Iomega 31713 100MB USB Powered Zip Drive - VL Series

by Iomega

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005ML56
• Item model number: 31713
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #31 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > External Data Storage > External Zip Drives
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 19, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Zip 100 MB USB VL-Series (Value Series) drive is a low-power design that requires no power adapter, conveniently connecting to a host computer with a single USB cable. The drive is compatible with all Iomega Zip 100 MB disks and is designed for horizontal or vertical placement on a desktop, minimizing its footprint. It comes complete with USB cable and IomegaWare software tools for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux computers.

Product Description

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is the state-of-the-art interface that makes good on the long-touted promise of simple plug-and-play capability. The new Zip 100MB USB drive from Iomega is the perfect merger for this facilitating technology. Simply plug the drive into the USB port and you are ready to work. It's that fast. Combine this ease with the reliability and portability of the world-renown Zip 100MB drive and you have an unequaled storage solution.Powered through your computer's USB connectionData transfer rate of 0.9 MB/secUses 100 MB Zip disksPC and Mac compatible

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Mac and PC friendly!, September 17, 2001

By 

D. Sullivan "Tech, music, and gadget addict" (Hudson, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Iomega 31713 100MB USB Powered Zip Drive - VL Series (Personal Computers)

I've been burned by Iomega in the past (Jaz drives that died mid-formatting of two different disks - had to trash disks and the drive) but I needed this unit for a design class. Great little drive. Solid performance. No frills on the documentation/software extras side, but works great on both my Win98SE PC and PowerBook G3. File transfers are quick. Exactly what you want in a USB device. Simple, plug-and-play, with no conflicts in either computing platform.
It's noisier than other Zips, but being bus powered I won't complain. Great way to get the MP3 library off the cable-modem PC and onto the CD-RW connected Mac! Save yourself the hassle of cross-platform networking software, and just swing this drive between computers. Bus powered, so no heavy AC adaptor to carry around. As light as my VST USB floppy drive.
Nice save, Iomega. Great price, Amazon!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Buy, August 28, 2001

By 

"uiowa-geek" (iowa city, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iomega 31713 100MB USB Powered Zip Drive - VL Series (Personal Computers)

Affordable and rugged, this is a great buy. USB powered means there is no need to shutdown the computer to plug or unplug the drive. Although it is not as flexible as the new USB 250 zip drive from IOmega, which accepts both 100mb and 250mb zip disks, but it works great for me and I think 100mb zip disks suffice me good. Great buy for my money.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for the Price and Very Portable, December 12, 2001

By 

"sharpie75" (Starkville, MS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iomega 31713 100MB USB Powered Zip Drive - VL Series (Personal Computers)

This is a great little drive for the price. Very small and lightweight. It does feel a little flimsy, but I feel that it will work for a long time to come. The bus powered aspect is nice, no need to add another surge protector to get a plug and no need to lug that AC adapter around if you're moving the Zip.

I got this after a failed attempt at using an internal IDE Zip for my homebuilt system. It didn't work because of an incompatibility issue with my motherboard's chipset. I picked this up and all I had to do was plug it in and it was working.

Only three (minor) complaints, all based mostly around my being spoiled by internal Zip drives: 1) It's noisy. Not particularly loud... just noisy. It will make you jump the first few times you take your computer out of standby and it spins up. 2) When it ejects Zips it could be classified as a projectile weapon. I've noticed this on every external Zip I've ever used, but this one is particularly lethal. When you eject, expect it to completely leave the drive. 3) It's not the fastest Zip out there. Of course internals are the best, but I noticed that non-bus powered Zips are still faster. Still, all this means is that if you're copying or reading a HUGE file it might take a minute longer.

In the end, a fantastic value and a must if you move it around a lot.