Michael Gray wrote:
>
> At 08:32 PM 1/1/99 -0500, Robbie wrote:
> >Chris Niles wrote:
> >
> >> Check out this website. The author documents the "click of death" quite
> well.
> >>
> >> http://grc.com/clickdeath.htm
> >>
> >> Chris Niles
> >>
> >Here is another site too; I just recently had to exhange a zip=plus
> >drive only 4 months old (external) which had had only 3 disks
> >run through it.
> >   Rob Chew            http://www.pcmech.com/zip-click.htm
> >
> These are very interesting sites, especially since several of my Zip disks
> are clicking now. Got the check utility but haven't had time to run it yet.
> Is anybody else's drive clicking when not being accessed? Mine will do a
> single click once an hour or so (I figure it's the fast find utility going
> out to see if any data has been written or some such thing.)
>
> One of these sites mentions the disk check utility available in My Computer
> or from the explorer. This reports the one disk I've checked recently as
> being OK, but under NT there's another check box to run the defrag utility
> (if installed.) I've been unable to find a defrag utility that'll run under
> NT. Anyone know a site that's got such a utility? I did a search on
> Microsoft's site but the links either were bad or led to something other
> than what I needed.
>
> So far, I've found zip disks to be MUCH more reliable than Syquest's Sparq
> disks. All of my Sparq disks have developed errors after a couple of months
> of use - so many that I've given up on using that media for any sort of
> reliable use. 3 gig of storage for $100 seems like a good deal until you
> can't retrieve what you wrote to them.
>
> I've since decided to invest in a CD-RW which has it's own quirks under NT.
> I haven't figured out whether it's the CD or the Adaptec software yet, but
> trying to copy files to a formatted CD with Adaptec's DirectCD software
> always gives me a CD that reports a 'unknown format' error (the same
> software works fine under Win98.) I've only used TDK CD-Rs so far (don't
> want to destroy a more expensive CD-RW disk.)

Just my .02 cents about the COD and Zip drives. I did 6 months of
reading before jumping in for one and now I would not have anything
else. They DO click now and then at certain times but I don't think that
is the COD that people talk about. When the real COD gets going you
will know it as it clicks a lot. My wife had one internal fail in her
new computer a few months ago so I know. It did not hurt the disk
however like some have had happen.

When I decided to get the Zip drive I bought three external thinking
they would blow up and have to be replaced. That was six months ago
and I have not had the first one fail yet. I have also bought the
disks in the 16 packs from COSTCO which makes them come out to about
$7.81 each and none have failed so far.

When I see the major computer makers including a Zip drive in their
machines I feel pretty secure that this thing is going to be around
for awhile.

If you are worried about the drive going and taking your best stuff
with it then put a little bit on a lot of disks.

Michael

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