Iomega 32324 Zip 750MB External USB Drive

I ordered and received an Iomega Zip 750 MB External USB drive. I have returned it, only to find out that I am not being refuned the full amount because of some bogus return policy charge.

You need to refund me 100% of the money I spent on the faulty product. It should never cost the customer anything when they buy a defective product. Where is there a phone number so I can call and talk to a real person?

I have been using Zip disks for over 6 years now. 98% of the time, me and my colleagues use 100MB disks, and the rest of the time we use 250MB. I have never seen anyone use 750MB disks, and have never seen any computer with a 750MB Zip drive (except the one I own). That means most people would never use this drive for transferring stuff between computers. The only reason for getting this drive is if you want to back up your own files, but that can be done much better using CDs and DVDs. Besides its limited use, this 750MB drive can read from but not write to 100MB disks, which can be quite inconvenient at times. On the other hand, a 250MB drive can read from and write to both 250MB and 100MB disks. So, you may be better off getting a 250MB Zip drive.

My 750MB Zip drive malfuctioned just after the warranty had expired. Beware!

Omigod---just bought two of these drives and now they both, with regularity, destroy any disks used in them. But not immediately...everything works great for about 3-4 files, then at some point the drive starts to run, and run, and run---and at the end, you have no files, and 250 MB disks cannot be reformatted (can only do short format on these). Iomega gneraously replaced my disks; great, now all the replacements are corrupted. I guess it's the click of death--the symptoms are very similar in terms of what happens to the disks, but the drives do not click! Iomega tech support never heard of this, naturally. Although cheap, I don't care much for CD-RWs, so I've gone to MO disks---much more reliable, I've never had a failure.

I have been happy with my three older zip drives, and this drive is continuing my unbroken string of satisfaction with Iomega products.

Installation: The software installed cleanly. I love boring installations!

Connectivity: The drive ran fine on a hub. It helps that it is self-powered and doesn't need to draw power off the USB line. It comes with an adapter-at least my drive did. (The "Technical Data" section of this site's product description says that the drive is powered by your USB cable. But if you choose to use the adapter, I doubt that that statement is correct.) I later installed a USB 2.0 card and gave the zip drive its own port, but it is still plugged into the adapter.

Speed: Speed is relative. Even with the obsolete USB 1, the 750 was faster than my 4x CD-RW, my previous backup engine. And now with USB 2.0, it writes a 175 MB zip file in 45 seconds.

Human Factors: Another reviewer complained that this drive is so lightweight that it just scoots backwards when you try to insert a disk. He's right. So I took a crude but effective approach to "planting" the drive. I took a big piece of duct tape and taped the drive to the top of my system unit. Now the drive is in a real handy spot, and it doesn't budge when I insert a disk. So what if it's no longer portable, and it's more like an internal drive. That's OK.

Vulnerable to static discharge? It is, according to one reviewer, who had a spark leap from his finger to the drive, and said spark temporarily knocked his drive out of commission. I have had no such problem because with the drive taped in place, I don't have to hold it down with one hand when inserting a disk. So I don't need to touch the case. Also, it may help that the drive is against my system unit's metal case.

Some nitpicking:
(1) This drive is much noisier than my previous three zip drives (all internal). Its "zip" noises are loud and raspy.
(2) Dust might get inside the drive because there is more air space around the door than I have ever seen on a drive. I hope it won't collect enough dust to damage it. I see no way to safely clean it out.
(3) Iomega innovates so quickly that any Iomega product you buy may soon be obsolete.

SAVE THE ANTI-STATIC BAG that the drive ships in. If you ever need to carry the drive somewhere, you can use the bag to protect it from static and keep that loose penny in your purse or briefcase from slipping into it.

January, 2007 update: I ended up buying two of these drives. However, the first drive has now died after about three years of normal use with no spill, fall, or other accident. My concern about dust (#2 under nitpicking, above) might be more than a nit, after all.