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Re: Iomega ZIP vs. JAZ
On Thu, 31 Jul 1997, Dominique Pivard wrote:
> I'm about to replace the original 360MB drive in my TP701 with a 2.1GB
> Toshiba drive. I'd like to buy an Iomega external drive for backup
> purposes and I'm hesitating between the ZIP and the JAZ models. Could
> owners of either type comment on these devices? Is there any quirk to be
> aware of when used with a TP701? Will either model be fully supported
> under Warp and Linux?
>
i got a Jaz drive about a year ago, thinking at last i had solved my problem
of back up that was ... large capacity, portable - including internationally
when i travel, pcmcia, and would work with both a pc and mac (and unix if
necessary).
alas, i don't have time to list all the woes i have had - as well as those had
by our very competent computer support person to whom i ended up turning for
assistance. i ended up shifting from win 3.11 to win95 just to try to deal
with the jaz drive problems i was having. absolutely no support available
from iomega.
some points:
1. it did work with a mac i have without any problems.
2. some/many of the problems i had - even a month ago when i tried unsucessfully
to use it with my tp760ED - may have been due to the pcmcia card i have, a
new media bustoaster, or the tp/bustoaster/jaz interaction.
3. at the end one of my long night sessions about a year ago, when putting
things away i dropped on of the Jaz disks about 4-6" (10-15cm) onto a plastic
floppy diskette case. after that the Jaz disk made funny noises when inserted.
the contents seemed readable at the time, but for how long i do not know
(especially as i could not get the Jaz - or the bustoaster - to work with my
current thinkpad).
but, i think there is an inherent fragility to the Jaz disks, and among other
things you have to compare it on this dimension against other storage media.
4. the whole system is propriety - you can only read a Jaz drive with a Jaz
drive. once you get one you are locked into iomega for life.
happy to be corrected on any of these points; would be most interested in
hearing from anyone who has gotten a Jaz to work with a new media bustoaster,
or any other (non-iomega!!) pcmcia card.
be also interested in hearing of others' portable, small footprint, large
capacity storage solutions.
regards, al
Alden S Klovdahl / alden.klovdahl@anu.edu.au / fax: +61 62 49 05 25
Sociology Arts / Australian National University / Canberra ACT Australia 0200