I posted this Saturday morning on the Beginer Forum without 1 reply. So I'll try one more time here before I just give up and just say it is impossible.
I'm sorry if it is verbose, but I want to be as descriptive as I can:

Ok,
first of all I know this drive works since I can use it fine with XP on the same computer. It is a Zip Plus 100 drive so it works a little different. From all the research I've done, it uses the imm module rather than the ppa module. I have tried the JaZip application that is always mentioned in all the other Zip help threads. When I run JaZip I get an error message stating, "Can't open the device /dev/sda Is there a disk in the drive?"
Yes there is, I have tried different disks, and they are vfat formated since I can only use it with XP.
It is hooked up in Parallel mode, not scsi.
I have changed the bios Parallel settings from Normal, EPP, ECC, and ECP+EPP to no avail.

So here are the stats:

After I do a insmod imm:

insmod imm
Using /lib/modules/2.4.20-18.9/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o
/lib/modules/2.4.20-18.9/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_unregister_device_R76e8567d
/lib/modules/2.4.20-18.9/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_enumerate_Rb019f67c
/lib/modules/2.4.20-18.9/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_register_device_Rf6150a17
/lib/modules/2.4.20-18.9/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_release_Re630d383
/lib/modules/2.4.20-18.9/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_claim_R91004644


Then run dmesg I get:

parport0: PC-style at 0x378 [PCSPP,TRISTATE]
parport0: device reported incorrect length field (61, should be 62)
parport0 (addr 0): SCSI adapter, IMG VP1
imm: Version 2.05 (for Linux 2.4.0)
imm: Found device at ID 5, Attempting to use EPP 32 bit
imm: Found device at ID 5, Attempting to use PS/2
imm: Communication established at 0x378 with ID 5 using PS/2
scsi1 : Iomega VPI2 (imm) interface
Vendor: IOMEGA Model: ZIP 100 PLUS Rev: J.66
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Attached scsi removable disk sda at scsi1, channel 0, id 5, lun 0
scsi: device set offline - not ready or command retry failed after bus reset: host 1 channel 0 id 5 lun 0
SCSI device sda: 196608 512-byte hdwr sectors (101 MB)
sda: Write Protect is off
sda: I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
unable to read partition table

If I do a modprobe imm, I get a response from the Zip Drive via a light blinking a couple of times on the Zip Drive

running cat /proc/scsi/scsi gives me:

Attached devices:
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 05 Lun: 00
Vendor: MATSHITA Model: CD-ROM CR-508 Rev: XS03
Type: CD-ROM ANSI SCSI revision: 02
Host: scsi1 Channel: 00 Id: 05 Lun: 00
Vendor: IOMEGA Model: ZIP 100 PLUS Rev: J.66
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02


So it sees the Zip drive, which is a good start...well maybe... or something. However, the sda error stuff:

SCSI device sda: 196608 512-byte hdwr sectors (101 MB)
sda: Write Protect is off
sda: I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
unable to read partition table

Seems to be the main Culprit.



I have tried mounting the drive using,
mount -t vfat /dev/sda /mnt/zip
I have used sda1 all the way to sda4
I have used sdb1 all the way to sdb4
with error message of it being an invalid block device.


I'm going nuts, Is a Zip PLUS Drive even able to function with Linux in Parallel mode.

Help Please!!
Thank you for any response.

I only got an ancient PPA Zip, but before you do anything else I would check the errors on the imm module. Was it not compiled for the kernel you're using currently?
If you've got an empty disk, format it with ext2, make sure it's in the Zip when you boot, does that make the errors stop?
And can you access it then?

Just to make sure, you've seen the Zip Drive Mini-HOWTO, right?

Thanks for the reply. I did update the Kernal, so the IMM question may be valid. However I believe the the issue is with the:

SCSI device sda: 196608 512-byte hdwr sectors (101 MB)
sda: Write Protect is off
sda: I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
I/O error: dev 08:00, sector 0
unable to read partition table

section of dmeg before I even try to load the IMM mod.
I don't get this message with the Zip unpluged from the Parallel port.
I can't format a zipdisk as ext2 if I can't get it to mount. But I will try hooking it up to a different Redhat 7.2 computer I have.

Once again thanks

If you look at http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/mini/ZIP-Drive-5.html it describes *exactly* the *same* errors, only substituting the ppa for the imm. I'd say give it a try.

As for the partition table errors I don't know. Linux is able to read vfat, and the only errors I've seen where if the Zip was on, but no disk in it on boot. Btw, the Zip should use /dev/sda4.

Just a quick note to unSpawn: Well the zip plus drive worked as advertised on Rh 7.2, but on a different computer. I just need to chip away at why on 7.2,and why not on Rh 9
I have ideas, but they seem to be too excessive and tedious to just get a zip plus drive to work.
So, I hope you are e-mailed about this responce, because I just wanted to thank you for the input. That was nice and I appreciate it.
If I do get this zip to work, I'll be the worlds foremost authority on getting Zip Plus Drives to work on Rh 9.

I posted a Zip 100 problem to the Linux Distributions Forum because I believed it to be a Redhat 9 problem. For anyone interested the new Redhat 9 "2.4.20-19.9 kernel" has fixed my Zip 100 problem.

I am interested, actually. I'm a newbie coming from debian.
are you saying that this kernel comes with the proper module built-in?