_{USB flash drives are often used for storage, data back-up and transfer of computer files. Compared with floppy disks or CDs, they are smaller, faster, have significantly more capacity, and are more durable due to a lack of moving parts. Additionally, they are immune to electromagnetic interference (unlike floppy disks), and are unharmed by surface scratches (unlike CDs). Until about 2005, most desktop and laptop computers were supplied with floppy disk drives in addition to USB ports, but floppy disk drives became obsolete after widespread adoption of USB ports and the larger USB drive capacity compared to the 1.44 MB 3.5-inch floppy disk.}
Like all flash memory devices, flash drives can sustain only a limited number of write and erase cycles before the drive fails.[71][unreliable source?][72] This should be a consideration when using a flash drive to run application software or an operating system. To address this, as well as space limitations, some developers have produced special versions of operating systems (such as Linux in Live USB)[73] or commonplace applications (such as Mozilla Firefox) designed to run from flash drives. These are typically optimized for size and configured to place temporary or intermediate files in the computer's main RAM rather than store them temporarily on the flash drive.
Backing up data from a computer or mobile device has never been easier. You can transmit data to the cloud, save it to an external hard drive, or transfer your data easily and quickly to a flash drive. Now, we’re not going to judge you on how often you’re backing up your data. (We’ll just assume you’re like most people and it’s probably not often enough.) Instead, we want to help you successfully back up your data by figuring out how to pick the best flash drive. The great thing about flash drives is that they’re easy to use. You can also carry important files with you wherever you go and protect your files with encryption on a flash drive, which makes these devices very versatile. At BestReviews, we pride ourselves on the detailed research we perform in each product category, including flash drives. We seek to give our readers the information they need to make a smart purchase. Additionally, we never accept free samples from manufacturers, which means you can feel comfortable that our selections and product reviews remain free of bias. Please continue reading this flash drive shopping guide to understand the technology behind these handy little devices and how you can pick the best one for your needs.
^{“The DataTraveler's tiny metal frame and prominent key ring make it easily portable,” our tester said of this flash drive. He added, “Downloading files off the drive itself is fast and easy, at over 100 MB/s, and it's also one of the cheapest USB 3.0 flash drives you can get.” The downside? “While read speeds were fine, the DataTraveler struggles to actually copy files onto the drive,” our reviewer explained. “Despite supporting USB 3.0, it barely tops write speeds of 10 MB/s, and lacks any other features.” The takeaway: “We'd only recommend this product as a cheap way for business professionals to pass out digital content to clients, or for networking,” he stated.}
To ensure this information isn't stolen as well, having a locked flash drive can keep anyone from viewing your files should the drive fall into the wrong hands. Tiny and portable, they easily slip into a pants or coat pocket, in a computer bag or purse, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. External keypads add an additional level of security to portable memory, meaning a viewer must first input a numerical code to gain access to files. These in turn can be encrypted and password protected, deterring serious threats to personal security.
Português: Transferir Dados de um Pen Drive para um Computador, Italiano: Trasferire i Dati da una Chiavetta USB a un Computer, Español: transferir datos de una unidad flash a una computadora, Русский: перенести данные с флешки на компьютер, Français: transférer des données d'une clé USB sur un ordinateur, Deutsch: Daten von einem USB Stick auf einen Computer übertragen, Bahasa Indonesia: Mentransfer Data dari Kandar USB ke Komputer, Nederlands: Gegevens overzetten van een USB drive naar een computer, العربية: نقل البيانات من وحدة التخزين الخارجية إلى الحاسوب, Tiếng Việt: Chuyển dữ liệu từ USB vào máy tính, ไทย: ย้ายข้อมูลจากแฟลชไดรฟ์ลงคอมพิวเตอร์
For computers set up to be bootable from a USB drive, it is possible to use a flash drive containing a bootable portable operating system to access the files of the computer, even if the computer is password protected. The password can then be changed, or it may be possible to crack the password with a password cracking program and gain full control over the computer. Encrypting files provides considerable protection against this type of attack.
The New York-based Human Rights Foundation collaborated with Forum 280 and USB Memory Direct to launch the "Flash Drives for Freedom" program.[80][81] The program was created in 2016 to smuggle flash drives with American and South Korean movies and television shows, as well as a copy of the Korean Wikipedia, into North Korea to spread pro-Western sentiment.[82][83]
USB flash drives are only limited by the cost of the storage space and the physical constraints of the drive. Some of the cheaper flash drives can store less than a gigabyte, but modern high-end flash drives can store as much as 1TB of data, about equivalent to a typical hard drive. A standard external USB drive can store or backup around 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of data. As storage space increases, USB flash drives have become proficient at storing massive files such as ultra high-definition videos that display at 4K or even 8K resolution.
In January 2013, tech company Kingston, released a flash drive with 1 TB of storage.[24] The first USB 3.1 type-C flash drives, with read/write speeds of around 530 MB/s, were announced in March 2015.[25] As of July 2016, flash drives within the 8 to 256 GB were sold more frequently than those between 512 GB and 1 TB units.[2][3] In 2017, Kingston Technology announced the release of a 2-TB flash drive.[26]
Floppy disk drives are rarely fitted to modern computers and are obsolete for normal purposes, although internal and external drives can be fitted if required. Floppy disks may be the method of choice for transferring data to and from very old computers without USB or booting from floppy disks, and so they are sometimes used to change the firmware on, for example, BIOS chips. Devices with removable storage like older Yamaha music keyboards are also dependent on floppy disks, which require computers to process them. Newer devices are built with USB flash drive support.
^{Some value-added resellers are now using a flash drive as part of small-business turnkey solutions (e.g., point-of-sale systems). The drive is used as a backup medium: at the close of business each night, the drive is inserted, and a database backup is saved to the drive. Alternatively, the drive can be left inserted through the business day, and data regularly updated. In either case, the drive is removed at night and taken offsite.
Motherboard firmware (including BIOS and UEFI) can be updated using USB flash drives. Usually, new firmware image is downloaded and placed onto a FAT16- or FAT32-formatted USB flash drive connected to a system which is to be updated, and path to the new firmware image is selected within the update component of system's firmware.[49] Some motherboard manufacturers are also allowing such updates to be performed without the need for entering system's firmware update component, making it possible to easily recover systems with corrupted firmware.[50]}
I needed to switch over to Apple computer, phone and ipad because of software changes in my buisness. I was able to purchase a Macbook Air, Iphone 5se, and Ipad Air. These items were either open box or refurbished with a A rating. Fabulous Prices, all worked and looked new. I am a faithful user of a popular on line store that deals in the same items, however I can not get these kind of deals especially at these condition and prices.