Number 311 - April 2009

Flash Drives
by Frank Varano, Computer Club of Menifee Valley
If you don't have a flash drive you're nuts. It is the best thing that happened in computers in the last 2000 years. I hate the word but they are 'awesome.' I have three of them. One of them (the 4 Gig drive) has most of My Documents including the newsletters I write. I can't suffer the loss of those files. (See note at the end of this article.)    I'm sure you all know what the flash drive is. It is also commonly referred to as a memory stick or USB drive or thumb drive and I don't know what else. I usually carry three of them hanging from my neck when I go out on the road to help others. I have all kinds of maintenance files on them that I use to clean up others computers. Mine are Sandisk, Cruzer and Verbatum makes. If you get one I suggest the Cruzer with the retractable head. Some have a cap that covers the head and it is easily lost.    First of all get a rope or hawser or chain or something so that you can hang it from your neck. It is easy to misplace it. There is a tendency to get very dependent on them. Don't lose yours. Both XP and Vista accommodate these drives sort of out-of-the-box. Let's talk about XP which I am familiar with. Here is how I use them.    When I need to use the drive, I just plug it in the USB port on the front of my computer. I wait for the "Found New Hard ware" bubble to appear (or I listen for the installation sound file I chose and it sounds like a ricochet.) It means that the computer has recognized the drive.    When I use the Flash drive I usually open two windows. One has the Flash drive and the other is the folder that has the files I want to copy to the Flash drive or the folder where I want to copy	a file from the Flash drive. This configuration allows me to use the drag-and-drop method. To open the flash drive, I click on My Computer and then double click on the Flash Drive. Right now I have My Computer open and I know that the Verbatum Flash Drive is "Store'n'Go." When I open Store'n'Go I can see all the files on it. Then I find the folder that has the files I want to load onto the Flash drive.    I re-size these windows so that they fit side by side on the screen. This may sound cumbersome to some of you but I want to see a picture of what I am doing and often times the operation involves deleting files from the Flash drive as well as loading files. (I described the two window method in a previous issue of the [Menifee Valley] newsletter.)    I suspect that the problem users have is in removing the flash drive. Although I can simply yank out my oldest flash drive at will I suggest that you follow this procedure. Look for the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the tray (which should be there when a flash drive is recognized). Double click on it. Select your drive in the next window and click on Stop. You'll get a message that it is safe to remove the drive.    If you don't use this procedure or the proper procedure for your drive you risk losing data. And you don't want that if you are using the drive for a back up.    [Menifee Valley Editor: I really have two drives on my computer both are bootable (not selectively at the keyboard). My back up is an image. In an emergency I can open up the case, unplug the primary, change the jumpers on both and connect the secondary slave to proper cable termination. And then I can continue working. (on these newsletters.)]
Number 311 - April 2009