Iomega Zip 100MB Plus Drive
SCSI and Parallel
An updated version of the best selling Zip
drive. The extra features are well thought out and very useful.
Realising
that the floppy disk was no longer robust or capacious enough, Iomega
developed the Zip disk. With a 100Mb capacity, the Zip drive allowed
users to transport large files between PCs and backup important files quickly and easily. Iomega has now updated the Zip drive in the form of the Zip 100 Plus.
The Zip Plus is fully backward-compatible, using the same 100Mb
disks as the original Zip, but several key refinements and improvements
have been implemented.
The most impressive new feature is the interface AutoDetect
technology. Whereas the standard Zip drive is sold in both SCSI and
parallel port formats, the Zip Plus is a one-stop solution. The
AutoDetect feature means it will automatically know whether it's
connected to a SCSI or parallel port interface, and operate
accordingly. This versatility adds a couple of very important
advantages. First, if you have a SCSI card you can reap the speed
benefits of a SCSI connection, but you can still connect the drive to
any PC that doesn't have a SCSI adaptor. Second, if you don't have a
SCSI card you can use the Zip Plus as a parallel port device, and if
you buy a SCSI adaptor at a later date you can then have a SCSI Zip
drive without having to buy a new model.
One of the major complaints about the original Zip drive is that it has no power switch. Even after you've
shut down your PC, your Zip drive is still turned on,
unless you unplug the power supply. This issue has been addressed with
the Zip Plus, which can be powered off by pressing the eject button
when the drive is empty.
Another user problem that Iomega has addressed is the size of the
power supply. The Zip Plus power supply is tiny and weighs less than
four ounces, making the unit far more portable than the previous model.
For those users who already have a Zip drive, this new power supply can
be purchased separately from Iomega.
Iomega claims the Zip Plus offers a 40 per cent performance increase
over the standard Zip drive, but this didn't prove to be the case.
Copying a 90Mb file to the Zip Plus drive connected via SCSI, took
eight seconds longer than copying it to a standard SCSI Zip drive. But
reading the same file back proved to be 12 seconds faster on the Zip
Plus.
On the whole, the Zip Plus is a well-rounded product. Even though
the supposed increase in performance is hard to spot, and it's slightly
more expensive than the original, the benefits of the extra features
and the software make it an attractive purchase.
Iomega Zip 100 Plus Drive
02958B00 03068B01
Z100PLUS
**ONLY DRIVE IS INCLUDED**
NO POWER SUPPLY INCLUDED
NO ZIP DISKS ARE INCLUDED
5-DAY EXCHANGE WARRANTY
JLA 2114 - JLA 2121 L2
