storing data

dobro

dobro

Well-known member
While I continue to wait for Aardvark to start shipping the sound card which they promised last spring, then repeatedly postponed and finally pulled from the market altogether and replaced with a fancier and more expensive one which itself still hasn't been released, I think I'll pass the time by asking a question. (There, I feel better already for having got that off my chest.) I'm considering both a zip drive and a CD-RW drive to store data on. Am I right in thinking the CD-RW drive can have more installation problems that the zip? Reason I ask, the only thing I've ever installed in my life is a case of beer in the fridge. Also, can I store non-audio data (i.e. typed text) on a CD-RW? Finally, third question (doesn't the genie always grant three wishes?) - I want to burn CDs, so will a 100 mb zip drive do the do, or is 250 mb the golden road to unlimited satisfaction?
 
What type of CD-RW are you looking to get? (Internal/External, SCSI/IDE) If you already have a SCSI card in the PC, or on the motherboard, then any CD-RW should be as easy to install as a Zip drive. You might run into some problems if you plan to install a SCSI adapter, but it's not that difficult. You can store whatever data the computer can read on the CD-RW. Some people use them for rotating backups of their hard drive. Not sure exactly what you mean with the last question, but if you want to burn CDs FROM the Zip drive, I wouldn't recommend doing that. There's a good chance that a Zip drive, no matter which one you get, will not be able to get the data to the CD-R fast enough. I always try to burn from my fastest hard drive to minimize the possibility of making coasters. :)

I would get the CD-RW, as it gives you more storage for the money, and more options. Especially if you don't already have a CD-R drive.
 
Listen to Jon X. No way that you can burn CDR
or CDRW discs direct from Zip. You'll need to upload the zip files to your HD and then do the burn. My internal zip is much faster than
a parallel zip but still falls short of the speed necessary to write to CD recordable media. In any case, the size of even the 250 Zip makes it a poor candidate for transfer to CDR.
BTW: Has anybody out there tested the Jaz drive under these conditions? They claim to have a faster transfer rate than any Zip drive.
 
Just a test. The Newbies page says there are two replies to my first posting, but they're not appearing on my page. Is it my system, or the BBS?
 
K - that solved it - by posting a reply to myself, the other two messages appeared. This is the first time this has happened. Probably cosmic.
 
installing a CD-RW is going to be as easy as installing a intenal zip. and external zip is only going to be slightly easier to install but will still require some confirgeration with the mother board and what not. go with the CD-RW...650Mb of storage, and you can write CD's that you can hear on any CD player, but only by using CD-R's, CD-RW's can only be played on CD players that support that format, which is not many in the consumer market. But you can write CD-R's on a internal CD-RW drive. Pay someone to install it for you if needed, you will be glad you did......Good luck!
 
Not can you make adio CDs from a CD-RW drive but the Mb/$ value of a CD-RW is unbeatable.

In Canadian $
A blank 680 mb CDRW disk = $4
A blank 100 mb ZIP = $15

An internal E-ide CDRW = $180
An internal Zip = $100

The cost of the blank media quickly make the CDRW the better buy.

A CDRW drive will work like a like a Hard drive (or a big floppy drive / zip drive). Drag and drop application programs, documents, pictures, what ever.
 
I have a 2GB Jaz, which is faster than the 1GB model, and I still don't think I would try to burn CDs from it. I had a problem burning last month because my hard drive was a little fragmented, and it's faster than the Jaz. It might work though with a good SCSI adapter and a SCSI CD-R.

I'm glad you posted that CD-RW media price SN. I haven't bought any in a while, and the last time I did they were $25 each. I looked up some prices just now and they are available for about the same price as the CD-R blank media ($2-$3 US.) Time to buy some more and use them for all my backups. Those Jaz disks are just too expensive, even through mail order.
 
Jon X, drstawl, sonusman, SN: thanks for your thoughts - I got my three questions answered, plus. :)
 
Dobro I think your browser is saving all the old pages in the cache, so even when you have new messages, it just brings up the old page off your hard-drive.. Next time it says there's new messages and there isn't, hit Reload or F5. This should help.. Or turn the cache off :)
 
Dondello - thanks. I know how to do the following: 1) play guitar after a fashion 2) write songs that aspire to no fashion
3) tie my shoelaces. But I don't know what the cache is, or how to find it. But I've asked a friend, and he says he'll teach me. As soon as he does, I'll implement *all* your advice, and not just F5 and reload. Cheers.
 
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