Zip Drive "Click of Death"

[Richard_Cranium72]

"The problems have been referred to in the past as a "Click of Death," where the Zip drive clicks over and over and no longer reads or writes to media properly."

Anyone besides me have had Hard Drives to contract this problem.

A local computer store and a local college have both had drives with this issue.

At the link below, there are some with CD-R's that developed these symptoms.


http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2001apr/gee20010406005270.htm

[Psycho Logical]

Seems to be a misunderstanding here.

"Click of Death" refers only to Iomega Zip drives using Zip disks,
not Iomega CD-R/RW drives or other HDs.

[Richard_Cranium72]

quote

"I Caught The Click Of Death (9:51pm EST Fri Apr 06 2001)
I just returned my USB - ZIP 650 CDRW, that purple monster wasn't 90 days old yet, and out of the blue just started clicking after putting in Cd's. It wouldn't spin any CD after that. Luckily I bought mine at Walmart and got my money back. If you decide to buy a USB ZIP CDRW keep your receipt, they break down fast. - by Bitwise"

[Bovon]

Psycho Logical, My Iomega 100 internal is about 4 years old, and has been a dang good one. About 3 weeks ago, I needed some data off my hard drive to install on another machine. It clicked several times, and I removed the disk. Put in another blank disk and copied what I needed. Later, I retried the disk that had given the trouble, and this time no clicks. At this point, I am wondering if this was a fluke, or if maybe my zip is now marginal and maybe I need to get a replacement onhand just in case..

Any comments??

[Psycho Logical]

Since the problem was first reported in 1998, the term "Click of Death"
has commonly been used to refer to this problem on Zip Disk drives only.

"Bitwise" and others at GeekNews are jumping on the bandwagon and using the term
to include any problems they are having with other Iomega products.

There is no mention of HDs or CD-RW drives in the list returned by a Google search on "Click of Death".

Bovon --

For the bad news about the drives, and potential danger to data, see this page (http://www.infinet-is.com/~techies/pages/clicking_zip_drive.htm) .

[radbasa]

The problem with Zips (the floppy media, not the CDRW) is that they are essentially floppy disks. And we remember how often our old trusty(not) 3.5" FDDs were. They work the same way, magnetic heads in contact with the mylar film. Since it's removable dirt gets everywhere. But Iomega never came out with a Zip drive cleaner did they.

The click of death was the head trying to read a dirty section of the disk, similar to when floppy's make that grinding sound when trying to get past a bad sector.

Zips were good till they lasted. CDs rule universal portable storage now.

[Bovon]

Psycho Logical, thanks...I B/M the page.

[griobhta]

Bovon, you can download a program to test your Zip drive, as well as read up on the problem at Gibson Research Coporation.
http://grc.com/clickdeath.htm

Griobhta

[oksenior]

Bovon

It has been my experience that once a zip disc clicks it is done for and the drive that clicked it is going bad and will ruin other discs. I Have had at least two but never again.

These are the only hardware failures I have experienced aside from a harddrive that would no longer write to some sectors and I made a preemptive replacement.

Oksr

[This message has been edited by oksenior (edited 07-22-2001).]

[This message has been edited by oksenior (edited 07-22-2001).]

[Bovon]

By griobhta
Bovon, you can download a program to test your Zip drive, as well as read up on the problem at Gibson Research Coporation.

Thanks!, I have downloaded TIP and ran some tests on several disks in a new drive, and I will run the same disks on the drive that has some audible clicks. I probably will be in touch with Iomega Customer Service for a replacement drive in the very near future...

Thanks again.


By oksenior
Bovon
It has been my experience that once a zip disc clicks it is done for and the drive that clicked it is going bad and will ruin other discs. I Have had at least two but never again.


Many thanks to you also. I have had these drives make a clicking sound off and on sence they were new, but up until I read the FAQs at Gibson Research page, I thought this was normal.

Thank you too.