Are Zip disks more reliable than 3.5" diskettes (floppy disks)?

Answer: Considering 3.5" floppy disks are the least reliable storage medium known to man, Zip disks are a safer choice for storing data. They also store significantly more data than floppy disks. Zip disks can store 100, 250, or 750MB of data, where as a floppy disk can only store 1.4 MB after being formatted. Because Zip disks store much more data than floppy disks, their data transfer rate is also much faster, meaning you can read and write large files quickly. This means you don't have to start major data transfers right before your lunch break or when you go to bed at night.

Just like 3.5" diskettes, Zip disks can be written to repeatedly and erased many times if needed. They can also be formatted and used with both Mac or Windows computers. While the capability to continually add and remove files from a Zip disk is useful, recordable CDs continue to be the cheapest option for making quick backups. Also, Zip disks are not as compatible as CDs since you need a Zip drive in order to use them.

Published: April 18, 2003 — by Per Christensson