🚀 go-pugleaf

==========
IOMEGA ZIP DRIVE - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Version 1.5
Compilation, general info, and Mac info by steveg@phantom.com
PC info by lee@library.ucsb.edu
(Not in any way associated with Iomega)
Thanks to wjabi@libra.arch.umich.edu
          pbp@mindspring.com
          kb03@swt.edu
          guymc@evansville.net
          folta@netcom.com
          keithj@unr.edu
          nmehl@near.net
          bbennett@unixg.ubc.ca
          lisa@gordian.com
          hueichin@macc.wisc.edu
          phil@jherek.demon.co.uk
          cteng@Stat.UFL.Edu
          jgreely@Synopsys.COM
          ...and others

This FAQ attempts to answer many common questions and clarify many 
misconceptions about the Iomega Zip drive, one of the most innovative and 
viable secondary storage and backup devices to come on to the Mac scene 
in a very long time.

Additions, addendums, corrections, or further questions can be submitted 
to steveg@phantom.com. In no way whatsoever am I to be held responsible 
for errors or omissions in this FAQ that could lead to further 
misconceptions, problems, data loss, conflicting issues or (for whatever 
reasons) sudden death. Use this FAQ at your own risk.
- - - - -
***NEW IN THIS VERSION...

* A complete formatting overhaul -- hope it makes things easier;
- - - - -
***QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION ADDRESSED IN THIS FAQ

SECTION 1: INFORMATION AT A GLANCE
Physical dimensions, press ratings, FAQ locations, contact information, etc.

SECTION 2: GENERAL ZIP-RELATED ISSUES
Q1: What is the Zip drive?
Q2: What's the deal with the cartridges?
Q3: Can the Zip drive use other types of media?
Q4: How fast is the Zip drive?
Q5: Does the Zip drive use Bernoulli technology?
Q6: It's such a new drive...How does it rate in terms of quality?
Q7: What if I want to buy one Zip drive for use on several different 
machines?
Q8: What other goodies are offered with Zip?
Q9: Any other things, good or bad, that I should know?
Q10: I want more information and, gee-golly-gosh-darn-it, this FAQ just
     isn't enough! How can I get in touch with the folks who make the Zip?

SECTION 3: PORTABILITY CONCERNS
Q11: Is the Zip drive available with a power supply of 220/240 volts
     so that it will work in other countries?
Q12: Does that "Universal Power Supply" include all ten billion adapters
     to fit the various electrical outlets of the world?

SECTION 4: MACINTOSH ISSUES
Q13: Will the Zip drive work with System 7's virtual memory?
Q14: Can you boot a Mac from a Zip disk?
Q15: Will Zip work with a PowerBook?

SECTION 5: PC ISSUES
Q16: What's a Zip Drive-SCSI for PC?
Q17: What's this Zip Zoom SCSI adapter all about?
Q18: What about booting a DOS/Windows machine from the Zip drive?
Q19: My PC doesn't have a SCSI adapter. What do I do?
Q20: How fast is the parallel version of the Zip drive?
Q21: No, really, how fast is it in Real Life?
Q22: Why would I want a parallel version instead of a faster SCSI version?
Q23: Windows blows chunks; I use OS/2. I guess I have to buy the OS/2 Zip
     Tools from Iomega, right?

SECTION 6: MAC AND PC INTEROPERABILITY
Q24: Can the Mac read PC-formatted Zip disks, and vice-versa?
Q25: Can I use the Zip drive with both my Mac and my PC?

SECTION 7: OTHER PLATFORM ISSUES
Q26: Does the Zip work with other, non-Mac and non-PC platforms?
Q27: What's been reported so far that works and doesn't work?

SECTION 8: ZIP AND IOMEGA RUMORS AND NEWS

SECTION 9: BENCHMARK RESULTS

SECTION 10: IOMEGA ZIP vs SYQUEST EZ135
- - - - -
NOTE: Unless specified otherwise, all transfer rates and access times 
listed throughout this FAQ are in reference to the SCSI version of the 
Zip drive when connected to a Macintosh IIci w/DayStar 33Mhz 68LC040 
accelerator and 32-MB RAM running System 7.5.1.
- - - - -
***SECTION 1: INFORMATION AT A GLANCE

SIZE OF ZIP DRIVE: Approximately 7" long by 5.25" wide by 1.5" high
LENGTH OF SCSI CABLE: 3' (three feet)
SIZE OF POWER SUPPLY: 3.25"x2.5"x2.25"  (see ASCII diagram)

                  2.5"
                 __|___
                /     /|
        3.25"- /     / |
              /     /  |
             /_____/  /
             |     | /|
      2.25"- |__O__|/

LENGTH OF POWER CABLE: 6' (six feet)
CURRENT CAPACITY: 100-MB cartridges store 94.1-MB after formatting
                  25-MB cartridges expected to ship soon
TRANSFER SPEED: See chart near bottom of FAQ.

PRESS RATINGS: MacWeek (unknown issue date), 5 stars (5=top rating)
               MacWorld (July 1995), 4 stars (5=top rating)
               MacUser (July 1995), 4.5 stars (5=top rating)
               UK MacUser (June 9 1995), 5 stars (5=top rating)

This FAQ is posted on an as-needed and as-completed basis to the 
following Usenet newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage, 
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage, comp.sys.atari.st.tech, 
comp.sys.atari.8bit, comp.sys.amiga.hardware. This FAQ will also be 
uploaded to the two most popular Macintosh ftp sites 
(sumex-aim.stanford.edu and mac.archive.umich.edu) for placement in 
whatever directory the supervisor(s) of those sites deem appropriate.

If you have a Zip-related question which you'd like to see directly 
addressed in this FAQ, please send mail to the appropriate users -- and 
PLEASE make sure you address them properly. While I can appreciate the 
need for answers to your PC-related questions, as a Macintosh enthusiast 
I (steveg@phantom.com) simply do not have the answers you seek, so PLEASE 
STOP MAILING ME with PC questions!

For Mac Q&A...............steveg@phantom.com
For PC Q&A................lee@library.ucsb.edu (who will forward the answer
                          to me for inclusion in the next edition of the FAQ)
For all other platforms...Until we get appropriate "Zip Gurus" on other
                          platforms, post questions to your local usenet
                          newsgroup(s) that relate to your platform.
- - - - -
***SECTION 2: GENERAL ZIP-RELATED ISSUES

Q1: What is the Zip drive?
A1: The Zip drive is a new drive from Iomega Corporation, makers of the 
Bernoulli line of removable storage devices (competing primarily with 
drives from the SyQuest corporation). The drive uses proprietary 
cartridges providing 100-MB unformatted storage capacity (25-MB 
cartridges are expected to be released soon). The drive was first 
advertised in the catalog pages of MacWarehouse (a popular mail order 
company) several months before the drive began shipping. As a result, a 
huge backorder was created even before the first drives began trickling 
out. After the drives began shipping in earnest, other mail order 
companies and local retailers began advertising and selling them. Waiting 
periods ranged from a few days to over a month, depending on which vendor 
you ordered from and exactly when you ordered.
The drive itself is rather small (slightly larger than the typical Supra 
modem), and weighs less than one pound (including disk). The case is a 
cheap-feeling but reasonably sturdy dark blue plastic affair with six 
gray rubber feet attached, allowing the drive to be set flat (like a 
typical modem) or on edge. A green LED on the front of the drive 
indicates that the drive has power, while an orange LED next to it acts 
as a busy light. A small round gray button is set below the two LEDs and 
acts as an eject button. (When the drive is connected to the Mac, the 
disk is automatically ejected like a floppy disk when the disk icon is 
dragged to the trash can. If you have a disk installed and the computer 
is not turned on, pressing the button on the drive will eject the disk.) 
A clear plastic window is on the top of the drive allowing the user to 
see the label of an inserted disk. The back of the drive has two 25-pin 
SCSI connectors. Between the two connectors are two switches; one allows 
the user to set the drive between SCSI ID 5 and 6 (those are the only two 
options available), while the other provides termination (ON if the Zip 
is the last device on the SCSI chain, OFF if there are devices on either 
side of the SCSI chain). The power inlet is located on the side of the 
drive (on the same side that would face down if the drive were positioned 
on its side) and provides both a recessed power connector and a recessed 
power cable guide for aesthetically routing the power cord.
The drive uses regular magnetic-type read/write heads to store data; it 
is not a magneto-optical drive, removable hard drive, etc. The best way I 
can describe it is as "a 100-MB floppy drive that's about as fast as a 
hard drive." 
The drive ships with an external two-prong power supply (which weighs 
slightly more than the drive itself!), one 100-MB "Zip Tools" cartridge 
containing many excellent utilities for formatting, indexing and backing 
up your data, two floppy disks for installation (one for Mac, one for 
PC), a thin but complete owner's manual, a shielded 25-to-25 pin SCSI 
cable, and the usual assortment of promotional goodies. Setting up the 
drive takes only a few minutes.

Q2: What's the deal with the cartridges?
A2: As of this writing, only 100-MB cartridges are shipping. Each 
cartridge has an unformatted capacity of 100-MB; after formatting, they 
provide about 95-MB of storage capacity. Cartridges cost between $15 and 
$25 apiece depending on vendor and quantity purchased. Each cartridge 
measures about 3.875" square and are about .25" thick. They come in a 
hard clear plastic fold-out case, similar to a magneto-optical disk. The 
cartridges are prelabeled; replacement labels are available from Iomega 
for a rather pricey $3 for a package of 10. Iomega plans to have 25-MB 
cartridges available soon. Cartridges can be formatted with just about 
any low-level SCSI formatting utility, though no significant performance 
or capacity differences were noted between using the different formatting 
utilities. Programs such as TimesTwo for the Mac (by the now-defunct 
Golden Triangle) or Stacker for either the Mac or PC can be successfully 
used to format the disks to an artificial 200-MB each, but I wouldn't 
recommend it for several reasons. Besides, the cartridges are cheap 
enough to store data without compression.
Several people have reported that MS-DOS formatted Zip disks seem to be 
in more plentiful supply than Mac formatted Zip disks, presumably because 
the Zip drive isn't making as big a splash in the PC world since they 
have never had as strong a deficit of low-cost, high-capacity secondary 
storage devices that the Macintosh has had to suffer through. If you can 
find PC formatted Zip disks, snag 'em; they can be easily reformatted to 
work on the Mac. (And vice-versa, if the need is there.)

Q3: Can the Zip drive use other types of media?
A3: The Zip drive and its cartridges _are_not_compatible_ with any other 
media or drive. A Zip drive cannot read/write/format/recognize 
magneto-optical disks, floppy disks, SyQuest cartridges, Bernoulli 
cartridges, DATs (or other types of tape cartridges), or any other sort 
of non-Zip media.

Q4: How fast is the Zip drive?
A4: Like any SCSI device, overall performance will vary depending on what 
system and configuration is used. The shareware Macintosh benchmark 
utility Speedometer 4.0 gives the drive a rating of .794, which is 
slightly faster than the 44-MB SyQuest drive that I tested as a 
comparison device (and gave a rating of .736). This is fast enough to run 
most software; QuickTime movies run quite smoothly from Zip disks, as do 
sampled sounds and similar time-specific files. (See more detailed 
ratings at the bottom of this FAQ.)

Q5: Does the Zip drive use Bernoulli technology?
A5: No, not at all. The Zip drive is a sort of hybrid of modern drive 
assembly techniques and established Winchester-type drive mechanisms. The 
Bernoulli Effect, and the technology that Iomega applies to it, is not to 
be found in this drive.

Q6: It's such a new drive...How does it rate in terms of quality?
A6: Only time will tell for that, of course. It is my personal feeling, 
and the overwhelming feeling of most of the Zip owners on the internet, 
that the Zip drive is quite solid and reliable. I've personally put about 
six hundred consecutive hours of access time on my Zip drive and had nary 
a single problem. I've transported the drive in a plain plastic grocery 
bag to work and back (a half hour New York walk) and hadn't had a problem 
with it. The drive is tightly constructed, though some may think it feels 
cheap. My personal drive survived numerous leg-bumps while walking to and 
from work and survived without a single scratch or performance defect.

Q7: What if I want to buy one Zip drive for use on several different 
machines?
A7: If they're all Macs, you're set. Just install the Zip Tools software 
on each machine and off you go. Of course, you'll need to physically move 
the Zip drive from one Mac to another as well. If you're dealing with a 
mixed Mac and PC environment, your options change. If your PC has a SCSI 
card you can plug the Zip drive into it, install the PC Zip Tools, and 
away you go. If you don't have a SCSI card on your PC, Iomega offers a 
ZIP SCSI adapter for $60 (Iomega part #10013). If you don't want SCSI on 
your PC, you can buy the parallel version of the Zip drive. It offers all 
the same features of the SCSI Zip drive, but it interfaces with the more 
common parallel connectors on PC's.
The hardware interface is easy; connect it as you would any other SCSI 
device. The potential problem lies in the Zip Tools software. Iomega only 
packages the Zip drive with Zip Tools for Mac and PC running Windows 
(they also offer the Zip Tools package for OS/2; this disk costs an 
additional $20 and is Iomega part #10045).

Q8: What other goodies are offered with Zip?
A8: A small color brochure is included with the drive selling such items 
as carrying cases, Zip disk holders, extra Zip disks (which are more 
expensive than mail order and some retail outlets), Zip disk labels, Zip 
SCSI cables, the aforementioned PowerBook adapter, power supplies, Zip 
SCSI cards, and Zip Tools for the three mentioned platforms. It is 
mentioned in the Zip documentation that a Zip drive cleaning kit is 
offered through Iomega; however, there is no evidence of this kit in the 
color brochure. (Note that the Zip drive CANNOT be cleaned with a 
conventional floppy drive cleaning kit, so don't try it!)

Q9: Any other things, good or bad, that I should know?
A9: There are some issues which some people find fault with which I'll 
point out here. First, the drive has no POWER switch. When the drive is 
plugged into an active electrical outlet, it's on; when it's unplugged, 
it's off. I personally have no problem with this as my drive is plugged 
into a switchable power station (Kensington MasterPiece Plus; no 
affiliation, though I think this is an excellent unit) and I can turn it 
off and on with the station's button.
The drive also has only two SCSI ID options (5 and 6), which means that 
if you have a relatively full SCSI chain, you may find yourself switching 
the ID's of other devices on the chain.
As was previously stated, the drive has two 25-pin SCSI connectors and 
ships with a 25-to-25 pin SCSI cable. For most users with multiple SCSI 
devices, this means that the Zip drive will be the first drive on the 
SCSI chain and other devices will plug into the Zip drive. If you happen 
to have a spare 50-to-25 pin SCSI cable, you can place the Zip drive on 
the end of the SCSI chain (thus eliminating the need for external 
terminators, since the Zip has switchable termination) by connecting the 
50-pin end to your formerly-last SCSI device the the 25-pin end to the 
Zip drive. This is NOT to say that the Zip drive couldn't be placed in 
the middle of your SCSI chain. It certainly can; the only thing you'd 
need to accomplish this is the appropriate SCSI cables (25-to-25 and/or 
25-to-50, depending on your other devices).
The drive is VERY quiet. For some, this is a blessing; for others, a 
curse. The drive makes a quiet (library-level) clicking sound as the 
read/write heads move across the disk, but that's about it. Do not rely 
on auditory feedback to determine the status of the Zip drive.  :-)
The drive also has a power saving mode. When the drive is not accessed 
for a few minutes, the drive kicks down into a low-power mode. When the 
drive needs to be accessed while in low-power mode, it only takes about a 
second for the drive to get back into action (considerably less time than 
it takes for a PowerBook's hard drive to spin back up).
When inserting a disk, there is no lengthily spin-up time like a SyQuest 
drive so the disk is almost instantly available. When a disk is ejected, 
there is no spin-down time so the disk ejects at least as fast (if not 
faster) than a floppy disk, and leaves the drive with a very solid and 
satisfying "ker-CHUNK" sound.

Q10: I want more information and, gee-golly-gosh-darn-it, this FAQ just
     isn't enough! How can I get in touch with the folks who make the Zip?
A10: It turns out that there's a whole lot of different ways you can 
contact Iomega. If you're still living in the Stone Age (or, perhaps more 
appropriately, the Stamp Age), you can write them: Iomega Corporate 
Office, Iomega Corporation, 1821 West Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067-9977, 
USA. The voice telephone number for their corporate offices is 
801-778-1000, but DON'T call there unless absolutely necessary. Iomega 
has been smart enough to supply about half a dozen alternative telephone 
resources. An Interactive Voice Help system (24 hours) is available at 
1-800-456-5522 (or 801-778-3000 if you're in the area code). Sales 
Information is at 1-800-MY-STUFF (1-800-697-8899). An automated FAX 
assistance system (US and Canada only; 24 hours) is at 801-778-5763. But 
wait! There's more! Iomega operates a BBS at 801-392-9819. They're on 
CompuServe (Mac users type "GO MACCVEN", PC users type "GO PCVENE") and 
America Online (keyword "IOMEGA"), and they have an internet email 
address at info@iomega.com. Finally (?), they operate a Web page at 
http://www.iomega.com/. Whew!
- - - - -
***SECTION 3: PORTABILITY CONCERNS

Q11: Is the Zip drive available with a power supply of 220/240 volts
     so that it will work in other countries?
A11: Yes and no. By itself, the Zip drive ships with a USA-standard power 
supply which can't be used everywhere around the world. However, Iomega 
sells a "Universal Power Supply" (item #10044) for $40 which, according 
to Iomega documentation is "smaller, lighter, and usable worldwide". I've 
received some reports from several people who state that this power 
supply works in several different countries. Zip owners in the USA who 
travel within the country with their Zip drive may want to consider this 
power supply as it is indeed smaller and lighter than the standard power 
supply (almost half the size, in fact) and would make portability that 
much easier.

Q12: Does that "Universal Power Supply" include all ten billion adapters
     to fit the various electrical outlets of the world?
A12: No. You get the small device pictured in the catalog as well as a 
standard computer peripheral power cable. If you want to plug it in 
anywhere else in the world, you're on your own for adapters. (Radio 
Shack, among many other vendors, sells adapter plugs for various world 
ports.) This is not an Iomega part; you might be able to get it faster by 
ordering it from somewhere else (it is from Advanced Power Solutions and 
is model #SA-051A5F-10).
- - - - -
***SECTION 4: MACINTOSH ISSUES

Q13: Will the Zip drive work with System 7's virtual memory?
A13: Like all other removable storage devices, no, it will not work. It 
is my understanding, however, that other virtual memory programs exist 
which can use removable storage devices (and, as such, the Zip drive) as 
VM storage, but that's a subject for another FAQ.  :-)

Q14: Can you boot a Mac from a Zip disk?
A14: Yes, you can. There are two ways to accomplish this. (The following 
instructions assume that you have a Zip disk with the proper System 
software installed on it.)
First, when the computer is up and running, insert a Zip disk. Open the 
"Startup Disk" control panel and select the Zip disk as your startup 
disk. While holding down the OPTION key, select RESTART from the SPECIAL 
menu; holding down OPTION prevents the Zip disk from being ejected. (If 
for some reason the Zip disk IS ejected after you select RESTART, simply 
reinsert the Zip disk BEFORE the "happy Mac" icon comes up and you'll be 
in business.)
The second way is a bit different and assumes that your computer is 
turned off, but the startup disk is the hard drive you usually boot from. 
Power up your Zip and insert the Zip disk. Boot your Mac while holding 
down the SHIFT, COMMAND, OPTION, and DELETE keys; this forces your Mac to 
bypass the internal hard drive and should cause your Mac to boot right 
from the Zip disk.

Q15: Will Zip work with a PowerBook?
A15: Absolutely! However, you'll need to invest in an HDI-SCSI adapter; 
Iomega sells this for $20 and is part #10042. Other manufacturers sell 
this type of adapter at comparable prices.
- - - - -
***SECTION 5: PC ISSUES

Q16: What's a Zip Drive-SCSI for PC?
A16: It's the same thing as a Zip drive for Mac. Depending on your SCSI 
interface, it should be about the same speed. Iomega sells an inexpensive 
($54) SCSI card for the Zip drive called the Zip Zoom (see below). The 
software for both Macs and Windows ships with the drive; if you're using 
OS/2, you'll need to purchase the Zip Tools software separately from 
Iomega for $20.

Q17: What's this Zip Zoom SCSI adapter all about?
A17: It's a SCSI-1 ISA card based on the Adaptec 1505 and has an external 
25-pin SCSI connector. It doesn't have an internal SCSI connector, but it 
does seem to allow you to chain other SCSI devices off of it either 
before or after your Zip drive. If you want SCSI-2 or a bus-master card 
(?) then you may want to buy a different SCSI card. Infoworld (5-1-95) 
reports backing up 397-MB in 57 minutes (6.97-MB/minute) and restoring 
that same data in 27 minutes (14.7-MB/minute) with the Zip Zoom adapter.
J Greely <jgreely@Synopsys.COM> reports:
"Most SCSI controllers come with a driver for controlling non-standard 
SCSI disk devices (c.f. Adaptec EZ-SCSI ships with ASPIDISK.SYS); this 
will work with a Zip drive, but you won't be able to use the Zip Tools 
for formatting, locking, etc. One nice side effect of using a non-Iomega 
driver is that the installation will be unable to erase the disk, so 
you'll still be able to use it for a Mac installation afterwards.
"Some PC SCSI cards are too bright for their own good; a QLOGIC card I 
bought insisted on controlling the Zip drive itself, making it impossible 
to use the Zip tools. I replaced it with an Adaptec 1522, and all was well."

Q18: What about booting a DOS/Windows machine from the Zip drive?
A18: That depends on your SCSI adapter. The Zip Zoom doesn't support 
booting from the Zip drive, though other SCSI cards may.

Q19: My PC doesn't have a SCSI adapter. What do I do?
A19: You can either buy a SCSI adapter (from Iomega or from somewhere 
else) and run with it, or you can buy the Zip Drive-Parallel, which is 
(obviously) a Zip drive that plugs into a PC's parallel port.

Q20: How fast is the parallel version of the Zip drive?
A20: According to the readme.txt file, the transfer speed for standard 
parallel port is 2-6-MB/minute, bi-directional parallel port is 
6-17-MB/minute, and enhanced parallel port is 17-22-MB/minute.

Q21: No, really, how fast is it in Real Life?
A21: Huei-Chin Lin <hueichin@macc.wisc.edu> reports:
"I had transferred a 12-MB zipped file from my Zip-disk to my hard drive, 
and roughly timing it. It took about a minute to transfer a 12-MB file 
from Zip disk to my hard drive. (My computer is 486DX2-50 with 8-MB RAM.) 
I had even zipped my whole window directory and subdirectories to my Zip 
disk, and it is only a bit slower than the speed I've got when I zipped 
the same thing to my hard drive (remember that I was using EPP capacities 
and I only tested it without any benchmarking)."

Q22: Why would I want a parallel version instead of a faster SCSI version?
A22: Not all PC's have SCSI adapters and you may not want one, so the 
parallel drive would be for you. Other than that, it's a matter of 
personal preference.

Q23: Windows blows chunks; I use OS/2. I guess I have to buy the OS/2 Zip
     Tools from Iomega, right?
A23: Right -- unless you don't want to. Zip Tools for OS/2 is reportedly 
available on Iomega's own BBS, so the only thing it'll cost you is the 
phone call and download time.
- - - - -
***SECTION 6: MAC AND PC INTEROPERABILITY

Q24: Can the Mac read PC-formatted Zip disks, and vice-versa?
A24a: For the Macintosh, yes. You will need a utility that will read 
PC-formatted disks. PC Exchange, which is included with System 7.5, works 
with mixed results. Several people have reported errors ranging from the 
inability to read the disk to outright trashing of the data on the disk, 
while others claim no problems with the utility. The general consensus 
seems to be that other programs, such as Access PC, work better than PC 
Exchange.
A24b: On the PC, I have no verified information on this.

Q25: Can I use the Zip drive with both my Mac and my PC?
A25: Yes. In fact, Iomega ships the drive with floppies for both Macs and 
PCs, but there's a catch. As soon as you run the program to install the 
Zip Tools utilities that are included on the Zip Tools disk, the 
installer will erase the partition (about 50-MB) of the system that you 
are NOT installing it for. (So if you run the install program from a Mac, 
it erases the DOS partition and vice versa.) Iomega's official position 
is that you have to buy a second Zip Tools disk if you want to install on 
both platforms, but of course that's not the only recourse. You have 
several ways to get around this.
The first solution (and, by far, the most convenient) is to run the Guest 
program from the Zip floppy disk to mount the Zip Tools disk, then use a 
disk duplication program (one that gets the whole disk, sector by sector) 
to dupe the Zip Tools disk onto a blank Zip disk. Some people have 
reported doing this successfully with the Disk Duplicator program that is 
on the Macintosh partition of the Zip Tools. Once you have a duplicate of 
the Zip Tools disk, you can use one to install for your Mac, and then the 
other to install for your DOS/Windows machine.
A second solution -- and the only recourse you have if you've already 
installed the Zip Tools software on one platform (thus deleting the other 
platform's software from the Zip Tools disk) -- is to go to Iomega's SIG 
on America Online. The files are available in their software library:
  ZIPTOOLS.EXE ....Part one of the Zip Tools package for PC
  FIND.EXE ........Part two of the Zip Tools package for PC
  IOSCSI.EXE ......Iomega SCSI drivers, including the Zip Disk drivers 
for PC
  Zip Tools version 4.2.1 .....The whole Zip Tools package for Mac
For Mac users, you'll need only that last file which contains the entire 
package. (NOTE: As I'm not an AOL subscriber, I don't know what format 
this file is. If someone would like to research this and get back to me, 
I'd appreciate it!) Those PC files are self-extracting archives, so for 
God's sake be careful! Make a directory called \ZIPTOOLS, move the 
ZIPTOOLS.EXE file in there and run it from that directory. Make a 
subdirectory \ZIPTOOLS\FINDIT, move FIND.EXE into it, then run that (from 
the FINDIT subdirectory). For further instructions, read the README.NOW 
file in the \ZIPTOOLS directory. To install the SCSI drivers, make a 
directory called \IOMEGA, and move the IOSCSI.EXE file there. Now run it 
from that directory. Run MANUAL.EXE and read how to install it. You can 
use the INSTALL program or do it manually.
- - - - -
***SECTION 7: OTHER PLATFORM ISSUES

Q26: Does the Zip work with other, non-Mac and non-PC platforms?
A26: Yes, but it's a mixed bag. Most other platforms (i.e., Apple II, 
Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64) have some sort of SCSI 
interface option wither built-in or available as a third-party expansion 
box or card, so physically connecting the SCSI version of the Zip drive 
is as simple as plugging in a cable. The greater issue lies with 
software; Zip Tools is available only in Macintosh, PC/Windows, and OS/2 
flavors so everyone else is pretty much on their own.

Q27: What's been reported so far that works and doesn't work?
A27: Not a whole lot of adventurous souls out there, unfortunately. It 
has been reported and confirmed that the SCSI Zip drive works with Atari 
8-bit computer with the "Black Box" interface unit and SpartaDOS. As the 
Atari 8-bit cannot recognize any partition larger than 16-MB, SpartaDOS 
must format the Zip cartridge as multiple partitions in order to fully 
utilize the entire Zip cartridge.
I have also had 2-3 vague reports of the SCSI Zip drive working nicely 
with the Amiga computer, though nobody who uses that platform has 
contacted me with verification and specific details.
A similarly vague report has been sighted from an Atari TT user, though 
again, nobody who uses that platform has contacted me with verification 
and specific details.
- - - - -
***SECTION 8: ZIP AND IOMEGA RUMORS AND NEWS

CONFIRMED: Power Computing, the first licensed and authorized 
manufacturer of Macintosh clones, now has an internal Zip drive for the 
Power Computing clones available as optional equipment. Furthermore, 
Iomega has publicly stated that they're working on an internal version 
for end-user installation in other machines. I do not have final pricing 
information on this option; I expect to see Power Computing at Boston 
MacWorld Expo and will seek the information then.

CONFIRMED: Iomega is working on a larger capacity removable storage drive 
now known as the "Jaz" drive. The Jaz drive is expected to cost ~$500 for 
the internal version (~$600 external) and use ~$100 3.5" cartridges that 
hold 1-GB apiece. The drive resembles a larger version of the Zip drive 
but is colored dark green rather than dark blue; the cartridges are about 
twice as thick as a Zip cartridge. Further information is expected at 
Boston MacWorld Expo.

CONFIRMED: At a recent MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, Iomega was giving 
out "dummy" Zip cartridges, presumably as some sort of promotional 
gimmick. If you have one of these dummy cartridges, return it to Iomega 
and they will send you one real, 100% usable Zip cartridge, absolutely 
free. Joy!

RUMOR: A longstanding rumor about a 200-MB Zip drive has touched just 
about everyone's screens. To the best of my knowledge, this rumor started 
when, in an interview regarding the Zip drive, an Iomega executive made a 
statement to the effect that "Zip technology is at its infancy" and that 
"it would be easy enough to make a Zip drive that can store twice the 
current amount or more." Needless to say, many people took this to mean 
that a 200-MB Zip drive is in the works. As best as I've been able to 
ascertain, *a 200-MB Zip drive, if it ever comes to light, will not be 
available anytime soon*. Realistically speaking, this makes lots of 
financial sense for Iomega. 100-MB Zip drives are selling faster than 
Iomega can make them; if they make a 200-MB drive available now (or 
within the next month or three), that will instantly cut 100-MB Zip drive 
sales down to the bone as people wait for the 200-MB drives. Why cut 
their own throats? I don't doubt that larger capacity Zip drives will 
*eventually* come to light, but I also believe that it'll be at least 
half a year before we see them. (The Jaz drive that is being developed 
may be the drive which this rumor sprouted from.)
- - - - -
***SECTION 9: BENCHMARK RESULTS

Many people had requested more solid reference numbers to compare the 
SCSI Zip drive with other types of storage devices. Okay; here ya go. 
These results were obtained using Norton Utilities 3.1's "System Info" 
program on an accelerated Mac IIci (DayStar Turbo 040i @ 33Mhz) with 
32-MB RAM (real RAM) running System 7.5.1 and with no non-System-7.5 
extensions loaded except for the Iomega Driver; disk cache was set to 
256K. The IIci's hard drive and the SyQuest were formatted with 
Silverlining 5.54/23; the Zip was formatted using Iomega Tools 4.2, 
though identical results were obtained when the Zip cartridge was 
formatted with Silverlining. Note that specific results will vary a bit 
from machine to machine due to CPU speed, system configuration, specific 
architecture, etc.

                          MAC IIci HD    ZIP-100      44-MB SYQUEST
           RANDOM READ:   116K/sec       38.5K/sec    37.3K/sec
    1K SEQUENTIAL READ:   382.3K/sec     47.1K/sec    51.9K/sec
    4K SEQUENTIAL READ:   757K/sec       171K/sec     165K/sec
   16K SEQUENTIAL READ:   999K/sec       491K/sec     361K/sec
   64K SEQUENTIAL READ:   1010K/sec      927K/sec     516K/sec
  256K SEQUENTIAL READ:   1099K/sec      1186K/sec    579K/sec
          RANDOM WRITE:   71.1K/sec      38.9K/sec    36.1K/sec
   1K SEQUENTIAL WRITE:   72.0K/sec      47K/sec      48.8K/sec
   4K SEQUENTIAL WRITE:   253K/sec       171K/sec     158K/sec
  16K SEQUENTIAL WRITE:   695K/sec       491K/sec     356K/sec
  64K SEQUENTIAL WRITE:   986K/sec       926K/sec     511K/sec
 256K SEQUENTIAL WRITE:   1216K/sec      1189K/sec    579K/sec
- - - - -
***SECTION 10: IOMEGA ZIP vs SYQUEST EZ135

SyQuest will soon be releasing a new drive called the "EZ135" (formerly 
known by its code name, "Roadrunner"). This drive will reportedly cost 
~$230 for an external version (~$200 for an internal version) and use 
~$20 cartridges that store 135-MB each. EZ135 weighs about 2-3 lbs 
(considerably more than the diet-conscious Zip), but is also about twice 
as fast.

There are many mixed messages about which drive will ultimately prevail. 
However, I personally feel that the Zip drive will be the winner for 
several reasons. Here's why:

* The Zip drive is cheaper. Zip costs $200 for external, while EZ135 is 
~$30 more. Furthermore, the Zip drive is now available internally from 
Power Computing and soon as an end-user installation kit, and chances are 
it will cost considerably less than the EZ135's internal price of $200.
* Zip cartridges are smaller, lighter, and more transportable. EZ135's 
cartridges will likely need to be stored in the same sort of padded 
carrying case as "standard" SyQuest cartridges. As a result, you'll see 
less of them being used with portable computers and, consequently, with 
desktop machines.
* Zip already has a substantial market lead over SyQuest. Historically 
speaking, the Mac market hasn't had much in the way of brand-loyalty. 
SyQuest drives became the predominant standard not because of any 
outstanding features, but simply because they were cheap in comparison to 
the more expensive Bernoulli drives. However, I can count literally 
hundreds of people who have abandoned their SyQuest drives for the Zip drive.
* The Zip is being offered as optional equipment in Power Computing's Mac 
clones (and hopefully -- eventually -- Apple's own products), whereas the 
EZ135 is not. This has the potential to give the Zip drive an even larger 
marketing lever.
* Though EZ135 is faster, Zip is already fast enough for the majority of 
users. QuickTime movies, sound files, and similar time-intensive files 
play just fine from Zip. Only a comparatively few users will actually 
_need_ the additional speed that EZ135 offers, and when you consider this 
in relation to everything else, the EZ135's speed becomes a 
not-so-important factor.
* EZ135 cartridges hold about 30-MB more data after formatting, true, but 
is that enough to justify a more expensive, heavier drive? I don't think 
so. Again, the fact that the Zip is so easily transportable makes it the 
better drive, regardless of the data storage capacity. If SyQuest's new 
drive were to hold, say, 200-MB or more it would be a considerably 
different story.
* People may be angry at SyQuest for "holding out" on the community. More 
than a few users have wondered out loud why SyQuest didn't introduce the 
EZ135 before Zip came on the scene. The most logical answer is that 
SyQuest was making so much money off its other, lower-capacity drives 
that they didn't want to rock the boat by introducing the EZ135. Only 
when Iomega started severely cutting into SyQuest's market did SyQuest 
respond with the EZ135. In short, it seems that SyQuest was more 
interested in lining its own pockets instead of advancing the technology. 
While this is probably good for business, it doesn't make the users any 
happier.

It's ultimately a simple matter of time deciding which drive will 
prevail, but if I had to place money on the outcome, I'd bet on Zip.
- - - - -
Well, that was fun.

steveg@phantom.com
==========