Yes, I like Zip drives, but I actually have to agree with Uniserver on this one. The SCSI2SD and FloppyEmu with HD20 emulation makes pretty much all other forms of storage redundant and unnecessary, plus they eliminate all the typical reliability problems (stiction, rubber stoppers turning to tar, grease turning to glue) because they have no moving parts, and they can last almost forever as a result.
I think I'll stay with Zip drives awhile longer, though, since both drives and disks are very cheap (sometimes free) and plentiful.
However, I'm sure purists will tend to stay with standard floppies and hard drives for the full retro experience.
c
EDIT: You might try a different PSU, as the symptoms you describe almost sound like it's not getting enough power.