USB memory sticks and other
removable media
USB sticks are becoming the
favorite removable media to carry data around
from a computer to an other. There are other
removable medias out there but USB memory
sticks are really cool and convenient.
Before the floppy drive was
the most used way to carry data from a PC to
an other. But they were unreliable because of
their magnetic sensibility, easy to damage and
would only hold 1.4 MB of data. They made a
2.8 floppy drive but it did not have a long
life for the same reasons. Zip drives had
bigger capabilities, but unless the target PC
had one installed, you were all alone with
one.
The CD-RW took over with
it's bigger capacity of 650-700MB but unless
you had a writer, you could not make them. For
compatibility reasons, a CD written on a CD-RW
would sometimes not be readable on all
CR-ROMs.
USB memory sticks are so
easy to use and will function on both PC or
MAC USB ports allowing to exchange data from a
PC to a MAC computer, now this is good.
Basically all computers come with a USB port
and you will be able to use the USB stick
without even adding a driver to get them
recognized. They are Plug&Play devices that do
not need to be installed in order to be seen.
USB memory sticks are
detected when inserted in a USB port and are
automatically added in the removable storage
devices of your computer. They are treated and
act as a hard disk and simply copy paste files
to them. Their speed depends on the type of
USB port on your computer, a USB 2.0 port will
run the memory stick faster.
They are smaller that the
other removable media, they fit in your
pocket, and are not as easy to damage as a CD
for example. They come in size from 64MB to 1
MEG but this is just the beginning, they will
come with bigger ones as time goes by. Unless
your computer doesn't have the USB ports in
from of the computer case, forcing you to
connect the stick in the back, they are just
great.
When you insert
the memory stick in the computer's USB port
Windows see it, warns you it's installing the
new device, adds it to the list of removable
devices and voila, it's ready to use. Most
people can fit all their important data on a 1
meg memory stick. If you have to carry data
around with you, USB memory sticks are the way
to go.
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