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zorg128 · Feb 16, 2001, 05:32 PM

I'm close to buy Iomega's Zip-CD CD-RW writer. I'll have a TiBook in a few days and my girlfriend has a Dell Latitude notebook. Her computer hasn't Firewire plug, so - because I won't write CD's every day - I decided to buy a simple USB writer. We also don't need a portable CD writer. That's too expensive for what it brings.

Anybody has tested Iomega's Zip-CD?

Or have you an other idea?

SupahCoolX · Feb 16, 2001, 07:27 PM

Well, I hav.. err, HAD a ZipCD. It started out pretty well, but things recently went sour. I got a replacement drive, but that didn't work either. Iomega's rather inept tech support people couldn't figure out what to do. Finally, I talked to a supervisor who was actually competent and Mac-savvy, but he couldn't figure out the problem either. As a result, my ZipCD is in the mail back to Iomega. I'll use my refund $$, when it gets here, most likely for a Lacie or QPS Que burner. I would avoid the ZipCD (though Iomega's new Predator drive may be OK... just don't call tech support).

aircargo · Feb 17, 2001, 12:53 AM

I've had a ZIP 650 for a couple of months now and haven't had any problems with it. I've seen posts from people that have though. Maybe the Zip gods are smiling on me. I have noticed that most of the posts are similar in the fact that everyone complains about their tech support nightmares. Luckily I havent had the need to deal with them. I followed the recommendations of running it off one of the computer's USB ports, and not a hub, and everything is working fine for me. So far, I've only burned audio cds, haven't tried the data yet, but it does audio at 4x and I haven't had a bad cd yet. Good luck, and if I can offer any other info, feel free to ask.

btw... it's a $169 refurbished unit...maybe that's the secret..

regards
Doug

[This message has been edited by aircargo (edited 02-17-2001).]

drfrank · Feb 18, 2001, 03:26 PM

I have had my ZipCD 650 for 3 months and have had no problems at all. I have burned close to 35 CD's without a single coaster. Even my first bootable CD works fine!

I'm using the Toast 4.1.2 OEM software that came with the unit. I got the unit on sale ($174) and have been very happy with its performance. I'm planning on upgrading to Toast Titanium 5 when it is available in the spring.

Frank

neilnet · Feb 18, 2001, 04:15 PM

I don't actually own a zip CD, but a friend does, and having worked with it for a few hours, I can tell you that it is one *huge* eyesore. It ois one of the biggest, most obtrusive purple boxes I have ever seen. I mean have you seen this thing? It is massive!

Having said this though it does appear to be a good, solid performer. If you're not big on looks (hold on, you own a G4 ti, don't you?) then it is an excellent start into the world of CD writing.

Neil

rambo47 · Feb 18, 2001, 04:58 PM

Before Cipher 13 says it, I will: Yamaha. He steered me in that direction and I must say they make a quallity product. They're not fancy looking, just a beige box. But no coasters and it's simple plug-and-play. I got the FireWire 8-8-24 over USB because it seems most compatibility issues are with USB types. Plus it's way faster.

------------------
"There is no spoon."
iDisk: rseijas
Homepage: homepage.mac.com/rseijas

joe · Feb 20, 2001, 02:06 AM

I borrowed a ZipCD from a PC friend recently and burned a half dozen or so discs on my iMacDV SE. Worked like a charm using the supplied Toast software. I burned both CDr and CDrw at 4x via USB. He's done the same on PC without any problems. So if you're looking for a cross platform USB burner, I'd say the ZipCD fits the bill. I didn't want to give it back

However, Iomega has recently released an successor to the ZipCD called the Predator. It's also USB but has an option for a Firewire cable for faster speeds. It also supports both PC and Mac. I've been waiting for the damn thing to show up now for 3 months. I suppose that's to be expected as it's new product. Based on how well the ZipCD works, I'd guess the Predator is going to be an excellent product. I was considering the Formac bus powered Firewire burners as it's faster and you can always buy a Firewire card for PC. But it seems to come with Mac software only. A major let down if you have to work cross platform.........joe

wumeng · Feb 20, 2001, 11:20 AM

I've had a ZipCD for a few months and it works very well. My only gripe is that Retrospect does not recognise it as a supported CD-RW device, but I think that's probably due to Dantz being snooty and possibly wanting to charge Iomega a fee for "accrediting" the ZipCD for compatibility with Retrospect.