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Zip Drive

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jai6638

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2004
1,790
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hey.. have an iomega 250 mb external zip drive... im trying to use it however my computer doesnt detect it.. im assuming that something is wrong with the zip drive ( coz it didnt work with my laptop either. ) .... Any idea what could be wrong?


Also, my zip disk is stuck in there.. how do i get it out?


thanks much
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
Are you using win XP? If not, then you need drivers, I believe.

The disk won't eject until a driver is loaded for the drive.
 
Baked

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,052
17
81
Your zip drive is dead, or in the process of dying. restart system and start pressing the eject button like crazy. I hate zip drives, worst removable device ever.

PS. Drivers? You don't need any drivers. Assuming you're using USB Zip drives, they are plug n play just like any removable drives.
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,576
126
Yeah, they're plug and play in Windows 98 right after you install the drivers. :D
 
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jai6638

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2004
1,790
0
0
well i installed iomega ware but to no avail.. still doesnt detect..fyi, im using win xp home


btw, It is usb-powered...



any ideas??
 
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kornphlake

Golden Member
Dec 30, 2003
1,567
9
81
Are you sure it's usb powered? The one I have isn't and I can eject the disc rather the computer is on or off as long as the AC adaptor is plugged in I can pop the disc out.

Zip discs were cool when I was at school, I could store all my work on one zip disc and use any computer on campus, with usb flash drives as cheap as they are now I don't see any reason to use zip discs though. Maybe if the price of media would come down...
 
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jai6638

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2004
1,790
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Originally posted by: kornphlake
Are you sure it's usb powered? The one I have isn't and I can eject the disc rather the computer is on or off as long as the AC adaptor is plugged in I can pop the disc out.

Zip discs were cool when I was at school, I could store all my work on one zip disc and use any computer on campus, with usb flash drives as cheap as they are now I don't see any reason to use zip discs though. Maybe if the price of media would come down...
Click to expand...

there is no port for the ac adapter.. the only port is the USB port..
 
RadiclDreamer

RadiclDreamer

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2004
8,622
40
91
Some models have a very small hole near the eject button that allows you to stick a paper clip in to force an eject
 
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jai6638

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2004
1,790
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Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer
Some models have a very small hole near the eject button that allows you to stick a paper clip in to force an eject
Click to expand...

this doesnt have one :(
 
D

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
If it's plugged into a hub, try plugging it directly into the computer. A hub might not supply enough power unless you have a power brick connected to it.
 
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jai6638

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2004
1,790
0
0
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
If it's plugged into a hub, try plugging it directly into the computer. A hub might not supply enough power unless you have a power brick connected to it.
Click to expand...

its connected directly to the usb port on the computer. The same goes for the connection to the laptop..

 
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Ken90630

Golden Member
Mar 6, 2004
1,571
2
81
Coincidentally, I just finished working with an Iomega 250 MB external zip drive a little while repairing a friend's computer. His works fine with Windows XP.

There's not a lot to these drives -- they are, as you say, USB powered (no AC required). Assuming you've ruled out the USB cable as being a possible culprit (have you?), sounds like you have a bad zip drive. There's not much else it could be. These are plug 'n play, and Windows XP will certainly be fine with them. You might, for the heck of it, check Device Manager, scroll down to the bottom to Universal Serial Bus controllers, and make sure nothing there has a red X or a yellow question mark next to it. A prob with USB drivers or ports is highly unlikely, particularly since you say you tried the drive with a laptop computer and had the same prob.

Hope this helps. :)

Ken

PS: To eject a disk, there's a small button underneath the disk slot on the front of the drive. But I think it only works if there's power to the drive. And the drive I had here had no hole to put a paper clip in (although my old 100 MB Iomega zip drive does). You might have to take the drive apart (not easy either, as there are no screws) to get the disk out. The blue plastic top can, however, be pried open. Be patient and be careful though.
 
C

CraigRT

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
31,440
5
0
Originally posted by: Baked
Your zip drive is dead, or in the process of dying. restart system and start pressing the eject button like crazy. I hate zip drives, worst removable device ever.

PS. Drivers? You don't need any drivers. Assuming you're using USB Zip drives, they are plug n play just like any removable drives.
Click to expand...

unless you're using Win98 or something ghetto :p
 
Baked

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,052
17
81
Exactly. I mean seriously, how many people on forums still use Win98 (excluding their parents and grand parents). I owned and used anything from Parallel, to SCSI, to USB powered, to USB + AC, and they have all crapped out shortly after warranty expires. And the Zip disks... OMFG, worse than floppy disk. Get a flash/thumb drive and dump the Zip already.
 
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LED

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
6,127
0
0
Baked I use Win98SE on a dual boot for DOS and Client purposes... about 3 outta 10 people I see still use Win98 which IMO is the bst thing that MS had since XP and the NFTS which is another reason why my Win98 has FAT32 so my XP can't be accessed ;)

On the Zip Drive there has to be an adapter cause I've never seen one without...could be wrong because I quit em when the Click of Death hit many of us!
 
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jai6638

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2004
1,790
0
0
well i dont use zip disks ( wtf :p i hate them ) .. my sister-in-law does as she believes that its "more dependable" when compared to cds,etc which could be scratched...Shes stores her interior designing projects on them,etc ....

I guess ill just have to pry open the blue part of the drive :(


Thanks much for ur help guys.. appreciate it

 
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Ken90630

Golden Member
Mar 6, 2004
1,571
2
81
On the Zip Drive there has to be an adapter cause I've never seen one without...could be wrong because I quit em when the Click of Death hit many of us!
Click to expand...
Nope. Trust me. :) I just had an Iomega 250MB zip drive here for 5 days and used it a number of times. You plug it into your computer's USB port with a simple USB cable and you're up & running. (This was with Win XP Home.)

To each his own, of course, but I don't mind zip drives at all. I've had a 100 MB Iomega drive for several years and have never had a single problem with it. Ditto the disks. Works like a charm for me (although USB jump drives are obviously a superior solution).
 
R

redblanchard

Junior Member
Jan 18, 2005
1
0
0
I believe XP will not use the eject button no matter what! If anyone haws figured how to do it I would appreciate an E-Mail?? Red:D
 
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Dennis Travis

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,076
1
81
I have never had a problem with ANY of my Zip Drives I have owned over the years and still own in most cases. I have one the first Paralel Zip 100's in my toolkit I take on service calls and it always works and has for dang maybe 8 years now. It's been banged and dropped and still works as do my other drives.

As to your problem, all the Zip drives I have worked with that are external had a Power Adapter but I do know they made a smaller 250 Zip that was USB Powered. So if anything is wrong with the USB Ports or the cable it's not going to get power so will not eject. Check the FAQ's on Iomega's site like Trashman suggested. Do you have other USB devices that need power? Do they work on your system? Can you change the USB Cable or is it molded into the Zip drive?

 
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Ken90630

Golden Member
Mar 6, 2004
1,571
2
81
Hey, All,

To remove any doubt whatsoever as to power requirements for this drive, here is a link to Iomega's site and the exact drive I used here for nearly a week (my friend's drive). In the first paragraph, it mentions that it runs exclusively on USB power. No AC adapter needed. :)

Also, the USB cable is not molded into the drive itself (it's not hardwired). It's unpluggable (is that a word?
:D).

I echo Dennis's and Trashman's thoughts as well.

(Incidentally, I accidentally knocked my friend's drive off of his computer desk when I re-installed everything for him, and it fell about 2 or 3 feet onto their hardwood floor. Straight down -- BAM! I checked it out extensively, and everything works perfectly. Ditto the disk that was inside. I don't know of too many computer components that could've survived that without at least some minor damage. For what it's worth ....)
 
daniel1113

daniel1113

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2003
6,448
0
0
Originally posted by: Ken90630
Hey, All,

To remove any doubt whatsoever as to power requirements for this drive, here is a link to Iomega's site and the exact drive I used here for nearly a week (my friend's drive). In the first paragraph, it mentions that it runs exclusively on USB power. No AC adapter needed. :)
Click to expand...

Older USB models required an external power supply, but the most recent models do not.
 
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