How to get an Iomega Zip Drive to operate with OS 10x (2024)

I have a 2018 Mac Mini running 10.14.6.

Some months' back, I found a USB ZIP100 drive in the recycle bin at the recycle center, and brought it home. It looked like it was brand new.

I plugged it into my Mini before writing this, and inserted a ZIP100 disk (I've had around for MANY years).
The disk spun up and the icon mounted on the desktop.

So... we can be sure that the USB ZIP100 drive -DOES WORK- on a Mac running Mojave. It's sitting there running right now as I type this.

OP:
Do you have the ZIP drive connected?
If so, are any lights on (on the drive, WITHOUT a disk inserted into it)?
What happens when you insert a ZIP disk?
Does it spin up? (even if it doesn't mount on the desktop)

Answer these questions -- ALL of them.
Then we can go forward...

I have the same issue/question. I'm running a Macbook Pro with Catalina 10.15.5, I also tried it on my Macbook Air running 10.13. The same results:

I plugged in an Iomega Zip 250 drive, the lights turned on without a disk in it, it made a whirring noise. I put a disk into it, it spins up. Then it does not appear to mount.

One bit of background that may or may not matter: The Zip disks might be empty (I doubt it but I guess it's possible). The files on them were created with a Gateway PC about twenty years ago.

Thanks in advance for any direction.

Fishrrman said:

OP:
Do you have the ZIP drive connected?
If so, are any lights on (on the drive, WITHOUT a disk inserted into it)?
What happens when you insert a ZIP disk?
Does it spin up? (even if it doesn't mount on the desktop)

Answer these questions -- ALL of them.
Then we can go forward...

Click to expand...

See Also

7-Zip for macOS — Download Best File Archiver for Mac7-Zip for Mac: download free alternatives

"One bit of background that may or may not matter: The Zip disks might be empty (I doubt it but I guess it's possible). The files on them were created with a Gateway PC about twenty years ago.
Thanks in advance for any direction."

I'll offer advice.
Do this ONLY WITH A DISK THAT HAS NOTHING IMPORTANT ON IT.

Connect the ZIP drive and put a disk into it. Let it spin up, even if it doesn't mount on the desktop.

Open disk utility.

VERY IMPORTANT: In the view menu, choose "show all devices".

Can you see the ZIP drive "on the left" now?
Even if there isn't "a disk" yet?

If you can see it, try clicking on it.
Then click "erase".
I suggest trying "Mac OS extended with journaling enabled, GUID partition format".

Does this change anything?

Fishrrman said:

Connect the ZIP drive and put a disk into it. Let it spin up, even if it doesn't mount on the desktop.

Open disk utility.

VERY IMPORTANT: In the view menu, choose "show all devices".

Can you see the ZIP drive "on the left" now?

Click to expand...

I followed the above instructions - the Iomega drive does NOT appear in the sidebar.

For several legacy reasons, I have several zip disks in service. In fact, up until recently, I used them regularly enough at work that I went to the trouble of fitting an internal one to my MP 1,1(where it works just like it did on a PowerMac Quicksilver with a factory one aside from having to rig the ODD door to stay open all the time).

The last time I used a USB one in Mojave several months ago, it just worked also. It showed up on the desktop, I was able to read it, and when I unmounted it the drive kicked the disk out automatically.

DWW613 said:

I followed the above instructions - the Iomega drive does NOT appear in the sidebar.

Click to expand...

It works just fine on my iMac and MacBook Air running Catalina 10.15.5 as well as all my other Macs including my G4 and PowerMac 7200.

DWW613 wrote:
"I followed the above instructions - the Iomega drive does NOT appear in the sidebar."

Some more things to try (may or may not help).
- Do you have the same problem with EVERY ZIP disk you have? (try them all)
- Do you have any ZIP100 disks? (the 250 drive can use them, right...?)
- Leave the ZIP disk in the drive (spun up, if possible) and REBOOT the Mac. When you get to the finder, has anything changed? (the ZIP100 disks have an "on-disk driver" that the Mac reads at bootup, after which the drive is recognized).

Again, no promises.

The old zip drives I had did not come with a usb interface.

How are people hooking them up to a newer Mac ?

"How are people hooking them up to a newer Mac ?"

Via USB, of course...
(later ZIPs did come with a USB connector)

bjoswald said:

Wow, a Zip drive... talk about a blast from the past! Can't believe they still work today.

Click to expand...

Time to get the floppy disks and card readers out.

Fishrrman said:

"How are people hooking them up to a newer Mac ?"

Via USB, of course...
(later ZIPs did come with a USB connector)

Click to expand...

Mine was the parallel port version and I'd forgotten all about it, but I can remember the very night I bought it at one the big box computer stores. It lived on top of my ridiculously tall Gateway 2000 tower case.

pullu --

What size ZIP disks do you have?
Any ZIP100 disks?

Can you explain exactly what isn't working?

"When I connect the drive to the MacBook, any disc that is inserted appears in Disk Utility but is grayed out and cannot be mounted or erased. When I try to mount, a message appears that includes disk error 49153."

I don't know if this will help, but try it in the EXACT ORDER presented:
1. power down, all the way off
2. connect the ZIP drive and insert a disk (it won't spin yet, but insert it anyway)
3. power on the MacBook
4. log in and get to the finder
Does the ZIP disk mount on the desktop now?
Or... same error msg?

bbambo said:

I have some old files I need to get some zip disk, but my zip drive does not seem to operate with OS 10.14. Does anyone know of a solution?

Click to expand...

I am running Sierra 10.12 and mine still works.

Fishrrman said:

"When I connect the drive to the MacBook, any disc that is inserted appears in Disk Utility but is grayed out and cannot be mounted or erased. When I try to mount, a message appears that includes disk error 49153."

I don't know if this will help, but try it in the EXACT ORDER presented:
1. power down, all the way off
2. connect the ZIP drive and insert a disk (it won't spin yet, but insert it anyway)
3. power on the MacBook
4. log in and get to the finder
Does the ZIP disk mount on the desktop now?
Or... same error msg?

Click to expand...

I followed your procedure exactly, with the same result. The ZIP100 disk in the drive will not mount and the same error message appears.

I have a 2018 Mac Mini which normally runs Mojave.

But in response to some posts in this thread, this morning I rebooted to Big Sur, then connected my old USB ZIP drive (that I found at a computer recycling bin).

Popped in a ZIP100 disk, and it mounted right up on the desktop.

So I think it's safe to say that -- all other conditions being normal -- the original ZIP100 drive still works with the Mac, "all the way up" to Big Sur.
At least on Intel-based Macs.

I've never had my hands on an m1 Mac, can't test the ZIP with one...