Unable to see data on Zip Disks

How to Unzip and Zip files

cvs.bio.unc.edu/.../unzip.../un...

University of North Carolina at Chapel HillThis is very useful when disk space is limited or when people download files. Since multiple files can be stored in a zipped file, a single file can be downloaded ...

How to Open ZIP Files in Internet Explorer - For Dummies

www.dummies.com/how.../how-to-open-zip-files-in-internet-explorer.ht...

Sometimes when you download files from a website they arrive compacted into a form called ZIP. Compressed files download faster, so ZIP can be an ...

Zip File Spanning - WinZip Computing :: Knowledgebase

kb.winzip.com > KB Home > WinZip > Zipping and Unzipping

WinZipMar 11, 2015 - WinZip Pro will automatically create a Zip file that spans multiple discs if ... To unzip a spanned Zip file, first insert the last disc of the spanned ...

Multiple Disk Spanning - WinZip

kb.winzip.com/help/help_span.htm

WinZipTo make a Zip file that spans multiple disks, simply create a new Zip file on a ... Toextract files from a spanned Zip file, insert the last disk of the series and open ...

unzip - Python: downloading and unzipping a .zip file ...

So you have an old Zip drive with a parallel port? You can't connect that using USB. Nor can you connect that to a computer running any version of Windows newer than XP.

Two options:
1) Buy a USB version of the Zip drive and use it to read your disks. Used, USB Zip drives seem to run around $35 or so.
2) Get a computer using an old version of Windows. If it doesn't have a parallel port, you should be able to buy a PCI card with a parallel port on it.

Once you're able to access the files, copy them onto a USB thumb drive. For $10, you can get a 32 GB USB drive, which should hold everything from at least 320 Zip disks.

Greetings - According to Iomega your 100 MB ZIP drive media should be fine at being at least readable (the Iomega software does not work with Win 7) natively by Win 7 and Vista. Since the drive is recognized I suspect the problem is actually the discs themselves.

It turns out that the discs were not very good at long term storage and are notorious enough to have a term referring to the problem as the "Zip Burp" where:

• A) All files on the disk disappear
• B) Just Compressed Formats such as JPG, ZIP, CAB, ECT Disapear
• C) "The Disk Needs To Be Reformatted" message is displayed or
• D) files disappear as you click them

The only way that I know to find out for sure if your discs are good is if you can find someone with an XP machine that will let you temporarily install your Zip drive (including the latest drivers) and see what happens.

Good Luck,

Mikeywaf

If you refer to a single disk then it may well have been corrupted or damaged. If it now does not read any disk, it is likely that the read head is dirty from dust or materials off the disks that have adhered to it. There are cleaning disks for the Zip drive. Check out your zip disk supplier for one of these if it is a generalised problem.

There is also a utility to recover files from the zip disk
FloppyZip Disk Rescue is an easy-to-use tool to rescue corrupt file fromFloppy disk and ZIP disk or other peripheral devices. It fast scansdisk sectors, rescues the damaged files and copies the correct data tohard disk as possible as it can. The program is especially effectivefor corrupted digital multimedia files, audio, video, image files,MPEG, AVI, RM, MP3, JPEG etc, and for damaged document and text files..

http://www.sharewareconnection.com/software.php?list=Fixer+Zip+Disk

Please rate our help++++Thanks for using FIXYA

IOMEGA make a USB ZIP drive that reads and writes 100 and 250 Mb disks. Don't know if this is available any more, you might be able to pick one up 2nd hand.
If you still have your old computer, try networking your old and new computer together so you can transfer data from the ZIP drive on your old computer to your new one.

These are pre-formatted and servoed at the factory.
Awhile back I was researching the 'Click of death" fault and found a guy in Belgium or Germany that coded a repair program for bad disks. Googlee for it

sometimes when it formats, it hoses the servo information (which the drive uses to keep track of things) and the disk becomes useless. This is why I stopped using ZIP disks and won't even buy a drive when I see them for 9.99 ;-)

i think it is damaged. because of the bad sectors . try to use third party recovery app

1. Insert a blank disk into the zip drive
2. Give this disk a password (it can be any password, as long as you
remember it)
3. Using the Ioega toolset, set the zip drive's sleep time to a large
value (such as 1 minute)
4. Wait a while until the drive "spins down". You will hear the drive
stop spinning.
5. Take a pin or a straighten paper clip and stick it into a hole in
the back of the Zip drive. This will manually eject the blank disk.
6. Insert the disk you want to access (the one you don't know the
password to)
7. now use the IoMega toolset to remove the password. When prompted
for the password use the password from step (2).
This is just a word of warning in case you store any important information like I used to on zip disks. Perhaps move to a more secure medium.

what type of zip disk are you trying to read? if it is larger than 100MB, the drive will not be able to read it.

can you read other disks? can you see the drive in my computer?

what operating system are you using, and how does does this drive connect to the computer? USB? Firewire?

First of all, make certain you are only using 100 MB disks in a 100 MB reader.

If the problem is more complex than that, I have several questions:

Can you read different disks?

what type of connection is the zip drive using with the computer? USB?

does the zip drive need an external power supply?

will the zip drive successfullly read disks when connected to a different computer?

does the zip drive appear under my computer at all? even as an empty drive?

what operating system are you using?