The USB Flash Drive
What is it?
A USB flash drive is a data storage device that allows you to easily and conveniently transfer files from computer to computer and take data with you wherever you go. You can save text files, power point presentations, video files, sound files and photos there!
In order to avoid confusion, you should know that there are many names for this type of storage device, such as, "thumb drives", "pen drives", "flash drives", and "USB drives". They are also sometimes incorrectly called “memory sticks”, which is a Sony trademark describing their specific type of memory card.
In order to avoid confusion, you should know that there are many names for this type of storage device, such as, "thumb drives", "pen drives", "flash drives", and "USB drives". They are also sometimes incorrectly called “memory sticks”, which is a Sony trademark describing their specific type of memory card.
Using a USB Flash Drive
A USB drive is safer to use for storing files than a regular computer hard drive because it uses flash based memory with no moving parts. However, you still have to be careful so that your data will not get corrupted due to mishandling. Here are a few tips:
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USB Flash Drive Storage
The storage capacity of a USB Flash Drive is measured in gigabytes (GB). Note: text files take the smallest amount of memory, then photos, then sound files, while video files take the most.
When you first purchase your USB flash drive, aim for the highest memory capacity you can afford because you will soon realize that you can never have enough as you keep adding important files and photos. “Some of the more popular USB flash drive ranges are: SanDisk Cruzer Titanium, Cruzer Micro U3 drives, Lexar Firefly, Iron Key Personal and Iron Key Basic & Kingston Data Traveler G2”. |
Choosing the Right USB Flash Drive for You
When buying a drive examine your storage needs by asking yourself how much data you expect to store. This chart should help you in selecting a flash drive depending on how much memory you think you may need:
1/4 split: JPEG / 1080 AVCHD / MP3 / Office Files
1 Photo: approximation based on 10 Megapixels camera, actual number may vary based on device, resolution and compression. 2 Songs: approximation based on 4 minute MP3 songs at 128kbps 3.5MB. 3 Office files: estimation based on a combined average of Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. 4 Approximation for video at 1080p AVCHD 13Mbps. Actual time may vary based on resolution and compression. |
Now let's discuss what you've learned and see if you've got it!