Iomega 32324 Zip 750MB External USB Drive

by Iomega

Product Details

Supplementary Guide [1.31mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.2 x 4 inches ; 7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006JHY2
• Item model number: 32324
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #15 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > External Data Storage > External Zip Drives
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 29, 2002

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The fastest Zip drive--the Zip 750 MB drive--is also the most durable storage solution for backing up and archiving your important data. The Zip 750 MB drive transfers data at an amazing 7 Mbps, making it the fastest and the highest-capacity of all Zip drives and disks yet. And to make it easy to use, you'll also get Iomega Automatic Backup software (to make backup a snap) and Iomega Sync software (to transfer files between computers seamlessly)--making it perfect for mobile users. Zip 750 MB drives and disks are the smart data storage choice.

Iomega Automatic Backup software backs up your important files automatically. Simply select the files you want to protect and personalize your backup schedule and location(s). The software does the rest! Backup locations include Zip drives, Iomega HDD drives, and Iomega NAS servers. Restoring data is easy--just drag and drop (Version 1.0.2).

Iomega Sync software allows you the freedom of portable data protection, keeping your important files synched between multiple computers. Active Disk-powered, the Iomega Sync software lives, launches, and runs on your portable Zip disk. As you change and save files, Iomega Sync automatically synchronizes between your hard drive and your disk. So, your latest file revision is always on your Zip disk, making Iomega Sync the perfect choice for mobile users.

When you add a Zip drive to your computer, it is like adding 750 MB to your computer's storage capacity. And with each Zip 750 MB disk you purchase, you add 750 MB more! And because Zip disks are the most durable backup media, you never have to worry about a scratch destroying your data.

Active Disk technology gives you the power to run unique software applications straight from your Zip disk. Download other Active Disk-powered software titles to your Zip disks and run them everywhere you go. There's nothing to install on your computer because the application launches automatically when you insert your Zip disk. Both the software and the projects that you create stay right on the disk, so they won't clutter up your hard drive. Simply eject it when you're finished, and everything is saved to your Zip disk. And since your software and files are on a Zip disk, you know they're completely safe, secure and portable.

Feature summary:

• Complete with Iomega Solutions Suite software
• Easy plug and play
• Reads and writes Zip 750 MB and Zip 250 MB disks; read-only on Zip 100 MB disks
• USB port
• Mac and PC compatible
• External Drive
• One-year limited warranty

Product Description

MODEL- 32324 VENDOR- IOMEGA CORPORATION FEATURES- Zip 750 External USB 2.0 Zip 750MB drive. More speed. More capacity. The smart Iomega Zip 750MB Drive and Disk give me the high-speed durable portable storage solution to protect my important files. Plus backups and file synchronization are a snap thanks to Iomega Automatic Backup Software and Iomega Sync Software included FREE with my drive! For PC and Mac users. Includes Zip 750MB USB 2.0 Drive One USB cable One A/C adapter and One CD containing IomegaWare Software and HTML users manual. * Blazing fast 50x50x50x write/rewrite/read speed. * Impressive 750MB capacity for abundant file protection and storage. * Backup and file transfers are a snap with Iomega Solutions Suite software. * Reads and writes Zip 750MB and 250MB disks. Reads all 100MB disks. INTERFACE - USB 2.0/1.1 CAPACITY - 750MB TRANSFER RATE- 7.3MB/sec maximum (USB 2.0) 0.9MB/sec maximum (USB 1.1) O/S SUPPORT - Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP and later MacOS 8.6

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Useful, But Some Vexing Problems, May 3, 2003

By 

Robert Shepard Jr. (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iomega 32324 Zip 750MB External USB Drive (Personal Computers)

Eighteen months ago, I would have cheerfully told you that there was no reason for anyone to waste money on a Zip drive. The largest capacity model then available was the 250, which was less than half of what a CD-RW could hold. CD burners were shipping pretty much as standard on all new computers. I grudgingly shelled out the money for a Zip drive on my new home machine only because I needed some way of transferring data from the old one, which had a Zip 100 drive but no CD burner.

It didn't take me long to realize what a very wise investment I'd made. I prefer to synchronize my important documents and system settings using Scooter Software's "Beyond Compare", which does a tremendous job of not only synchronizing files and entire directory trees, but scanning each file byte-by-byte for any signs of changes and/or corruption. It's very easy to update or repair any file the program flags.

What I discovered very quickly was that CD-RW drives were utterly worthless for this task. It didn't matter whether I used Roxio's "Direct CD", which came with my home computer, or Nero's much-touted "InCD". The former constantly and reliably corrupted my data, while the latter just as reliably crashed my computer every time I tried it.

So suddenly I found myself using that Zip 250 as my main means of file backup, along with a spare external hard drive. But, of course, 250 MB is not, by today's standards, a great deal of space. I needed three disks to do the job, and these were almost full. Plus, the Zip drive was painfully slow.

Thus, when Iomega announced their new Zip 750, I took immediate notice.

I have actually worked with two of these devices. The one at home is a FireWire model running on Windows XP, while the one at work, running on Windows 2000, is the nearly identical USB 2.0 model featured on this page.

Setup of the USB device on Windows 2000 is fairly straight-forward. You plug it into your USB port, wait for Windows Plug-and-Play to recognize it, then install some drivers from the included CD. The CD also includes Iomega Tools, allowing you to do things like write- or password-protect your Zip disk. They also offer a basic file backup utility. Since I haven't done anything with these, I can't comment on how well they work.

Since my work machine has USB 1.0 rather than the faster USB 2.0, the drive doesn't run as fast as my FireWire unit, which has the same maximum speed rating. But the performance is still not bad.

I've been using the drives for half a year, and basically I've been happy with them. While not as fast as a hard drive, they're certainly a major improvement over the Zip 250. I have yet to see one file be corrupted under normal circumstances, and "Beyond Compare" has done literally dozens of very thorough scans on my backups. This is the very first time in my nearly 20 years of working with PCs that I can say with reasonable certainty that my backups are secure.

One performance bottleneck I've encountered is, according to Iomega's web site, due to the way Windows operates. Namely, copying (or comparing) large numbers of small files is drastically slower than copying small numbers of large files, even if the overall byte count is the same. So I use PKZip in a few places to create larger archives for faster copying.

One reason I don't give this drive five stars is because of a dangerous design flaw. This is a very handsome-looking drive with a bright, shiny, metal plate on top. Unfortunately, said metal is an excellent conductor of static electricity. The very night I installed the drive on my home computer, I zapped it with my finger while attempting to insert a disk. This immediately knocked the drive off-line, and nothing but turning the computer off, then back on, would get Windows to recognize it again. My heart about stopped until I was satisfied that no permanent damage was done, either to the drive or to the computer.

Considering how light the drive is, there is no way to avoid touching it while doing an insert. Otherwise it simply slides backwards as you push.

The solution? Decidedly low-tech! I powered everything down, unplugged the drive, took that handy little anti-static bag the thing shipped in, wrapped it around the drive, and Scotch-taped it in place! I did the same at work. Since then, no problems!

The Zip 750 will reliably read and write the older Zip 250 disks (albeit more slowly), and will even read (but not write to) my ancient Zip 100 disks.

One more serious problem cropped up right after I downloaded Windows 2000 Service Pack 3: the drive started hanging during file synchronizations, and the only way to make it stop was to unplug it. Then I'd have to run "chkdsk /f" to repair some lost clusters, and recopy the damaged file. I went to Iomega's on-line chat service and spoke to the ususal grammatically challenged tech-support hack. It seems that the only "fix" for now is to disable the Norton Antivirus background scan for the drive. Gee, guys! Doesn't this defeat the purpose of scanning for viruses? Good thing I've stopped reading disks from other machines!

Another problem arose when I attempted to transfer files between my home and work computers. Windows XP doesn't seem to have any problems reading disks written, or even just read, under Windows 2000, but the reverse is not true. Again I'd experience hangs, and would have to run "chkdsk /f". The same tech-support guy told me that the two versions of Windows "just don't like each other". The solution? Don't transfer files between Windows versions! (Ugh!)

Still, by and large, I find the drive to be worth the money, a reliable backup solution.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Big Capacity, Easy to Use, January 27, 2004

By 

C. Wagner "just one more gadget" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Iomega 32324 Zip 750MB External USB Drive (Personal Computers)

I have been happy with my three older zip drives, and this drive is continuing my unbroken string of satisfaction with Iomega products.

Installation: The software installed cleanly. I love boring installations!

Connectivity: The drive ran fine on a hub. It helps that it is self-powered and doesn't need to draw power off the USB line. It comes with an adapter-at least my drive did. (The "Technical Data" section of this site's product description says that the drive is powered by your USB cable. But if you choose to use the adapter, I doubt that that statement is correct.) I later installed a USB 2.0 card and gave the zip drive its own port, but it is still plugged into the adapter.

Speed: Speed is relative. Even with the obsolete USB 1, the 750 was faster than my 4x CD-RW, my previous backup engine. And now with USB 2.0, it writes a 175 MB zip file in 45 seconds.

Human Factors: Another reviewer complained that this drive is so lightweight that it just scoots backwards when you try to insert a disk. He's right. So I took a crude but effective approach to "planting" the drive. I took a big piece of duct tape and taped the drive to the top of my system unit. Now the drive is in a real handy spot, and it doesn't budge when I insert a disk. So what if it's no longer portable, and it's more like an internal drive. That's OK.

Vulnerable to static discharge? It is, according to one reviewer, who had a spark leap from his finger to the drive, and said spark temporarily knocked his drive out of commission. I have had no such problem because with the drive taped in place, I don't have to hold it down with one hand when inserting a disk. So I don't need to touch the case. Also, it may help that the drive is against my system unit's metal case.

Some nitpicking:
(1) This drive is much noisier than my previous three zip drives (all internal). Its "zip" noises are loud and raspy.
(2) Dust might get inside the drive because there is more air space around the door than I have ever seen on a drive. I hope it won't collect enough dust to damage it. I see no way to safely clean it out.
(3) Iomega innovates so quickly that any Iomega product you buy may soon be obsolete.

SAVE THE ANTI-STATIC BAG that the drive ships in. If you ever need to carry the drive somewhere, you can use the bag to protect it from static and keep that loose penny in your purse or briefcase from slipping into it.

January, 2007 update: I ended up buying two of these drives. However, the first drive has now died after about three years of normal use with no spill, fall, or other accident. My concern about dust (#2 under nitpicking, above) might be more than a nit, after all.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Most people won't need this drive, October 30, 2004

By 

K. W. "pianowizard" (Providence, RI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iomega 32324 Zip 750MB External USB Drive (Personal Computers)

I have been using Zip disks for over 6 years now. 98% of the time, me and my colleagues use 100MB disks, and the rest of the time we use 250MB. I have never seen anyone use 750MB disks, and have never seen any computer with a 750MB Zip drive (except the one I own). That means most people would never use this drive for transferring stuff between computers. The only reason for getting this drive is if you want to back up your own files, but that can be done much better using CDs and DVDs. Besides its limited use, this 750MB drive can read from but not write to 100MB disks, which can be quite inconvenient at times. On the other hand, a 250MB drive can read from and write to both 250MB and 100MB disks. So, you may be better off getting a 250MB Zip drive.