ZIP Drives...

[ddefranco]

Hey all,

I need to get a Zip drive for my home system to be able to transfer files/data/other stuff from school to home. The systems at school I am using are MACs and mine is a PC, so I have a few questions:

1) Can I read/write to the MAC formatted Zip disks at home on my PC?
2) What is the general price range for internal Zip drives for PC's?
3) Does anybody have any suggestions on good Zip drives I should look into purchasing?

If to help me with question #3 you would like to know info on my rig, click here.

Thank you SOOO much for any help!!!

- Dion

 

[WhoDeeny]

1) Can I read/write to the MAC formatted Zip disks at home on my PC?
No

2) What is the general price range for internal Zip drives for PC's?
$75 - 100

3) Does anybody have any suggestions on good Zip drives I should look into purchasing?
Iomega

 

[IgoByte]

Zip drives kinda suck...

 

[dullard]

1) The reverse will work. You can format it on a PC and then use it in both a Mac and a PC. (My wife does this with home/school computers.)
2) Internal drives are expensive. I happened to luck out when I bought my zip drive. I found three zip drives at Goodwill for something like $5 each. Used external drives work a bit slower, but they work well and you can't beat the price and flexibility. Check around ebay or you local Goodwill/Salvation Army.
3) Iomega is the brand for Zip drives.

 

[sechs]

1. Yes, with special software, like MacOpener. You just need something that will translate the HFS into something Windows can understand. Just like floppies, you can use FAT (PC) formated Zips in a Macintosh.

2. That really depends on what kind of Zip you want. Do you want a Zip 100, 250 or 750? Do you want SCSI or ATAPI? They range from about $20 for an OEM to $170 for a retail Zip 750.

3. While there are several manufacturers of drives, they are all licensees of Iomega, making, more or less, the exact same drive. Just go with brand that you trust and your pocket book will allow.


I'm with dullard in suggesting an external drive. It's very nice to be able to bring in a large presentation on a Zip disk and then be able to give it using the provided computer, even if it doesn't have a Zip drive.

 

[DanFungus]

would he be able to use one of those USB pen drives? More reliable than zip, could be cheaper...