How to Format a Zip Disk in Windows XP
Zip disks are similar to floppy disk technology and also use the same design concepts as hard disks. Zip disks have a storage capacity which goes as high as 750MB. Zip disks use Zip drives with USB and Firewire interfaces to transfer large amounts of data at high speeds to and from your computer. Some computers have built-in Zip drives.
Zip disks, using Zip drives (or Zip disk drives), are similar to external hard drives and USB flash drives in that Microsoft Windows XP operating systems can recognize the technology when it is connected to your computer and assign a drive letter to the device. After your Zip disk drive is recognized on your system, you can then format the drive.
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Instructions
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Insert Zip disk and connect drive. If your Zip drive is built-in, insert your Zip disk. If your Zip drive is external, use your USB or Firewire cable to connect your Zip drive to your computer, and insert your Zip disk into your drive. Wait a few moments for Windows XP to load the software drivers and assign a drive letter; you will see and hear alerts that action is taking place.
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Find the drive in XP. Open "My Computer" and scan the list of drives for your Zip drive. Usually, the primary hard drive will show as letter "C." Therefore, look for your Zip drive to have a subsequent letter, such as "D."
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Bring up the "Format" tool. Right-click on the letter corresponding to your Zip drive. Select the "Format" tool on the pop-up menu.
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Begin formatting. Click "Start" in the "Format" tool and wait for the process to complete. Depending on the storage capacity of the Zip disk, formatting may take a few seconds to several minutes.
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Tips & Warnings
"Quick Format" is an option in "Format" tool which removes files from the disk, while not performing disk checks for errors. This is usually faster than using the default format option.
In the "Format" tool you will notice options, such as "NTFS" and "FAT" in the "File System" drop-down menu. Usually the default option will work fine when formatting your Zip disk; however, you should research the pros and cons of each format. Also, once formatting a Zip drive, the data will be permanently erased.
References
- Photo Credit old zip drive image by Wayne Abraham from Fotolia.com
