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Using Zip® Disks
This section describes some of the things you can do with Zip disks.
NOTE: A Zip 750MB or 250MB disk cannot be used in a Zip 100MB drive; the drive will automatically reject these disks if they are inserted. Use only Zip 100MB disks with your Zip 100 drive.
Backing Up with Zip Disks
It's important to always keep current backups of your valuable data— whether the primary data is stored on your hard drive or Zip disks! You can use Zip disks to back up both. See Copying Zip Disks for information on how to make backup copies of your Zip disks.
The easiest way to back up important data files stored on your hard drive is to use your system's standard procedures to copy them to your Zip drive. For example, if your operating system is Windows®, you can use My Computer or Windows Explorer to select files or folders from your hard drive and drag-and-drop them to your Zip drive. One advantage of copying files directly to your Zip drive is that you can access them easily any time you need them without having to run a restore procedure.
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Copying Zip Disks
The simplest way to copy your Zip disks is with the Iomega CopyDisk tool. This tool will duplicate Zip disks using a single Zip drive.
Mac® OS Users
See the help files installed with IomegaWare software on your Mac hard disk for instructions on copying your Iomega disks.
Windows PC Users
Insert the disk you want to copy into your Zip drive. Right click the Zip drive icon in My Computer or Windows Explorer. Select Copy Disk from the drive shortcut menu. Select the drive and directory you want to copy information to and from.
NOTE: CopyDisk erases any files on the target disk if the capacity of the source disk is the same as the capacity of the target disk. CopyDisk adds a folder to the target disk if the capacity of the source disk is smaller than the capacity of the target disk. Click the Start button.
NOTE: The Iomega CopyDisk tool cannot copy files that are open or in use at the time the copy is made.
If you are using a Macintosh operating system, or if you do not want to use CopyDisk, duplicate a Zip disk by following these steps:
Copy the contents of your Zip disk to a folder on your computer's hard drive (C: or Macintosh HD). Eject your Zip disk. Insert a new Zip disk. Copy your files from the hard drive onto the new Zip disk.
Linux PC Users
Features for IomegaWare software are only from the command line. For more information on using the command line with your Iomega drive, read the HTML help file (cli.html) on your Start Here First CD.
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Formatting Zip Disks
Zip disks are available preformatted. You can format your Zip disks to quickly erase all of the files on the disk, change the format type (Mac or PC), or to repair a disk that has developed errors.
CAUTION! Formatting a disk erases all data on the disk. Do not format any disk that contains information you want to keep!
Mac OS Users
Insert the disk you want to format into your Zip drive. Open the IomegaWare folder on your Mac hard disk, then open the Tools folder and double click the Tools icon. In the main Tools window, click the icon for the disk you want to erase. Select the Erase Disk tool. Select the erase type:
Use Short Erase if you want to quickly erase all data on a disk so you can reuse it. Use Long Erase if you need to repair a disk that has developed errors, or if you are formatting a disk where you have forgotten the password.
Click Erase to start formatting the Zip disk.
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Windows PC Users
Insert the disk you want to format into your Zip drive. Open My Computer and right click the Zip drive icon. Select Format from the drive shortcut menu. Select the format type:
Use Short Format to quickly erase all data on a disk so you can reuse it. Use Long Format to repair a disk that has developed errors, or to format a disk where you have forgotten the password. Use either option to change the format type from Mac to PC.
Click Start to start formatting the Zip disk.
Linux PC Users
Features for IomegaWare software are only from the command line. For more information on using the command line with your Iomega drive, read the HTML help file (cli.html) on your Start Here First CD.
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Read/Write Protecting Zip Disks
IomegaWare software includes a special read/write protect feature that allows you to:
Write protect a disk through software instead of with a mechanical write-protect switch. Write protect a disk and assign a password so that no one can add, edit, or delete files without entering the password first. Read/Write protect a disk so that it cannot be read from, or written to, unless the user enters the password you assign.
Setting Zip Disk Protection under Mac OS
Insert the disk you want to protect into your Zip drive. Open the IomegaWare folder on your Mac hard disk, then open the Tools folder and double click the Tools icon. In the main Tools window, click the icon for the disk you want to protect (or unprotect). Select the Disk Protection tool. Select the protection option you want to use. Click the Help button if you need information on any of the options.
Setting Zip Disk Protection under Windows
Insert the disk you want to protect into your Zip drive. Open My Computer and right click the Zip drive icon. Select Protect from the drive shortcut menu. Select the protection option you want to use. Click the Help button if you need information on any of the options.
Setting Zip Disk Protection under Linux
Features for IomegaWare software are only from the command line. For more information on using the command line with your Iomega drive, read the HTML help file (cli.html) on your Start Here First CD.
NOTE: Although Zip disk protection options are set and removed using IomegaWare software, the actual protection mechanism is secured in the drive hardware. This means the disk protection cannot be by-passed using other software programs.
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Using Zip Disks Cross-Platform
Mac OS and Windows PC systems use different disk formats. You can select to use the same disk format type (fat16) on Linux PC systems as is used for Windows PC systems.
If you use a Zip drive on both PC and Mac systems, here are some important points you need to know:
Mac OS Systems
You can use PC-formatted disks on a Mac OS system that has File Exchange 3.0 or higher installed. It is recommended that you use PC-formatted Zip disks for file transfer only. File resource information may be lost if files used on a Mac OS system are stored on a PC-formatted disk. You can change a PC-formatted disk to a Mac-formatted disk by using the Iomega Tools application on a Mac OS system to erase the disk.
CAUTION! Formatting a disk erases all data on the disk. Do not format any disk that contains information you want to keep!
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Windows PC Systems
PC systems cannot read a Mac-formatted Zip disk unless special software is installed on the system. If you try to use a Mac-formatted Zip disk on a PC that does not have disk exchange software installed, you will see a message indicating that the disk is not formatted. You can change a Mac-formatted disk to a PC-formatted disk by using IomegaWare software on a PC to erase the disk.
CAUTION! Formatting a disk erases all data on the disk. Do not format any disk that contains information you want to keep!
Linux PC Systems
To use the same disk on Linux PC systems, Windows PC systems, and Mac systems, format disks with the FAT16 file system, not the EXT2 file system.
CAUTION! Formatting a disk erases all data on the disk. Do not format any disk that contains information you want to keep!
Transferring Files Between PC and Mac
If you need to transfer files between a PC and a Mac, you can use a PC-formatted Zip disk if File Exchange 3.0 or higher is loaded on the Mac. You can use a Mac-formatted Zip disk if the PC has disk exchange software installed.
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