Tips Based on Experience
Jul 20 '01
The Bottom Line If you're just looking for a backup solution, tape has more capacity for less money. If you want limitless random-access storage, then this may be for you, but be aware.
Removable cartridge drives promise the high speed of a hard drive combined with the convenience and limitless storage of removable media. There are a few things that you should know before investing in one.
These drives are faster than CD or DVD drives, but are not quite as fast as a hard drive. Manufacturers may claim hard drive speed, but in reality these drive don't quite make it. If you are looking for a drive that can handle high-speed data transfers, such as for video editing, then stick with fixed drives. Otherwise, they are still fast enough to work directly with the data on the cartridge without much more wait than if it was on a hard drive.
The speed of the drive can depend on the interface. USB and Parallel is fine for Zip drives, but SCSI and 1394/FireWire is faster. If you get a large-format drive with gigabyte cartridges, you may find USB to be just too slow.
Portability is great. You can usually unplug the drive and take it with you. Be aware that another computer may require drivers to be installed, and must have the right plug on the back for the drive's data cable. Never carry a drive with a cartridge inside, as this can cause damage.
You can share media with others who have the same drive. Just don't use special-format cartridges, as others may not be able to read them. The standard PC FAT format is the most widely-compatible format between platforms. Most Macs can access PC Zip disks, but most PC's cannot read Mac Zip disks. If you have a Mac and want to share a Zip disk with a PC, make sure to format the disk in the PC format. A Zip disk can even be safely mailed in a disk mailer. You can buy these cheap from the Post Office. Just make sure to clearly mark the package, "Magnetic Media", so the postal service knows to give it special treatment.
The media is expensive: Compared to the CD/DVD based media and tape, the cartridges cost quite a bit. This is due to the durability and precision required by the cartridge. 2GB Jaz cartridges cost around $80.00, while you can get CD-R's for less than a buck.
Cartridges are fragile. You don't want to drop them, sit on them, or spill a drink on them. Keep them in a safe place, away from any hazards. Don't put them in your pocket, and always transport them in their protective case.
Be careful of dust, as it can get into the mechanism and cause a lot of problems. The shutter must never be opened, as dust will get in. Keep the cartridge in the protective sleeve or case, to reduce the dust that collects on the case. This dust will get a ride into the drive mechanism when you insert the cartridge. Never leave a cartridge hanging out of the drive, as this keeps the drive's protective door open, and lets dust in.
Many cartridges are somewhat protected from magnetism, but you should take precautions. Keep them away from monitors, speakers, and anything else that generates a strong magnetic field. If the cartridge is damaged by a magnetic field, it will deteriorate. Often this deterioration is permanent, due to the nature of the pre-formatted media.
Ok, now for the scary stuff...
To pack so much information on the media, many drives use servo tracks that are added to the media at the factory. These are signal tracks that allow the drive head to align to the data tracks with great precision, allowing tracks to be packed tighter together to squeeze more data on the media. Many drives, such as Iomega's, cannot restore these servo tracks if they get damaged!
Once these servo tracks start to go, performance and reliability will start to go downhill. If your cartridge gets damaged by a strong magnetic field, or even by errors when writing to the media, there is usually no way to bring it back to good health. You might be able to exchange the media with the company, but this is a pain. Keep in mind that magnetic media naturally degrades over time, even if you are not using it.
Make sure your interface is clean! If there is a noisy signal caused by another bad device, a damaged cable, or faulty interface hardware, you could lose data and/or permanently damage the media. I had a buggy SCSI card that generated errors and killed a few cartridges before I knew what was going on. This is true in general for all storage devices, but removable cartridge devices are especially sensitive to errors. If you are just connecting one device directly to one computer, then you probably don't have to worry about this.
Am I scaring you off, yet? Again, you probably don't have to worry. As long as you treat the drive and the media properly, you most likely won't have a problem. Most people don't have any trouble with these drives. I have a Zip-100 that hasn't caused me any trouble at all. It has proven very reliable. On the other hand, I was one of the unlucky few who had tons of trouble with a Jaz 2GB. I eventually returned it to Iomega and bought a DVD-RAM drive.
The best thing to do when you get one of these drives is to put it through its paces. Get used to the software and hardware. Copy a bunch of things onto the media. Work with files directly on the media to get a sense of its speed and behavior. Make sure everything works as expected and meets your expectations. You have 30 days to return the drive if you don't like it, so make that time count.
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Member: Greg Searle
Location: Nashua, NH
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About Me:
Computer graphics designer and software developer with interests in technology, home improvement, and family life.
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