Zip Drive was introduced by Iomega in the mid-1990s during the times of traditional floppy disks. This post will discuss in detail the meaning of Zip Drive, how it works, its types, applications, advantages, and disadvantages.
What is Zip Drive
Portable storage is a constantly developing and ever-changing story of computers. Floppy disks were the most widely used storage device for personal computers during the early 1990s, which was 3½ inches in size. However, the capacity of these floppy disks was significantly less; it could hardly store 2 MB of data, which means hardly an MP3 song could be stored.
Fig. 1 – Introduction to Zip Drive
Computer users required a larger removable storage device, which led to the development of Zip Drive. It initially had a capacity of 100 MB and was removable. Thus, Zip Drive became very popular during those days.
Fig. 2 – First Zip Disk by Iomega
What is Zip Disk
Zip Disk is like Floppy Disk which is inserted into a slot of Zip Drive. It is used to read and write data.
How does Zip Drive Work
This Drive is a removable storage Drive, just like the floppy disk drive. It reads portable Zip Disks. This Drive has a slot for a Zip Disk or the Zip Cartridge. Zip Disk is similar to 3½ inch Floppy Disk but much thicker with greater capacity options and much-improved performance. When this Drive was initially developed, it worked out to be a good substitute for floppy disk drives. Computer users use these Drives to save data that were too large for the floppy disks.
Fig. 3 – Image of Zip Disk and Zip Drive
The earlier version of this Drive could be installed on a computer using a parallel, SCSI or IDE port. The later versions came with USB interfaces, which were simple to connect. It could handle high-capacity disks, and there was a large slot available to fit the disks.
It contains a retro-reflective spot that differs between the different capacity disks. If a larger-capacity disk is inserted in a smaller disk capacity Drive, then drive will eject the disk without any attempt to engage the disk.
How to use Zip Disk and Zip Drive
- Plug the Zip Drive into the computer if you are using external drive. If the drive slot is internal, then the Drive will attach through a USB or other matching port.
- Insert Zip Disk into the drive by pushing it in the slot.
- Copy the files you want to the Drive.
- You can use the Zip Disk to edit and transfer your files on other computers, or as storage or backup of the data
Types of Zip Drive
The two types of Drives are:
- Internal Disk Drive
- External Disk Drive
Internal Disk Drive
As the name suggests, Internal Disk Drive has the drive installed inside the computer, similar to the CD drive. The drive is attached to the motherboard of the computer and cannot be removed easily.
Fig. 4 – Internal Zip Disk Drive
External Disk Drive
External Drive connects to the computer with a separate connector cable. It has a separate casing. Initially, parallel port connections were used to connect to the computer and later switched to USB connection. The parallel port connection drives had to be supplied with their own power supply.
Fig. 5 – External Zip Disk Drive
Applications of Zip Drive
The applications are:
- They are still used today to transfer large amounts of data from old to modern computer systems.
- They are favorable in the graphic arts market as graphic designers still use them to transfer high-resolution artwork from machines to printshops.
- They are compatible with most PC’s and Mac’s, so they are convenient for transferring files.
Advantages of Zip Disk and Drives
Since Zip Disk’s and Drives go hand in hand, let’s discuss the advantages together.
- Zip Disk comes in three different storage capacities of 100 MB, 250 MB or 750 MB. This space can hold sizeable plain text files and a limited media such as songs or videos. Exchange of files that were too big for the floppy drive or email attachment was made more accessible through Zip Disk, as there was no high-speed connection to transfer the data during those times.
- Zip Disk transfers data faster than a floppy disk. Zip Disk reads and writes data at the rate of 1 megabyte per second (Mbps), whereas floppy disks read and write data at 125 kilobytes per second (kbps). The data transfer rate was higher.
- This type of Drive is compatible with all the computers, as it uses USB.
- Zip Disks are portable and can be removed from any Zip Drive connected to the computer. Users concerned about security find this portability helpful as they can remove the Drive and lock it in a secure area.
- Disks are thicker, more robust, and less vulnerable to damage.
Disadvantages of Zip Disks and Drives
The disadvantages are:
- Zip Drives have fallen far behind when compared to modern storage systems. A standard CD Rom can read data at the rate of 10 megabytes per second (Mbps). The new technology storage system such as rewritable DVD, portable flash drive has a storage capacity of up to 1 GB of data.
- Zip Disk needs additional hard drive hardware to read data, making it more expensive than other types of storage media.
- Drives must be installed on a specific computer for usage.
- Drives are large and bulky, but the Zip Disk is portable.
Conclusion
The rise of other devices with decreasing costs and larger storage capacity such as DVD drives, recordable CD and USB flash drives were favored over Zip Disk and Zip Drives, and they were pushed out of the market.
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