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Zip drive
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Iomega Zip 100 drive logo
Zip 100 drive with a disk
ManufacturerIomega
CostUS$200
TypeMagnetic storage
An internal Zip drive installed in a computer
An internal Zip drive outside of a computer but attached to a 3+1⁄2-inch to 5+1⁄4-inch drive bay adapter
The Zip disk media
The back of a parallel-port ZIP-100 with printer pass-through

The Zip drive is a discontinued removable cartridge disk storage system sold by Iomega from 1995 to 2003.[1] Considered medium-to-high-capacity at the time of its release, Zip disks were originally launched with capacities of 100 MB, then 250 MB, and finally 750 MB.

The format became the most popular of the superfloppy products which filled a niche in the late 1990s portable storage market. However, it was never popular enough to replace the standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy disk. Zip drives fell out of favor for mass portable storage during the early 2000s as CD-RW and USB flash drives became prevalent. The Zip brand later covered internal and external CD writers known as Zip-650 or Zip-CD, despite the dissimilar technology.

Overview

[edit]

The Zip drive is a "superfloppy" disk drive that has some of the standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy drive's convenience, but with much greater capacity options and with performance that is much improved over a standard floppy drive.[2][verification needed] However, Zip disk housings are similar to but slightly larger than those of standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy disks.[3]

In the Zip drive, the heads fly over high density media in a manner similar to a hard disk drive.[4] A linear actuator uses the voice coil actuation technology related to modern hard disk drives.

The original Zip drive has a maximum data transfer rate of about 1.4 MB/s (comparable to 8× CD-R; although some connection methods are slower, down to approximately 50 kB/s for maximum-compatibility parallel "nibble" mode) and a seek time of 28 ms on average, compared to a standard 1.44 MB floppy's effective ≈16 kB/s and ≈200 ms average seek time. Typical desktop hard disk drives from mid-to-late 1990s revolve at 5,400 rpm and have transfer rates from 3 MB/s to 10 MB/s or more, and average seek times from 20 ms to 14 ms or less.[citation needed]

Early-generation Zip drives were in direct competition with the SuperDisk (LS-120) drives, which hold 20% more data and can also read standard 3+1⁄2-inch 1.44 MB diskettes, but they have a lower data-transfer rate due to lower rotational speed.[citation needed]

The Zip drive was Iomega's third generation of products, different from Iomega's earlier Bernoulli Boxes in many ways, including the absence of the Bernoulli plate of the earlier products.[5]

Interfaces

[edit]
Later (USB, left) and earlier (parallel, right) Zip drives (media in foreground)
ZIP 250 USB Drive

Zip drives were produced in multiple interfaces including:

  • IDE True ATA (very early ATA internal Zip drives mostly sold to OEMs; these drives exhibit software compatibility issues because they do not support the ATAPI command set)
  • ATAPI (all Zip generations)
  • USB 1.1 (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations) [6]
  • USB 2.0 (Zip 750 MB generation; backwards compatible with USB 1.1 systems)
  • IEEE 1284 (parallel port) with printer pass through (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations) (See NB 3)
  • IEEE 1394 (FireWire) (Zip 250 MB and 750 MB generations)
  • SCSI (Zip 100 MB and 250 MB generations; both internal and external editions; external editions limited to ID 5 and 6)[7]
  • "Plus" (Zip 100 MB external drive with both SCSI and IEEE 1284 connections; SCSI ID limited to ID 5 and 6).

Parallel port external Zip drives are actually SCSI drives with an integrated Parallel-to-SCSI controller, meaning a true SCSI bus implementation but without the electrical buffering circuits necessary for connecting other external devices. Early Zip 100 drives use an AIC 7110 SCSI controller and later parallel drives (Zip Plus and Zip 250) used what was known as Iomega MatchMaker.[8][9] The drives are identified by the operating system as "IMG VP0" and "IMG VP1" respectively.

Early external SCSI-based Zip drives were packaged with an included SCSI adapter known as Zip Zoom. The Zip Zoom is a relabeled ISA Adaptec SCSI host controller. Also, originally sold separately was a PCMCIA-to-SCSI adapter for laptop compatibility, also a relabeled Adaptec.

Interface availability
Name Interface
ATAPI SCSI LPT[note 1] USB FireWire[note 2]
Zip 100 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Zip 250 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Zip 750 Yes No No Yes Yes
  1. ^ Also known as IEEE 1284, parallel port
  2. ^ Also known as IEEE 1394 interface

Driver support:

NB 3: Requires a driver older than 5.x.[10]

Compatibility

[edit]

Zip disks must be used in a drive with an equal or greater storage capacity. Higher-capacity drives can read lower-capacity media. The 250 MB drive writes much more slowly to 100 MB disks than the 100 MB drive, and the Iomega software is unable to perform a "long" (thorough) format on a 100 MB disk (They can be formatted in any version of Windows as normal; the advantage of the Iomega software is that the long format can format the 100 MB disks with a slightly higher capacity. 250 MB disks format to the same size either way). The 750 MB drive can read and write to 250MB disks, but has read-only support for 100 MB disks.[11]

The retroreflective spot differs between the 100 MB disk and the 250 MB such that if the larger disk is inserted in a smaller-capacity drive, the disk is immediately ejected again without any attempt being made to access it. The 750 MB disk has no reflective spot.[citation needed]

Sales, problems, and licensing

[edit]

Zip drives initially sold well after their shipments began in 1995, owing to their low price and high (for the time) capacity. The drive was initially sold for just under US$200 with one cartridge included, and additional 100 MB cartridges for US$20. At this time hard disks typically had a capacity of 500 MB and cost around US$200 [citation needed], and so backing up with Zip disks was very economical for home users—some computer suppliers such as Dell, Gateway and Apple Inc. included internal Zip drives in their machines. Zip drives also made significant inroads in the graphic arts market, as a cheaper alternative to the Syquest cartridge hard disk system. The price of additional cartridges swiftly dropped further over the next few years, as more companies began supplying them. Eventually, the suppliers included Fujifilm, Verbatim, Toshiba and Maxell, Epson and NEC. NEC also produced a licensed 100 MB drive model with its brand name.

Zip Disk and Drive sales, 1998 to 2003

Sales of Zip drives and disks declined steadily from 1999 to 2003.[12] Zip disks had a relatively high cost per megabyte compared to the falling costs of then-new CD-R and CD-RW discs.

The growth of hard disk drives to multi-gigabyte capacity made backing up with Zip disks less economical. Furthermore, the advent of inexpensive recordable CD and DVD drives for computers, followed by USB flash drives, pushed the Zip drive out of the mainstream market. Nevertheless, during their prime, Zip disks greatly eased the exchange of files that were too big to fit into a standard 3+1⁄2-inch floppy or an email attachment, and there was no high-speed connection to transfer the file to the recipient. However, the advantages of magnetic media over optical media and flash memory, in terms of long-term file storage stability and high erase/rewrite cycles, still affords them a niche in the data-storage arena.[citation needed]

In September 1998, a class action suit was filed against Iomega over a type of Zip drive failure dubbed the "Click of Death", accusing Iomega of violation of the Delaware Consumer Fraud Act.[13]

In 2006, PC World rated the Zip drive as the 15th worst technology product of all time.[14] Nonetheless, in 2007, PC World rated the Zip drive as the 23rd best technology product of all time[15] despite its known problems.

Legacy

[edit]

Zip drives are still used today by retro-computing enthusiasts as a means to transfer large amounts (compared to the retro hardware) of data between modern and older computer systems. The Commodore-Amiga, Atari ST, Apple II, and "old world" Macintosh communities often use drives with the SCSI interface prevalent on those platforms. They have also found a small niche in the music production community, as SCSI-compatible Zip drives can be used with vintage samplers and keyboards of the 1990s.[citation needed]

Zip disks were still in use in aviation until at least 2014.[16] Jeppesen distributed navigation database updates, and Universal Avionics supplies TAWS, UniLink and Performance databases for upload into flight management systems via 100 and 250 MB Zip disks.[17][18]

ZipCD

[edit]

Iomega also produced a line of internal and external recordable CD drives under the Zip brand in the late 1990s, called the ZipCD 650. It used regular CD-R media and had no format relation to the magnetic Zip drive. The external models were installed in a Zip-drive-style case, and used standard USB 1.1 connections.

Iomega used the DirectCD software from Adaptec to allow UDF drive-letter access to CD-R or CD-RW media.

The company released an open standard CD-R drive and CD-RW media under the same ZipCD name.

Early models of ZipCD drives were relabeled Philips drives, which were also so unreliable that a class action lawsuit succeeded.[19] Later models were sourced from Plextor.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Zip drive

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Zip drive is a discontinued removable cartridge-based system developed and marketed by , introduced in March 1995 as a medium-capacity alternative to the 1.44 MB 3.5-inch , with initial 100 MB storage capacity on proprietary cartridges slightly larger than standard floppies. It utilized magnetic disk technology similar to floppy drives but with enhanced data density, achieving a maximum sustained transfer rate of about 1.4 MB/s (though actual speeds varied by interface, such as slower on ), and was available in both internal and external configurations connected via , , USB, or FireWire interfaces for compatibility with personal computers running Windows, Mac OS, and other systems. Over its lifespan, the drive evolved to support higher capacities of 250 MB in 1998 and 750 MB in 2002, making it popular for data backup, , and in the late , particularly among graphic designers and small businesses needing portable storage beyond floppy limitations. Iomega's development of the Zip drive built on earlier removable storage concepts like the 1980s Bernoulli Box, aiming to create an affordable "super floppy" that could bridge the gap between floppies and more expensive hard drives or optical media. The product launched at a retail price of about $200 for the drive bundled with one disk, with additional 100 MB disks costing around $20 each, driving profitability through high-margin consumables in a Gillette-style . By 1995, nearly one million units were sold, capturing significant and outpacing competitors like SyQuest, which filed for bankruptcy in 1998 partly due to Iomega's dominance. Cross-platform support via Iomega's software tools allowed formatting and data exchange between PCs and Macs, enhancing its appeal in professional creative workflows. Despite its success, the Zip drive faced challenges including mechanical reliability issues, most notoriously the "click of death"—a repetitive clicking sound signaling head crashes and due to disk wear or manufacturing defects—which affected many units and led to widespread user complaints. In 1998, a class-action accused of defects causing the "click of death" as well as inadequate warranties and support practices, such as charging $14.99 per phone call, resulting in a 2001 settlement providing customer rebates and a fund of up to $4.7 million. Sales peaked in the late 1990s but declined sharply from 1999 onward as cheaper alternatives like / (introduced around 1997) and USB flash drives (gaining traction post-2000) offered greater capacity, speed, and convenience at lower costs. discontinued Zip production in 2003, with the company acquired by EMC in 2008 and the brand fully phased out by LenovoEMC in 2013, marking the end of an era in removable .

Development and Introduction

Invention and Early Development

The development of the Zip drive was initiated by in April 1994 under the direction of new CEO Kim B. Edwards, as the company sought to create a more affordable and compact removable storage solution following the relative commercial limitations of its earlier Bernoulli Box products. Building on Iomega's expertise in high-capacity media, the project aimed to address the growing need for consumer-grade beyond the constraints of standard floppy disks. The core concept centered on adapting the Bernoulli Box's principles—originally derived from 18th-century physicist Daniel Bernoulli's aerodynamic theories, which used pressurized air to maintain a flexible disk's stability without physical contact—for a smaller, cost-effective . Unlike the Bernoulli Box's air-bearing mechanism, the Zip drive employed contact-based recording similar to floppy drives but at higher rotational speeds, enabling greater capacity in a removable cartridge format suitable for everyday users. This shift allowed for a consumer-friendly product that retained the removable media advantage while reducing complexity and size. Initial prototypes were developed and tested in 1994, with engineers led by senior director George Krieger and mechanical engineer John Briggs focusing on achieving a 100 MB storage capacity within a familiar 3.5-inch form factor to ensure compatibility with existing computer setups, such as interfaces. These early models emphasized reliability and ease of use, refining the cartridge insertion process to mimic handling. The project progressed rapidly, with the first model completed in 14 days by June 1994. In 1994, filed key patents, including one for the drive's that positioned the read/write head to within 0.50 micron, enhancing precision and performance. This patent was pivotal in securing the technology's proprietary elements ahead of the product's market introduction.

Launch and Initial Marketing

The Zip drive was officially unveiled by at the trade show in November 1994, where the company began accepting pre-orders for the new removable storage device, generating immediate interest among attendees and industry observers. This announcement came just seven months after the product's initial conception, highlighting 's rapid development timeline to bring the technology to market. The full commercial release followed in March , with the external drive priced at $199 and individual 100 MB disks retailing for approximately $20 each. positioned the Zip drive as a "super floppy," an affordable upgrade from traditional 1.44 MB floppy disks, specifically tailored for storing and transporting larger files like content, documents, and software backups. Marketing efforts emphasized its ease of use for home users and small es, who needed a simple, portable solution for data exchange without the complexity or cost of hard drives or optical media. To ensure broad accessibility, bundled tools that provided native support for both Windows and Apple Macintosh operating systems, facilitating seamless integration and file management across platforms. This cross-platform approach was a key part of the initial promotion, underscoring the drive's versatility for diverse user environments. Demand quickly outpaced initial expectations, prompting to accelerate production scaling in early 1995 to fulfill orders and expand distribution channels. By the end of the year, sales estimates reached between 300,000 and 500,000 units, reflecting the product's strong early reception and positioning as a practical successor to floppy disks.

Technical Design

Storage Mechanism and Capacities

The Zip drive employed rigid 3.5-inch disks housed within a durable thin metal cartridge, designed for reliable removable storage that protected the media from environmental damage and handling wear. These disks featured a high-coercivity magnetic coating optimized for , with the internal platter spinning at a constant speed of approximately 2,942 RPM in the original 100 MB model to enable consistent read and write operations. The cartridge's robust construction, including a sliding metal shutter for head access, allowed the disk to be inserted and ejected safely, minimizing the risk of media or physical damage during use. Data storage on Zip disks relied on a run-length limited (RLL) encoding scheme integrated with constant density recording (CDR), which optimized bit placement to achieve higher storage efficiency compared to earlier floppy disk formats. This method used variable frequency recording across zoned tracks—totaling 1,817 tracks per surface on dual-sided disks—with track densities reaching 2,116 tracks per inch, enabling the initial 100 MB capacity through precise servo-controlled positioning. An advanced three-way interleaved Reed-Solomon error correction code (ECC) further ensured data integrity by correcting up to 24 bytes of burst errors per sector, supporting reliable performance in varied conditions. Over its evolution, Zip drive capacities advanced to meet growing storage demands, starting with 100 MB disks introduced in 1995, followed by 250 MB disks in 1998, and culminating in 750 MB disks released in . These increases stemmed from refinements in magnetic media, encoding algorithms, and head technology, while maintaining across drive generations. Disk pricing also declined dramatically due to and manufacturing improvements, dropping from an initial retail of $19.99 per 100 MB cartridge in 1995 to under $5 by 2000, which broadened consumer adoption. The cartridge incorporated user-friendly features to safeguard , including a mechanical write-protect switch that physically prevented write operations when engaged, and an automated ejection mechanism triggered by a front-panel or software command. This ejection retracted the read/write heads and stopped the spindle motor before releasing the cartridge, reducing the potential for head crashes or during removal. Additionally, dedicated Z-tracks on each surface stored critical metadata like serial numbers and defect maps, with built-in safeguards to render the disk inaccessible if these areas were compromised, thereby preventing undetected errors.

Interfaces and Physical Design

The original Zip drive utilized a interface that emulated -1 protocol through an integrated controller, enabling connectivity to PCs via the standard printer port while presenting the drive as a device to the operating system. This setup supported a maximum sustained transfer rate of approximately 1.4 MB/s for the 100 MB model, though actual performance varied with port mode (e.g., slower in standard parallel port protocol). Internal variants were also available for direct integration, offering similar speeds around 1.4 MB/s. In 1998, introduced USB 1.1 connectivity with the external Zip 100 model, providing a plug-and-play alternative at up to 0.8 MB/s maximum transfer rate, which was lower than parallel but simpler for setup without additional drivers on supported systems. Later iterations, including FireWire variants of the Zip 250 introduced in 1998, extended to FireWire () interfaces for higher-performance models, achieving up to 7.5 MB/s sustained rates with 750 MB disks in FireWire variants. These evolutions maintained , allowing newer drives to read and write earlier 100 MB and 250 MB disks. External desktop Zip drives featured a compact rectangular measuring roughly 7 x 5.25 x 1.5 inches and weighing about 1 pound, constructed with a durable including rubber feet for horizontal or vertical orientation and a transparent for disk labeling. Internal versions were optimized for PC integration, fitting standard 3.5-inch drive bays with IDE/ATAPI interfaces and mounting brackets adaptable to 5.25-inch bays if needed. Power requirements for early external models included a dedicated delivering 5V at 1A (5W), while USB variants from 1998 onward supported bus powering directly from the host port, eliminating the need for a separate supply in many cases. Operational noise during read/write activities reached moderate levels typical of mechanical drives of the era, though specific decibel measurements were not standardized in product documentation. By 2001, evolved the design toward slimline formats with the Zip 250 series, targeting users through thinner external USB models (approximately 1 inch thick) and internal ATAPI options that preserved compatibility with prior disk generations while reducing overall footprint for portable integration.

Operation and Compatibility

Data Access and Software Requirements

The Zip drive utilized standard file systems such as for Windows compatibility and HFS for Macintosh systems, enabling cross-platform use when formatted appropriately, often as FAT16 to mimic the accessibility of floppy disks. This setup allowed users to perform drag-and-drop operations directly on the drive icon or assigned letter, treating Zip disks as removable volumes similar to 3.5-inch floppies without requiring specialized file transfer protocols. To enable data access, the IomegaWare software suite was essential, providing drivers and utilities for integration with host operating systems. For and later versions, IomegaWare included core drivers along with tools for disk management, , and compression, ensuring seamless recognition of the drive as a standard peripheral. On Macintosh systems running Mac OS 7 and above, the suite offered similar functionality, installing drivers, Iomega Tools for formatting and maintenance, and utilities like Personal Backup and EasyLabels for enhanced data handling. Data access performance was characterized by an average seek time of 29 milliseconds and a sustained transfer rate of up to 1.4 MB/s, varying slightly based on the interface such as parallel or . To mitigate media defects common in removable , the drive incorporated error correction using a three-way interleaved Reed-Solomon , capable of correcting a single burst error of up to 24 bytes or multiple dispersed errors.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

The Zip drive demonstrated robust cross-platform compatibility with prominent operating systems prevalent during its era, leveraging bundled drivers to integrate seamlessly into consumer workflows. Native support was integrated into and through drivers provided with the drive purchase, allowing users to recognize and access Zip disks as removable storage without additional configuration beyond basic installation. Similarly, Macintosh systems running and later versions included native support for internal ATA-based Zip drives starting with OS 8.5.1, while external SCSI models relied on bundled drivers to ensure plug-and-play functionality. This design choice emphasized ease of use across the dominant PC and Mac ecosystems, reflecting Iomega's focus on broad market accessibility. Support for Unix-like systems, including early Linux distributions, was facilitated through open-source utilities such as mtools, which enabled reading and writing to Zip disks formatted with filesystems; documentation for this integration dates back to 1996 via community-maintained guides. In contrast, older environments posed challenges, necessitating terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) drivers like Guest.exe loaded via to assign drive letters and enable disk access, as DOS lacked inherent removable media handling for such devices. Windows NT initially offered no built-in support, requiring users to await —such as Service Pack 3 for NT 4.0—or third-party adapters for functionality, highlighting limitations in enterprise-oriented systems. Hardware integration across diverse setups was enhanced by adapter cables, which allowed SCSI or IDE internal Zip drives to connect to non-native host adapters, bridging compatibility gaps in custom or legacy configurations. Alternative platforms like benefited from third-party software such as Dosdriver or FreDS-Zip tools to mount and access Zip volumes, while Unix variants utilized kernel-level support combined with filesystem utilities for similar interoperability. The IomegaWare provided supplementary tools for cross-platform file management, streamlining data transfer between supported systems. Backward compatibility among Zip drive variants ensured evolutionary , with higher-capacity models (e.g., 250 MB) capable of reading and writing to older 100 MB disks due to shared media formatting protocols. Conversely, lower-capacity drives could not natively handle higher-density media without firmware updates from , preventing and maintaining reliability across generational upgrades. This asymmetric compatibility model supported gradual adoption without stranding early investments in the technology.

Commercial Performance

Sales Figures and Market Adoption

The Zip drive achieved significant commercial success in its early years, with capturing close to 70% of the portable disk drive market by the end of 1996. Cumulative shipments surpassed 12 million units by early 1998, driving company revenues to $1.7 billion in 1997, primarily from Zip products. This peak reflected the drive's role as a bridge between outdated floppy disks and emerging , filling a critical gap in affordable, high-capacity . Adoption accelerated in the late amid the rise of creation, as consumers and professionals increasingly needed portable storage for larger files like digital photographs and audio tracks that far exceeded limits. Major PC vendors, including Computer Corp. and , further propelled by bundling internal Zip drives with their systems, making the technology accessible to mainstream users. By 1997, over 6 million Zip drives had shipped, underscoring its widespread appeal in home, education, and environments. Globally, the Zip drive enjoyed robust uptake in the and , which together accounted for over 90% of sales—65.8% in the and 25.7% in during 2000—while represented a modest 8.5% due to stronger competition from low-cost media. High demand led to shipping delays, drawing regulatory attention in 1998, culminating in a $900,000 settlement with the over violations of mail-order rules, including delays in shipping and unfulfilled orders during 1997 demand surges. Signs of decline emerged as unit shipments fell from nearly 7 million drives in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2001 and 4 million in 2002, amid intensifying pressure from cheaper writable alternatives that offered greater capacity at lower per-megabyte costs. Despite these challenges, Zip products still generated $479 million in revenue in 2002, comprising the majority of 's total sales. By 2003, Iomega had shipped over 50 million Zip drives and more than 300 million Zip disks worldwide.

Technical Issues and Licensing Disputes

The Zip drive experienced several notable technical reliability issues, most prominently the "click of death," a failure mode characterized by a repetitive clicking noise as the read/write head repeatedly attempts to access the disk but retracts due to misalignment or wear, often resulting in and rendering the disk or drive unusable. Iomega attributed this primarily to head crashes from disk wear in early units, estimating the at less than 1% of registered drives, or approximately 0.5% of customers reporting clicking issues, based on an installed base exceeding 12 million units by early 1998. Despite the low reported rate, the problem gained widespread notoriety through online forums and media, damaging consumer confidence and prompting to offer replacements under without requiring proof of purchase in many cases. These reliability concerns led to legal action, including a class-action filed in September 1998 by affected customers in , alleging defective design in Zip drives produced since January 1995 that caused the click of death and violated laws. The suit sought unspecified damages for data loss and repair costs, affecting millions of U.S. purchasers. denied the defect claims but settled in April 2001, agreeing to provide rebates of up to $40 per claimant to an estimated 28 million class members, contribute $1 million in products and services to educational institutions, and cover attorney fees estimated at up to $4.7 million. Licensing and regulatory disputes further complicated Iomega's operations. In December 1998, the settled charges against for violating the Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule by failing to ship Zip drives and disks on time during 1997 demand surges or offer refunds/delays, resulting in a $900,000 and requirements for improved order fulfillment practices. Separately, in July 1999, filed a against competitor Castlewood Systems, accusing it of and related to removable storage technology similar to the Zip drive, seeking damages and an injunction to halt sales of Castlewood's Orb drives. These conflicts highlighted ongoing tensions in the removable media market but were resolved without detailed public outcomes on the patent suit.

Variants and Extensions

ZipCD and Optical Variants

The ZipCD was Iomega's line of rewritable optical drives, introduced in 1999 as an extension of the Zip brand into technology, which relies on phase-change materials to enable data rewriting by altering the crystalline state of the recording layer. The drives operated at 4x write, 4x rewrite, and 6x read speeds, supporting standard and media with a capacity of up to 650 MB per disc. Unlike the magnetic Zip drives, the ZipCD used open-standard 120 mm optical discs without proprietary cartridges, though Iomega offered bundled software for data backup and CD creation, such as Easy CD Creator and QuikSync. Available in internal E-IDE and external USB variants, the ZipCD connected via USB for portable use on Windows and Macintosh systems. The internal model retailed for $209, with three-packs of formatted discs priced at $19.99, reflecting higher upfront costs compared to magnetic Zip media but leveraging cheaper, widely available optical discs costing around $1 for and $4 for . A key advantage of the ZipCD over magnetic Zip drives was the superior longevity of optical media, rated for over 1,000 rewrite cycles and a exceeding 10 years under proper storage conditions, reducing degradation issues like the "click of death" associated with magnetic cartridges. However, the drives faced criticism for slower performance relative to emerging higher-speed competitors and occasional reliability concerns with USB connectivity.

Parallel and USB Evolutions

The initial Zip drives, launched in , relied exclusively on parallel port connectivity for external models, with internal variants using or IDE interfaces. This design, based on the standard, allowed daisy-chaining with printers but suffered from slow transfer rates averaging around 0.3 MB/s and compatibility issues on some systems. Between and 1997, focused solely on parallel port expansions for the 100 MB capacity, as USB technology was still emerging and not yet standardized for mass-market peripherals. In 1999, introduced USB 1.1 interfaces for the Zip drives, emphasizing portability for both 100 MB and 250 MB capacities. These external drives, such as the Z100USB, offered transfer rates up to 1.4 MB/s, making them suitable for mobile use on PCs and Macs, though early models required external power adapters. The shift addressed the growing demand for plug-and-play connectivity as USB ports became ubiquitous on new computers. By 2002, USB 2.0 models arrived, significantly boosting performance to a theoretical maximum of 8 MB/s—though real-world speeds hovered around 7.5 MB/s for the 750 MB capacity—while internal ATAPI versions supported integration into desktop systems. This evolution was driven by the rapid obsolescence of parallel ports, which were phased out in favor of USB's simpler, faster, and more universal standard starting in the late . Backward compatibility with older parallel models was maintained through specialized adapters, though these often required legacy hardware for reliable operation. Production of magnetic Zip drives concluded in 2003, with the USB 750 MB variant serving as one of the final mainstream models before the format's decline amid competition from optical and flash storage.

Decline and Legacy

Discontinuation and Market Replacement

Iomega discontinued production of its original Zip 100 drive in 2004, following a sharp decline in demand that began in the late 1990s, while higher-capacity variants like the Zip 250 and Zip 750 continued until 2006, with remaining inventory sold off through that period. The company's Zip product sales revenue dropped significantly to $246.1 million in 2003, a 49% decrease from $478.5 million in 2002, reflecting broader market shifts away from proprietary removable magnetic media. As a result, Iomega pivoted toward alternative storage solutions, including portable hard disk (HD) formats and the REV removable hard drive system, which launched in April 2004 as a higher-capacity backup option with up to 35 GB per cartridge. The obsolescence of the Zip drive was driven primarily by the affordability of competing technologies, such as and discs, which by 2002 cost under $1 each for 650 MB capacities—far cheaper than Zip disks at around $10-15 per 100 MB unit—and offered greater compatibility with standard optical drives. Additionally, USB flash drives emerged commercially in 2000, providing portable, that was smaller, faster, and more durable without the mechanical failure risks associated with Zip's magnetic cartridges, such as the notorious "click of death." These alternatives rapidly eroded Zip's market position, as consumers and businesses favored optical media for archiving and flash storage for everyday portability. The phase-out of Zip drives contributed to electronic waste challenges, with millions of obsolete units and disks discarded as users upgraded to newer formats, exacerbating the growing e-waste stream in the early . In response, recycling programs for expanded around 2004, including California's Electronic Waste Recycling Act, which established statewide collection and processing for covered devices to mitigate environmental impacts from materials like plastics and rare earth metals in Zip hardware.

Cultural and Collectible Impact

The Zip drive played a significant role in the digital revolution, providing a practical means for transferring large files in and early workflows, bridging the gap between limited floppy disks and emerging storage. It was particularly valued by creative professionals for handling assets and music production data, such as samples and project files for digital audio workstations like the VS-880. This portability facilitated informal among users before widespread , contributing to the era's grassroots digital culture. As legacy technology, the Zip drive maintains relevance through emulation solutions like USB adapters, enabling access to vintage software on modern systems and preserving environments. An active collector market persists, with 100 MB drives commonly listed on for $30 to $60 in 2025, appealing to retro enthusiasts who value their role in historical data workflows. Collectors often prioritize units free from the "click of death" failure mode to ensure reliability. The Zip drive holds educational value in computing history, with artifacts exhibited at institutions like the , where it is highlighted as a milestone in removable storage evolution from 1994 onward. Open-source efforts in the , including modules for parallel-port support, have sustained compatibility without proprietary drivers, fostering community-driven preservation. In the 2020s, specialized services continue to support Zip disks for forensic applications, extracting evidence from obsolete media in cyber investigations where legacy storage holds critical digital artifacts.

References

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  3. https://tedium.co/2016/12/06/iomega-zip-disk-click-of-death-history/
  4. https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/22978/Iomega-Zip-Drive-100-Parallel/
  5. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB987119053504370236
  6. https://obsoletemedia.org/iomega-zip-750/
  7. https://www.designnews.com/motion-control/this-drive-s-got-zip
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  9. https://www.deseret.com/1996/5/23/19244215/fools-rush-in-send-iomega-stock-soaring/
  10. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1995-11-05/hard-up-for-space-on-your-hard-drive
  11. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/18/business/zip-drive-revives-a-maker-of-storage-devices.html
  12. http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/NYS/iom/reports/2002ar.pdf
  13. https://www.fool.com/archive/portfolios/rulebreaker/trades/2000/12/21/the-rule-breaker-portfolio-buying-iom-051695.aspx
  14. http://ps-2.kev009.com/pcpartnerinfo/ctstips/b486.htm
  15. https://www.grc.com/tip/codknowledge.htm
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  17. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/08/15/750mb-zip-drive
  18. https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/6589/connecting-iomega-zip-parallel-port-to-modern-pc
  19. https://www.amazon.com/Iomega-10919-Drive-Parallel-Port/dp/B00000J3II
  20. https://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/iomega_curious_drives.php
  21. https://docs.rs-online.com/53fe/0900766b8022a12c.pdf
  22. https://goughlui.com/2015/08/16/tech-flashback-iomega-zip-100-parallel-port-drive-mint-in-package/
  23. https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000416.htm
  24. https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?p=971052
  25. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2505241706/posts/10158988628556707/
  26. https://blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/archivesandmanuscripts/2010/03/22/media-recognition-guide-iomega-zip-disks/
  27. https://www.howtogeek.com/707818/how-to-read-a-zip-disk-on-a-modern-pc-or-mac/
  28. https://iomegaware.software.informer.com/
  29. https://www.macintoshrepository.org/1296-iomega-zip-install-disk-v4-21
  30. https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Iomega_Zip
  31. https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/iomega-zip-tools-for-dos-wfw311-win95.29672/
  32. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1472780
  33. https://www.itprotoday.com/it-infrastructure/how-do-i-install-a-zip-drive-under-nt-
  34. https://tldp.org/HOWTO/ZIP-Drive-4.html
  35. https://lyonsden.net/how-to-use-an-iomega-zip-100-drive-with-an-amiga-1200/
  36. http://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/iomega_curious_drives.php
  37. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/1998/12/iomega-corporation-agrees-pay-900000-civil-penalty-settle-ftc-charges-it-violated-mail-order-rule
  38. https://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/NYS/iom/reports/Iomega_Corporation_2003_Annual_Report.pdf
  39. https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/click-of-death-numbers-revealed/
  40. https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/iomega-sued-over-click-of-death/
  41. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/03/science/personal-computers-settlement-near-in-technical-help-line-suit.html
  42. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-14-fi-50942-story.html
  43. https://www.deseret.com/1999/7/9/19454755/iomega-suit-claims-patent-trademark-infringement/
  44. https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/iomega-ships-its-first-rewritable-cd-drive/
  45. https://atpm.com/7.02/zipcd.shtml
  46. https://www.cnet.com/reviews/iomega-zipcd-cd-rw-external-usb-review/
  47. https://goughlui.com/2015/12/19/tech-flashback-zip250-disk-drive-zip100-usb-drive-coloured-disk/
  48. https://www.pcmag.com/news/30-years-of-consumer-storage-from-floppy-disks-to-ssds
  49. https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/memory-storage/
  50. https://obsoletemedia.org/iomega-zip/
  51. https://www.eweek.com/storage/iomega-launches-rev-drive-as-tape-alternative/
  52. http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/ptech/05/11/cd-r.prices.idg/index.html
  53. https://www.storagenewsletter.com/2018/10/19/history-2000-usb-flash-drive/
  54. https://gizmodo.com/my-grudge-against-iomega-and-the-click-of-death-1829180451
  55. https://dtsc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2020/11/2009_E-Waste_Management_Standards_Training_ADA_MG.pdf
  56. https://coffeehousejunkie.net/2017/04/12/anyone-have-a-zip-drive/
  57. https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comments/1kls5fa/zip_disk_drive_from_the_90s/
  58. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/our-favorite-forgotten-tech-from-beos-to-zip-drives/
  59. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnQvHF0Q_HY
  60. https://www.ebay.com/b/Iomega-Zip-Drives-Drives/169/bn_7113570164
  61. https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/1b87zwq/iomega_zip_drives_on_modern_hardware_and_os_is_it/
  62. https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/memory-storage/8/261/1081
  63. https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=98038
  64. https://www.werecoverdata.com/data-recovery-stories/data-recovery-from-obsolete-zip-disk-restores-business-files
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