// Zip100 drive twice slower under XP. Any solution ?

[xman]

Hello,

My parallel Zip100 drive used to transfer a full disk in 3 minutes and 35 seconds under Windows 98 (thanks to the parallel port accelerator (PPA) utility and my parallel port set to EPP in the BIOS).
Now that I moved to XP, there's no PPA any more and it takes 7 minutes and 10 seconds (exactly twice longer) to transfer a full Zip100 disk. 🙁

I asked IOmega support and all they told me was something like : "If you want speed, buy an USB drive and f*** off !" (Well, there was no F word in their message but I interpreted it like that). 😡

But I don't want more speed than what I know my Zip drive can achieve (3min35 per disk).
Does someone know a tip/tweak to make my zip drive run as fast as it can ? Thanks.
I'm desperate ! I don't want to stay at more than 7 minutes per disk ! 🙁

 

[DrX]

Are you using the parallel port ?

The original specification is barely sufficient to handle a printer these days - it was after all designed for streaming text to slow dot matrix printers for the most part. Extensions to the original specification have brought about the faster "enhanced" parallel port (EPP) and "enhanced communications" port (ECP) standards. But if you're ever tried to copy a bunch of files from a parallel port Zip drive, you know what happens - really slow transfers, around 300 kB/s if you're lucky (the speed of a 2x CD-ROM) with massive CPU utilization (usually near 100%). And don't forget the issues with the printer pass throughs.

the only thing i can suggest is use an Xconnect Internal-to-External IDE

http://www3.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=981

 

[xman]

As I explained in my original mail...

I'm in EPP mode (the fastest) and I experienced FAST (relatively) transfer rates when I was under Windows 98.
Therefore, I'm not trying to make my Zip drive as fast as 7200rpm ATA133 hard disk drive but I'd just like it to be as fast as it USED TO BE.

It is not normal (and not acceptable) that I could copy a full Zip100 disk to my hard drive in 3 minutes and a half under win98 and that, now that I am using exactly the same hardware but under XP, it takes more than 7 minutes.

 

[xman]

And yes, I'm using the parallel port... in EPP mode, but I also tried SPP and ECP, just in case, but of course EPP is the fastest and still twice slower than before.

 

[waddy]

I havent got one ... but this MAY help


Open My Computer. (Click Start and then click My Computer.)
Right-click the Zip drive icon, and then click Properties.
In the dialog box, you can specify the performance settings.
Click the Hardware tab, click the Properties button, and then click the Policies tab.
Click Optimize for performance (as opposed to the default, Optimize for quick removal).
Click OK to close out.

 

[xman]

Thanks but...

It's already set to "optimize for performance". And anyway, I can't change it (it's in gray).