Recall that it is impossible to low-level format a Zip disk. Vital information about the track layout is stored on "Z-tracks" that are written at the factory, and if they're gone, the disk is toast.

So, with that in mind, is there a safe way to format a Zip disk with an IDE Zip drive that doesn't involve installing IomegaWare? I have a whole bunch of these sitting around, and even if I dispose of them or give them away, the first step is going to be erasing whatever might still be on them - preferably without rendering them unusable, since they're not entirely useless.

(In fact, if you're interested in something like these, I'd be happy to send them to you for the cost of shipping. I have at least one internal IDE drive I'd like to get rid of as well, and possibly two or three.)

I really don't want to install IomegaWare as it's one of those nasty, bloated, invasive things that can be difficult to remove from a Windows installation afterward. Maybe there's some Linux or DOS utility of some sort?