• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Adding an internal zip drive to a PC

S

Syntho

Experienced Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2022
Messages
83
Is it possible to add a zip 100 drive to a 386 system? I also have a Pentium 1 machine. Both systems run DOS and don't have Windows on them. I remember in the late 90s seeing a family member have an external zip drive on his PC, but that was most likely Windows 98 and a drive running on the parallel port. I'd like to have an internal zip drive if possible. If not, I guess I can always go for an external parallel port one.
 
Yes, but you need to find an IDE non-ATAPI version to use it from DOS without an additional driver, or for it to be bootable.

There are two versions of the IDE Zip 100 internal drive, one that appears as a normal 100 MB removable hard drive, the other ATAPI version that is more like a CD-ROM.

SCSI internal zip drives would also work if you add a SCSI controller.
 
After taking a quick look, it looks like the ATAPI version is more reliable for certain things like not having to reboot after switching disks. I won't mind adding a driver. Just need to find it first.
 
I use the ATAPI version just fine on my 286. For drivers, I use the ASPIATAP.SYS (10k mem use) that comes from the Iomega driver pack as the ASPI manager, and then use Adaptec's ASPIDISK.SYS (11k mem use) to support the drive itself.
 
Hey guys, way late in getting around to installing these. I have a PC100 machine with a bios from the mid-90s or so and I only booted into W95 and it detected everything automatically. I'll work on getting the DOS driver stuff working later.

My concern now is that I have a 25mhz PC with nothing but DOS on it, and the BIOS is from 1990. There isn't that luxury auto-detect IDE thing in it so I don't know if 1) I can use an IDE cable with two connectors on it and daisy chain the HD and the Zip drive, or 2) I'd have to buy an additional ISA card with an IDE connector on it to get it to work.

The CDROM in that 25mhz machine is on its own dedicated Sony ISA card so I don't think I should mess with that, and I'm thinking the HD is probably on just a generic ISA IDE card.
 
Both 1) and 2) would work. The Zip drive is not managed by the BIOS anyway. The DOS driver will find the drive on any IDE port.
 
maxtherabbit said:
I use the ATAPI version just fine on my 286. For drivers, I use the ASPIATAP.SYS (10k mem use) that comes from the Iomega driver pack as the ASPI manager, and then use Adaptec's ASPIDISK.SYS (11k mem use) to support the drive itself.
Click to expand...

Where are these files placed in the config.sys and/or autoexec.bat? I'm still trying to wrap my head around DOS after a 25+ year break. If there were a good auto install for DOS that would be excellent.
 
I would just run GUEST.EXE from the driver disk. This way, you don't have to care about what driver to use and also the driver is only loaded when you need the Zip drive (unlike when adding it to config.sys/autoexec.bat).
 
I tried running the Guest executable but it keeps assigning the drive letter to D: which is already my CDROM drive. There's also an autorun executable in the directory but that hangs and does nothing until i keep hitting escape.

EDIT: I took my CDROM out of config.sys and autoexec.bat. After Guest assigns the zip drive to D: I try accessing it but it says it's invalid. Hmm. Maybe I don't have the right files? This is for an internal ATAPI Zip 100.
 
Last edited:
Maybe DOS can not read the Zip disk? Did you try another one or doing a format?

As for the conflicting drive letter, what is your LASTDRIVE variable set to?
 
It can't access that drive letter at all as if it's not connected. As far as I know I have no variable like that in my config/autoexec files.

EDIT: I just flipped the IDE cable around and I got it to spin up like it hadn't before, but the HD isn't working. When the cable was flipped a few minutes ago, the HD worked but the zip drive never spun up. Maybe I can play with jumpers on the HD and get this working, but I might just have to order a new IDE ISA card to get it all working.
 
Last edited:
Wait, that sounds like you did not set the master/slave jumpers correctly. You can not "just" connect stuff to the IDE cable.

Your hard disk is most likely set to "single drive" - it must be jumpered as "master" (can be the same on some drives). The Zip drive must be set to "slave" accordingly.

Also, add "LASTDRIVE=E" to your config.sys so you can use both the Zip drive and the CD-ROM drive.
 
Syntho said:
Where are these files placed in the config.sys and/or autoexec.bat? I'm still trying to wrap my head around DOS after a 25+ year break. If there were a good auto install for DOS that would be excellent.
Click to expand...
Code: 
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DOSDATA=UMB
DEVICE=C:\DRV\UMB_DRVR.SYS /C=02 /M=............----........
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /FASTA20
DEVICE=C:\DRV\REMM.SYS /S=D000 /M=5F
REM DEVICE=C:\DRV\ASPI4DOS.SYS /P334 /D
REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\ASPICD.SYS /D:CDEEZ1
REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\RAMDRIVE.SYS 1536 /A
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\WONDER34.SYS /1:7
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\DRIVER.SYS /D:2 /C /F:7
DEVICEHIGH=C:\IOMEGA\ASPIATAP.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\ASPIDISK.SYS /D
REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\IOMEGA\SCSIDRVR.SYS
REM DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\DOSFDRV.SYS /U:3 /D:4
DEVICEHIGH=/L:1 C:\DRV\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:CDEEZ1
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\NET\IFSHLP.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\NET\PROTMAN.DOS /I:C:\NET
DEVICEHIGH=C:\NET\NEMM.DOS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\NET\TCPDRV.DOS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\NET\ELNK3.DOS
DEVICEHIGH=C:\NET\DIS_PKT.DOS
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM /E:512 /P /H
BUFFERS=30
FILES=40
LASTDRIVE=I
FCBS=1,0
STACKS=9,256
 
Here's the deal: I have a Quantum HD and it's pretty old. I haven't even found any real information on the exact model (it says 84AT). The closest I've found is here: https://stason.org/TULARC/pc/hard-drives-hdd/quantum/PRODRIVE-LPS-240-AT-245MB-3-5-SL-IDE-AT.html - this one has only 3 sets of jumpers and they are DS, SP and DM (there is no DS as in the link). This HD doesn't seem to like anything else on the cable with it. That's probably what the problem is. I've tried switching the jumpers but no configuration works yet.
 
DS - Drive Select
SP - Slave Present
DM - Drive Mode

SP would be correct when the Zip drive is slave.

Do you have a sound card installed? If so, you can use its IDE connector for the Zip drive as well, should it have one.
 
I'm gonna tinker with this later, I've gotta get going, but it's looking like I might actually need two jumpers: on both DS and SP according to stuff I'm reading. Funny thing though is that the plastic black jumper is a smaller size than usual and my other spare jumpers won't fit. I'll make a makeshift one later and report back what I find. Thanks for all the help.
 
Also, some early IDE drives of any stripe tend not to play well with other vendors' drives on the same cable. I've got a couple of those. Use a separate channel if available.
 
If I put in another controller card that has both an IDE and floppy connector is that going to cause a conflict of some kind? I'm looking on Ebay and I don't see much in the way of standard ISA-IDE cards.
 
I tried jumping those pins together so that I could have both DS and SP closed and it still gave me trouble. It usually tells me HD Controller Failure or something like that. Looks like I just need another IDE card. I'm still concerned about which one I get since adding yet another floppy controller might confuse the machine, or something.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top