distributed navigation database updates, and Universal Avionics supplies TAWS, UniLink and Performance databases for upload into flight management systems via 100 and 250 MB Zip disks.[15][16]
ZipCD[edit]
Iomega also produced a line of internal and external recordable CD drives under the Zip brand in the late 1990s, called the ZipCD 650. It used regular CD-R media and had no format relation to the magnetic Zip drive. The external models were installed in a Zip-drive-style case, and used standard USB 1.1 connections.
Iomega used the DirectCD software from Adaptec to allow UDF drive-letter access to CD-R or CD-RW media.
The company released an open standard CD-R drive and CD-RW media under the same ZipCD name.
Early models of ZipCD drives were relabeled Philips drives, which were also so unreliable that a class action lawsuit succeeded.[17] Later models were sourced from Plextor.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "IOMEGA CORP (Form Type: 10-K, Filing Date: 03/30/1995)". 1995-03-30.
... new Zip products that it announced in 1994 and expects to start shipping in the first half of 1995.
- ^ "Media Recognition Guide – Iomega Zip Disks". 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
Zip disks are physically similar to floppy disks, ... dimensions are 97 x 98 x 6mm compared to 3.5" floppy disk dimensions of 90 x 94 x 3mm.
- ^ Radman et al.,, "Flexible-Disk Cartridge Drives Combine Reliable Operation, Removability," Computer Technology Review, Summer 1984, p. 77-81
- ^ "Iomega ZIP 250 Drive". 2006-05-11 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Iomega Zip 100". Sound on Sound. December 1995. Archived from the original on 2015-06-06.
- ^ "Zip Drive Mini-HOWTO". Faqs.org.
- ^ "Web Page Under Construction". Canaandata.com.
- ^ "Using a zip Zip drive on a Mac Plus". Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ Iomega 750MB drive documentation states this
- ^ Annual reports from corporate website:
- "Iomega Corporation (2000). 2000 Annual Report to Shareholders" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2004-01-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (2.74 MB) - "Iomega Corporation (2001). 2001 Annual Report to Shareholders" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2003-05-10.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (439 KB) - "Iomega Corporation (2002). 2002 Annual Report to Shareholders" (PDF). (875 KB)
- "Iomega Corporation (2003). 2003 Annual Report to Shareholders" (PDF). (764 KB)
- "Iomega Corporation (2000). 2000 Annual Report to Shareholders" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2004-01-19.
- ^ Wittenberg, Jeffrey D. (1985-09-14). Products liability: recreation and ... - Google Books. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ "PC World: The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time, 2006-05-26". Archived from the original on 2017-01-30.
- ^ "PC World: The 50 Best Tech Products of All Time, 2007-04-02". Archived from the original on 2017-01-30.
- ^ "Navigation Database Data Downloading Via UniNet for Zip Disk Transfer Units" (PDF). 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ^ "Jeppesen Services Update Manager - Quick Start Guide" (PDF). Jeppesen. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-24. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
- ^ "Downloading Navigation Data from UniNet" (PDF). Universal Avionics. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
- ^ "Information Page for the Philips and Hewlett-Packard CD Recorder Class Action". CdRecorderClassNotice.com. 2000-12-04. Archived from the original on 2000-12-04. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
External links[edit]
- Media related to Zip drive at Wikimedia Commons
- "Meeting the Challenges of Innovation- The 1990s Inventive Story of the Zip Drive..." - Presentation to Bucknell School of Engineering, January 2012 - Author: Fred Thomas