Customer Reviews

Iomega 31713 100MB USB Powered Zip Drive - VL Series

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This zip drive is extreamly easy to use and at half the price of the 250. Compact, portable, and great for large file transfers. I recently bought one for my imac so I wouldnt have to deal with my cd burner so often while saving photoshop and illustrator doccuments. Any one who has used a zip knows that it is much faster than burning cds because you can transfer individual files instead of having to burn every file you want on it at once. the few problems I see with this drive are:
1. Its very noisy and shoots your disk out at you like it just doesnt care.
2. I dont think this is a quality drive, for the price you pay you may want to take better care of it. I have heard of this drive being delivered defective.

I personally have not had any problems and I am very happy I have this little guy. I didnt have much money and I just love using zips so this was my choice.

This thing comes packaged in TWO (count 'em) thick, clear plastic blisters. Extremely hard to open even with scissors or a serrated knife; also a ludicrous choice environmentally. The drive works as advertised, with an easy-to-install software driver, a good set of updated Zip software tools, and idiot-proof USB plug-and-play compatibility with Windows machines and Macintoshes. I'm a tad concerned about the particularly flimsy construction; it's even a few shades worse than the other Zip drives I've owned, which weren't exactly bullet-proof themselves. If you need a (transportable) Zip drive, well, they don't come any more lightweight and compact than this one, but I'd still go for something sturdier. On the other hand, if your Zip is just going to sit quietly on a corner of your desk, this is a pretty cost-effective storage solution.

I use an internal at home and needed something for my work laptop to transfer my files. This thing works great...still haven't had any problems and I've had a LOT of headaches with both my internal zip drives.

This is easy to plug in and use. My only complaint is the fact that it spits out the disk, LITERALLY!! Yeah, it makes some noise but it is tolerable if the device works as it should. Other than that, it's great! I may end up getting one of these to replace my internal at home that just died.

I was using a parallel zip 100, and transporting it and it's power supply back and forth. With the USB powered, ultra-lightweight zip drive, my solution is now completely portable and hot swappable-- making my life as a writer on the go so much easier! The only downfall is that it may have a long-term effect on the life of your notebook battery, if indeed you are using it with a notebook. But, I fell that the convenience is well worth it. I do recommend this item!

When I got my Zip 100 USB Powered Value Series Drive it didn't look or feel like the quality I have come to expect from Iomega. After installing the software and the drive it looked like it was working. It detected just fine, but when I tried any of my disks it didn't recognize that there was any thing in the drive. I tried it on four other computers and several disks that I know work. I even tried a diferant USB cable.
From now on I will steer clear of Iomega's "Value Series" products.

PS: Kudos to Amazon.com. Returning it was delightfully easy.

This little guy needs a press agent! As indicated in other reviews, it makes some unexpected sound, but it is not loud or offensive. It ejects disks robustly, but not a problem. The case appears to be durable to me. Regarding system requirements, the package says, "Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 will not support non-Iomega USB devices while Iomega drivers are installed." It might be wise to check for the latest operating system support information. It would be nice if the Zip disk in it could be ejected after the system is off, like the external floppy disk drive that comes with some laptop computers.

I was pleased with this purchase. It came quickly, looks good, installed quickly, I have had no problems with it and the price was very competitive.