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Repair guide

Diagnose a Zip drive that clicks and ejects disks

The 'click of death' can come from a damaged cartridge or a worn drive, and a bad cartridge can damage a good drive. Isolate which one is at fault before using valuable disks.

Open the interactive checklist Tick off each step as you go. It saves in your browser.

Drive · Medium · about 45 minutes. Try it, but check first. This will not fix every machine, so read the sources first.

You are in the right place if: The Zip drive clicks, will not recognise a cartridge, or ejects it after a few seconds.

Before you start

  • Do not put valuable disks into a clicking drive.
  • Do not open the cartridge case or touch the disk surface.

Board revisions and models

Zip 100, 250 and 750 drives and the Jaz are different designs.

Parts you may need

  • Zip drive cleaning cartridge. Clean the heads Amazon · eBay
  • Known-good Zip cartridges. For testing Amazon · eBay
  • Replacement Zip drive. If the drive is worn Amazon · eBay

Tools

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. These links only search by name. Disclosure

Step by step

  1. Stop using the cartridge Eject it and keep it separate. A damaged disk can damage the heads.
  2. Try a known-good cartridge Test with a cartridge that you know works, preferably one with no important data.
  3. Check power and cables Check the supply and SCSI or parallel cable and termination.
  4. Test the suspect cartridge elsewhere If you have a second drive, test the suspect cartridge there, expecting it may fail.
  5. Listen to the clicking Compare the noise: a drive clicking with no cartridge points at the drive, a drive clicking only with one cartridge points at the cartridge.
  6. Clean the heads If the drive is suspect, use a Zip head cleaning cartridge or a gentle manual clean.
  7. Check the software and drivers Make sure drivers, SCSI IDs and parallel ports are configured correctly.
  8. Retire bad cartridges Throw away cartridges that have clicked.
  9. Replace the drive if needed If a known-good cartridge also clicks, plan to replace the drive.

Tips, tales and maybes

Found in write-ups and forum threads. These are other people's reports, not tested by us.

  • Watch out (Low confidence). A damaged cartridge can damage a healthy drive, so stop using any cartridge that clicks. General technique, no source.

Sources

We wrote this one from general technique and have no source to credit for it yet. Treat it as a starting point, and read or watch a guide for your exact model before you begin.

Boards and models vary, so check what is in front of you. A repair can involve hot tools, chemicals and, on some machines, dangerous voltages. You do it at your own risk.

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