The recent discussion on ZIP installation problems were not very encouraging but most problems may have had their cause in inadequate drivers and software.
Iomega's ZIP drives (not involved in any way with the company) are very useful for image transfer between Mac and PC, especially 12-16 bit images which do not fit on a floppy, session files, scanned images, image processing derivatives from image files etc., as well as image exchange if FTP is not available.
The following technical details come from AOL/Iomega Forum/Message Board/Topic: ZIP Technical for PC/Mac. Also, all newest Iomega drivers for Mac, DOS, Win can be copied from this site. I hope it helps. Best regards Klaus.
******************************************************************************** Is there any way for my Mac/Zip disks to be accessed on a PC /Zip drive or visa versa?
Bernoulli, Zip, and Jaz DOS formatted disks can be mounted on a Macintosh. The disk needs to be Preformatted or formatted on a PC using a current version of either our Win95 or DOS/Win 3.1 utilities (Iomega Tools for Win95, Iomega SCSI or Zip Tools). The Macintosh needs to be running our driver version 3.5.3 for Bernoulli drives, version 4.2 or 4.3 for the Zip drive, or version 4.3 for the Jaz drive.
The Macintosh needs to have a DOS mounting utility. The commonly found utilities are:
1. Apples' PC Exchange version 2.0.2 or greater. It is part of the Apple
System 7.5 upgrade. This version of PC Exchange can be used with any
version of System 7 and is available as a standalone product.
2. Insignia Solutions Access PC version 3.0 or higher.
3. Dayna Communications DOS Mounter Plus version 4.0 or higher.
Each of these software packages will allow the Macintosh to mount DOS formatted disks. Consult with your local software vendor for information on which package is best suited for your needs.
The Macintosh hierarchal file system (HFS) is not compatible with the FAT (DOS style) file system. Because of this we recommend the following precautions:
1. Create the directory structure on a PC and only copy files to the
disk. Do not create or delete folders on the disk with the Macintosh.
2. Have backup copies of any file you are transfering. These files should
be in their orginal format.
3. Disks that transfer files regularly should be formatted in a PC at
regular intervals. Once every six months should be sufficient. The more
often the disk is written to on the Macintosh, the more often this should
be.
Important Support Note:
Each of the software packages mentioned should mount Iomega disks, just
like they would mount a DOS formatted floppy disk. If any usability,
installation, or compatibility problems are encountered contact the
software vendor for technical assistance. Iomega does not provide
technical support for these non-Iomega products.
Problems we have seen:
1. You insert a DOS formatted disk into the drive and the Mac wants to
initialize it.
a. You can get this message if another driver is controlling the drive.
Insert a Mac formatted disk into the drive and then Get Info about the
disk itself. The line that says Where will tell you what driver is in
control of the drive. At the end of the line you will see (3.5.3) for
Bernoulli drives, (4.2) or (4.3) for Zip drives, and (4.3) for Jaz
drives. Anything else would be conflict.
b. The disk was formatted with Windows NT or a non-standard DOS format.
2. You try copying a singe large file to the disk and get the message "There isn't enough room on the disk."
a. The DOS mounting utility has enough overhead in converting the file to limit the size of the file you can copy to the disk. It is roughly two-thirds the capacity of the disk.
3. After copying over about 500 files, the files seem to become corrupt.
a. PC Exchange has a limit of the number of files it can copy just like DOS has a limit of the number of files that can be in the root directory.
We have not seen a utility to mount Mac formatted disks on DOS systems.
Iomapple
Iomega Technical Support
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WHAT ZIP DRIVE MODELS ARE AVAILABLE?
A Zip SCSI model and a Zip Parallel Port model. The SCSI model can be used with Macintosh or a PC that is using a ZIP compatible SCSI adapter. The SCSI model has two 25 pin SCSI ports (for chaining), a SCSI ID switch, and a SCSI termination switch. The Parallel Port model can only be used with a PC and connects to the computers Parallel Port.
WHICH SCSI ADAPTERS CAN BE USED WITH THE SCSI ZIP MODEL?
Iomega provides a optional low cost SCSI adapter called the Zip Zoom Accelerator. Other ASPI compatible SCSI adapters can be used in conjunction with Iomega SCSI driver software.
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Formatting a DOS ZIPs on the Mac (w/ PC exchange installed)?
Yes there is a way of doing this. Go into the Tools program and click on Erase Disk. On the next window, select the long, ten minute format. Start the format and then stop it after five seconds and quit Tools. This will pop the disk out. Reinsert the disk and PC Exchange should take over and ask how you would like it formatted.
We have seen problems doing it this way. Sometimes the newly formatted DOS disk isn't readable. We suggest that the formatting be done on a DOS system.
I hope these clarifications will help using the ZIP diks for image transfers. For future reference, I have included this info in my web page.
Klaus-Ruediger Peters, Ph.D.
e-mail: Peters@BSAC.UCHC.EDU
I hold in my hand Conversions Plus from DataViz that converts files between Mac and PC programs, including floppy disks, removable cartridges (SCSI) and CR ROMS. I personally do not use it, but the good doctor in the office next door uses it quite regularly as he runs a Windows NT server for both Macs and PCs. The programs runs about $100 (US), but its smaller cousin MacOpener allows you to use Mac floppies, removable media, and CD ROMS, but not to convert. This runs about $50 (US).
The above programs apparently have done all they claim to do without a hitch, whereas he had had problems with Mac-In-Dos, a program that claims similiar capabilities.
Dennis Shubitowski
dshubito@d.imap.itd.umich.edu