Thumb drive question

[Eleven Mike]

I am thinking about getting a thumb drive, but I don't know if my computer has the necessary hardware or software. 

Will any USB port work, or will I need to install a USB port that is set up for the drive? 

My computer runs XP.  The software I need comes with the drive, right? 


Thanks.

[mgdavis]

It should all be plug-n-play. Check the thumb drive packaging to see that it says XP compatible, if you want some peace of mind. The only time I've ever had a problem was with a drive that wasn't Vista compatible, but they should all work fine with that now, too.

[Eleven Mike]

Thanks. 

Anybody else have advice? 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Avoid anything that says "U3" on it.

[AZRedhawk44]

There's 2 versions of USB... USB 1.0 and USB 2.0 (aka High Speed USB).

Version 1 is 12 megabit per second.

Version 2 is 480 megabit per second.

Version 2 has been standard on most computers for the last 3-4 years, but if your computer is older you might have a mix of v1 and v2 ports, or only v1 ports.

Also, WinXP has USB 2.0 driver support bundled into one of the service packs... I want to say SP2, but I can't remember.  The native OS downgrades USB 2 to USB 1 speeds, which sucks.  Make sure you have SP2 installed on your computer.

Transferring files at 12 megabits per second sucks though.  If you find your thumbdrive is painfully slow, look at your USB speeds for a potential solution.

[AZRedhawk44]

Avoid anything that says "U3" on it.

Why?  I've got a SanDisk U3 2 GB drive that I use a lot.  It was cheap and works well.

It does mount 2 disk devices when you plug it in which is a bit annoying (a read only filesystem with some utilties, and the main thumbdrive), but I've actually had use for those utilities.

Reliability issues, or just didn't like the software?

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

There have been numerous problems with the U3 software. 

My own experience is that it would freeze or blue screen my computer whenever I plugged the drive in.  The fix was to remove the U3 software from the thumbdrive.  But that's a lot easier said than done.

Also. flash memory has a limited number of read and write operations before the memory starts to fail.  Trying to execute complex software directly from the thumbdrive can "wear out" the drive prematurely.

[zahc]

I also recommend steering clear of U3, or any flashdrive that has software on it, for that matter.

[RocketMan]

I've got a fistful of these drives around, various makes and models, some with security and other software aboard, some not.  Never had a problem with any of them.
And I have read where they have made real progress on the limited read/write cycles problem.

Oh, "fistful", poor choice of words, I know. 

[taurusowner]

I am pretty partial to the Sandisk Ultra II USB/SD card.  It's an SD card that fits into any SD slot on a camera, laptop, multireader, but it also bends in half to reveal a USB connector, so it can be used in any USB slot, just like a thumb drive.  I use it at school all the time.  I leave it inside my laptop's SD reader slot, so it is completely recessed inside the laptop, unlike a thumbdrive.  But if I need to print something or move files onto a computer that does not have an SD slot, I just use the built in USB connector.  And it is plug and play just like any other thumb drive.  It even has a keychain carrier, though I don't use it much.

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Plus-2GB-Card/dp/B000EWI8IK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1218843966&sr=8-1

[Eleven Mike]

Yeah, don't bring fistful into this.   

I got myself a Polaroid 2 gig, 2.0 unit for about 23 bucks.  Working fine so far, although I think my USB ports are 1.1.  It will be mainly for Word docs.  And no U3, Mr. Headless Man.   

Thanks a lot, everybody. 

[mfree]

I have an el-cheapo 1Gb drive which has worked great everywhere (3 different OSes, etc.) and for anything bigger I haul around a Maxtor 120Gb portable USB-powered HDD.

I hear the 16GB flash drives are getting cheaper by the hour...

[Ben]

I hear the 16GB flash drives are getting cheaper by the hour...

Good to hear. I just got myself an Asus Eee. With a 16 gig flash, I'll be able to boot an entirely separate Linux distro and files from the SD slot. Nothing like carrying around multiple computer systems for a bitty little laptop on bitty little SD cards.

[roo_ster]

Last week I bought a 16GB thumb drive from the bulk bins at Microcenter.  $50.

8GB ($25) & 16GB seem to be the sweet spot for bulk thumb drives, at the moment.

Higher-performance (effective xfer rate) is a different story.  If I were to use one to boot an OS or run serious apps off of, I would investigate some higher-perf thumbs.

[zahc]

The microcenter bulk flash drives are very cheap, but they are also very small. I have tried several times to use them as bootable system drives and they just don't cut it for whatever reason. Still a great value for carrying around music or something, though.