Iomega 31310 Zip 250 MB USB-Powered Drive
Flexible data storage for PC and Macintosh computer users / Connects with and Powered by a USB port / Requires Zip Disk Easy to follow user's guide also included
Nothing beats a Zip drive for transporting large files or making backups, as it combines proven speed and reliability with the most widespread compatibility. In our tests, we found that this extremely versatile 250 MB USB-powered Zip drive makes it child's play to add this capability to your PC or Mac. And its small, lightweight design makes an excellent travel companion, especially since it doesn't even need batteries or an external power source. 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 Pros: - Slim and lightweight
- Very simple installation
- Works with PCs and Macs
- Gets all its power from the USB port
Cons: - Not as fast as internal drives
Now it's even easier to take your Zip drive around town. With its USB cable, which provides both data and power, the Zip 250 MB USB-powered drive does not need an external power source. Not only is the new Zip 250 MB USB-powered drive the most portable storage solution out there, but it's also great-looking and easy to carry. At only nine ounces, you can take it anywhere and everywhere. And, the sleek new design will have you showing it off to all your jealous friends. Powered by a USB cable, it's easy to connect (just plug it in) and easy to launch (no rebooting). The new 250 Zip Drive is compatible with most major operating systems and all Zip 100 MB and 250 MB Zip disks.
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Iomega 31310 Zip 250 MB USB-Powered Drive Reviews
I would have preferred not to, but it does function well. Unfortunately, I had to purchase this product because of legacy media I owned.
The Zip drive is a much better alternative to the Floppy Drive and just as good as a USB Drive for data backup. It is also durable and bigger than a USB drive, so I don't have to worry about loosing it. I use this on my work desktop and it is great to store important files I don't trust backing up on a floppy. This is a great product.
If I do find a low cost replacement I will quickly retrieve my data and archive it onto DVDR and resell the unit if I can. I hadn't used it since 2003. But I wouldn't recommend this technology in 2007. It's dead now, and I wouldn't dream of spending $120~$175 to replace it. I recently took it out to retrieve some files and it would not work.
Like an earlier reviewer I think a product like this should work for more than three years (I'd say at least seven). It was used on a fairly regular basis for about a year and a half. But I didn't even get three years out of mine.
So while it's been more than three years since I bought the unit I'd say I got something like 2 years of normal usage. In 2001 this drive served a purpose -BFD (before flash drives). Unfortunately I bought one in late 2001.
Plugged it in, CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK WHIRRRR - cannot read disk - LED blinks continuosly. I'm only considering a replacement purchase to be able to retrieve a few of the files. Basically this is an obsolete product with far superior and cost effective alternatives available.
There is newer technology out there that is both faster, and has a greater storage capacity, but the 250MB zip drive has performed the task I bought it for with no problems. Over the years I've built up quite a collection of zip disk with files stored on them. I bought the external zip drive so I would still be able to access all of those files with my new computer. The external version is noisier then the internal dive I used for so many years, and it also takes longer to write to, or read files from it. My new PC uses Windows Vista as the OS, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was no need to install the driver that was supplied with the zip drive. I'm a long time user of Iomega zip drives.
My first computer had an internal 250MB zip drive installed in it. (.). Windows Vista knew what to do with it soon after I plugged in the USB cable. However, the product has been trouble free so far, I've had it a couple of months, and I would recommend it.
It also takes up very little space. This drive is so simple to connect and use. I also enjoy the space-saving storage of its floppy drive sized media. Overall - a great buy.
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