OK, I just got done saving a MS Word .doc from my home desktop (Dell running Windows XP Pro SP2, Word 2000, Iomega USB Zip100 drive) to a Zip100 disk.  Took it to school and put it in a computer (HP running Windows XP Pro, Word 2000, internal Zip250 drive) and it wouldn't recognize it.  WTF? over.  I've used this disk between these two computers before with no problem.  I brought it home and tried it in my computer again and it said that the disk had been formatted for a Mac and needed to be reformatted for my Windows OS, thereby deleting all my saved docs.  What can I do besides reformatting it?  Thanks!  

I had a similar thing happen last week.  I was using an external zip drive and the computer kept wanting to format the disk.  A reboot did not fix my problem.  I pulled the power to the external drive for about 10 seconds and it seemed to reset itself.  

First part: My initial fear would be a head alignment issue.

As for not being able to read the disk in the home drive, my inital fear would be you did not write protect the disk and the school 'puter fucked the disk's filesystem..

Don't know how to get the data off.

Try a system restart.

You -> <- Lack of a backup copy

I tried rebooting the system and unplugging the zip drive and it still doesn't work.  I put the disk in, go to "my computer".... "zip drive" and it says please insert disk into drive H.  Then it says something about reformatting the disk.  Before it said that it had been formatted for a Mac and needed to be reformatted for Windows.  Do you think I could retreive the info if I tried to disk in a Mac computer?

I quit using zip drives.

Consider using a USB thumb drive.  The 128 & 256 kb thumbdrives are cheap and compact.  As long as you have a USB port... it acts just like a "normal" drive on your "my computer" directory.

Just a thought

Quoted: I quit using zip drives. Consider using a USB thumb drive.  The 128 & 256 kb thumbdrives are cheap and compact.  As long as you have a USB port... it acts just like a "normal" drive on your "my computer" directory. Just a thought

or burn a CD. THey are dirt cheap nowadays.

I may decide to switch to a thumb drive.  But I need to fucus on the problem at hand for now and retreive the stored info on my zip disk.  Right now about 85-90% is backed up but that's not to say I don't need the rest.  Any more ideas?  Thanks.

I don't know.

people still use zip disks? :)

-d

Quoted: I may decide to switch to a thumb drive.  But I need to fucus on the problem at hand for now and retreive the stored info on my zip disk.  Right now about 85-90% is backed up but that's not to say I don't need the rest.  Any more ideas?  Thanks.

The data is very likely gone… you can try another ZIP drive to read the disk but don’t hold out much hope.

DO NOT use a ZIP drive to backup anything you must have… ZIP drives WILL fail it is not a matter of if but when and if the disk you need is in the drive when it does fail it will be ruined.

Get a DVD writer or Thumb drive (or 2) and put a bullet in the ZIP drive.

Find a Mac computer w/ a Zip and see if it read it?

Haven't tried it yet.  Will be able to Monday.  

most likely your computer had the iomegaware software instaleld.   the other system did not.


to read the data you will need to install the iomegaware software on the other pc


the data is there just not readable without that software installed

A side "story"....

A few months ago, the Zip 100 drive I juse (an old one that connects to the printer port) started acting up.  Would not read the disk..... just started spinning and doing nothing (works now, but I don't use that disk...guessing it's disk related....not drive.)  Any how, that disk was full, so maybe .... it had  hard time reading the disk...go figure.  My XP system regonized the Zip drive w/out installing any software (as I used the Zip w/ an old Win 95 lap top).

I was able to transfer the Zip by using a drive installed in a Dell (Zip 250-bought w/ it installed) that our local 'club' had.  Read it fine, so I put it on a 1GB memory card.  Had business files for tax stuff, payroll...etc.  So I would be usp the crick if I lost it.....

Technology changes so fast, it is funny.  I guess I'll have to add more USB ports on my computer....only came w/ 2 (system is about 4 years old....well, when ever Windows XP first came out installed on puters...)  And all my USB ports are on the back....

Quoted: most likely your computer had the iomegaware software instaleld.   the other system did not. to read the data you will need to install the iomegaware software on the other pc the data is there just not readable without that software installed

No.  The disk won't even work in MY pc with the iomega software installed.  Plus my disks have always worked in the school computers before.  Just not this time.  

if a new disk works.  use it  and replace the problematic one