Customer Reviews

Iomega 10918 Zip 250 MB Parallel Port

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

What is good about this zip drive is that it is very easy to install, and requires basically no configuration, just plug in, and install the software. The one thing I don't like about it is it sometimes freezes up your computer while you are backing up files. I mean you don't have to restart the computer or anything, you just can't do anything else for a couple minutes. Sometimes that can be a pain. All in all though, its still a good product.

I received my Zip drive about four years ago when I began developing PowerPoints that exceeded 23 megs. It was a great storage medium at the time and the portability of the drive was very helpful.

I then bought a CD-RW two years ago and haven't touched my Zip drive since. The CD-RW drives give you all the storage flexibility of the Zip drives but they store more data (unless you purchase the 2 gig Zip Drive), they're cheaper, and more portable and can work across platforms. I can backup my files on a CD and copy them onto another computer. I can create discs of my MP3 files to play back on this or other computers.

In the end, it simply is easier to burn a CD and use it on another computer. For example - some time ago I helped a friend of mine put together a presentation on a medical case he had. With all the digitized pictures and cat scans, the power point and graphic files exceed several megs - too many for a floppy. I could have given him a Zip disk and my Zip drive but he would have had to connect the Drive to his computer, install the software, and then copy the files over. Instead, I burned him a CD with the PowerPoint and all supporting files. He simply placed it into the presentation computer and was using it 30 seconds later. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Zip drives are seing the end of their days. I would suggest looking at the Zip CD's and the CD-RW if you're considering purchasing a Zip Drive.

Troubleshooting tips in the User's Manual are a warning for what you can expect. Examples: "Computer hangs on reboot or does not operate correctly" and "Zip drive transfer speed seems slow". Forget tech (phone) support unless you enjoy long wait times. Email tech support turnaround response time within a day or two is usually a general answer to a specific question. If you have a choice, don't waste your money on this parallel device -- instead buy the USB version.

This product is fast and reliable for anything you need to save. It stores a ton of things and not to mention looks really nice on your desk.

My Zip 100 suffered from the "Click of Death" and I lost about five disks and the whole drive before I learned on the Internet about this well-known problem.

I gave Iomega my email address when I registered my drive but they didn't tell me that using their well-documented defective drives ruins the disk with loss of all data.

But, I had to get my data off, so I bought a Zip 250 and today I had the Click of Death again with total loss of data and a ruined expensive disk. Arrggh!

Needless to say, I would NEVER recommend a Zip drive and I am planning on forever boycotting Iomega.

And, if you happen to run into a Zip drive engineer who designed this turkey, please give him or her a (gentle) dope slap for me.

Who at Iomega thought this piece of engineering garbage was suitable for valuable data?

(If you are tempted to by a Zip, anyway, search for "Click of Death" ...before buying a Zip drive. I wonder how many countless gigabytes of data have been lost?)

I am a college student and the zip drive is a must as I work on different computers. I purchased the parallel-port version because I work both in Windows and in Linux on my laptop. The drive works great in either OS. If you need to back-up important data, or are just running out of space (but beware of hard-drive death), the zip drive is a great choice. I am satisfied with mine.

I loved the Zip 100 back a year or so ago but its now the age of USB! Having to shut down your machine, connect the drive and turn it on for this device is annoying when you move it around alot. You will also have driver problems on older computers so go internal or USB when possible.

I bought this a long time ago. It was my first Zip Drive, which I don't have anymore. It was a very good drive and it lasted a long time. I now have a 750 MB Zip Drive.

I've now owned my 250 parallel port zip drive for over three years and could not manage without it. Yes it might not be as fast as some of the newer models but its the over all storage that I am please with. I use both the 100 and 250 zip disks and store a fair amount of data and photos. This machine has never let me down and I am very pleased with it! I now use it on my Windows XP without a problem although it was in the market place before XP was around. Good overall quality!!

Do yourself a favor, set up any back-up(s) just before you go to bed. Backing up on any Iomega external device is the equivalent of watching paint dry. You can however use that time to see if you're one of the lucky few that can get decent tech support from Iomega.