Most USB-based flash technology integrates a printed circuit board with a metal tip, which is simply soldered on. As a result, the stress point is where the two pieces join. The quality control of some manufacturers does not ensure a proper solder temperature, further weakening the stress point.[77][78] Since many flash drives stick out from computers, they are likely to be bumped repeatedly and may break at the stress point. Most of the time, a break at the stress point tears the joint from the printed circuit board and results in permanent damage. However, some manufacturers produce discreet flash drives that do not stick out, and others use a solid metal uni-body that has no easily discernible stress point. SD cards serve as a good alternative to USB drives since they can be inserted flush.

You can get USB 3.0 speed in a compact and durable metal USB drive from Kingston for under $10. It sports a capless design with a sturdy keyring, perfect for travel or as a part of your everyday carry. The design can even be customized to add your logo or company name. Read speeds top 100 Mb/s, while write speeds are on the slow end. With a five-year warranty, a great design, and a value price, this small drive makes a perfect addition to your keyring. 

The advent of USB 3.0 makes data transfers over ten times faster than USB 2.0. If you have USB 3.0 port on your device, and you transfer files on a regular basis, the added speed on the PNY flash drive can be a big boost for getting things done (Even if you have a USB 2.0 port, you can still use USB 3.0, but you won’t get the same speeds). Pros: Fastest file transfers of any of the options. Cons: Some found the built-in external cover difficult to move.   Image Courtesy of Amazon

The development of high-speed serial data interfaces such as USB made semiconductor memory systems with serially accessed storage viable, and the simultaneous development of small, high-speed, low-power microprocessor systems allowed this to be incorporated into extremely compact systems. Serial access requires far fewer electrical connections for the memory chips than does parallel access, which has simplified the manufacture of multi-gigabyte drives.

Bulk USB purchases save money, its that simple. By planning ahead and knowing what your promotional flash drive needs will be through the year, you can save on run charges, artwork setup, and shipping. Over the course of the year, this can add up. With bulk USB orders, we can lower the per unit cost. Beyond the cost, by having a quantity of USBs in stock, you lower the risk of running out of your promo item. Take advantage of bulk USB purchasing. You can even order Bulk 256GB USB Flash Drives through iPromo now.
With wide deployment(s) of flash drives being used in various environments (secured or otherwise), the issue of data and information security remains important. The use of biometrics and encryption is becoming the norm with the need for increased security for data; on-the-fly encryption systems are particularly useful in this regard, as they can transparently encrypt large amounts of data. In some cases a secure USB drive may use a hardware-based encryption mechanism that uses a hardware module instead of software for strongly encrypting data. IEEE 1667 is an attempt to create a generic authentication platform for USB drives. It is supported in Windows 7 and Windows Vista (Service Pack 2 with a hotfix).[47]
“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.
Yes you can but if you have a lot of files, a flash drive won't back it all up. If you only need to back up 32GB-64GB for example, you could back it up on the flash drive. However, anything bigger isn't sensible for flash drives; you're better off getting an external hard drive. Also, it's not a long-term storage option––it can corrupt easily or be lost.
_{In the arcade game In the Groove and more commonly In The Groove 2, flash drives are used to transfer high scores, screenshots, dance edits, and combos throughout sessions. As of software revision 21 (R21), players can also store custom songs and play them on any machine on which this feature is enabled. While use of flash drives is common, the drive must be Linux compatible.}
A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board carrying the circuit elements and a USB connector, insulated electrically and protected inside a plastic, metal, or rubberized case, which can be carried in a pocket or on a key chain, for example. The USB connector may be protected by a removable cap or by retracting into the body of the drive, although it is not likely to be damaged if unprotected. Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection allowing connection with a port on a personal computer, but drives for other interfaces also exist. USB flash drives draw power from the computer via the USB connection. Some devices combine the functionality of a portable media player with USB flash storage; they require a battery only when used to play music on the go.
A minority of flash drives support biometric fingerprinting to confirm the user's identity. As of mid-2005,[needs update] this was an expensive alternative to standard password protection offered on many new USB flash storage devices. Most fingerprint scanning drives rely upon the host operating system to validate the fingerprint via a software driver, often restricting the drive to Microsoft Windows computers. However, there are USB drives with fingerprint scanners which use controllers that allow access to protected data without any authentication.[70]

This USB 3.0 drive offers what the company is calling business-grade security with 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption. You can also choose a stepped up “managed” version that offers a more complete set of management tools using SafeConsole as support. Finally, there’s an anti-virus version that loads in ESET antivirus software out of the box to avoid trojan horses and other hacker tracking programs. All of the models are TAA-compliant, so this drive won’t be in breach of government regulations, and that USB 3.0 means that you’ll have nearly the fastest transfer speeds possible. You can pick it up in sizes ranging from 4GB to 64GB.

We offer the most reliable and consistently top performing customizable, no minimum USB flash drives out there. With more than 25 styles and over 550 different looks, our drives are available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities–with most available in USB 3.0 from 16GB and up. We’re so confident in the quality of our drives, each one includes a lifetime warranty.
Counterfeit USB flash drives are sometimes sold with claims of having higher capacities than they actually have. These are typically low capacity USB drives which are modified so that they emulate larger capacity drives (for example, a 2 GB drive being marketed as a 64 GB drive). When plugged into a computer, they report themselves as being the larger capacity they were sold as, but when data is written to them, either the write fails, the drive freezes up, or it overwrites existing data. Software tools exist to check and detect fake USB drives,[43][44] and in some cases it is possible to repair these devices to remove the false capacity information and use its real storage limit.[45]
The memory in flash drives is commonly engineered with multi-level cell (MLC) based memory that is good for around 3,000-5,000 program-erase cycles,[40] but some flash drives have single-level cell (SLC) based memory that is good for around 100,000 writes. There is virtually no limit to the number of reads from such flash memory, so a well-worn USB drive may be write-protected to help ensure the life of individual cells.
_{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.}
Also, HP has introduced a USB floppy drive key, which is an ordinary USB flash drive with additional possilibility for performing floppy drive emulation, allowing its usage for updating system firmware where direct usage of USB flash drives is not supported. Desired mode of operation (either regular USB mass storage device or of floppy drive emulation) is made selectable by a sliding switch on the device's housing.[51][52]
M-Systems, an Israeli company, were granted a US patent on November 14, 2000, titled "Architecture for a [USB]-based Flash Disk", and crediting the invention to Amir Ban, Dov Moran and Oron Ogdan, all M-Systems employees at the time. The patent application was filed by M-Systems in April 1999.[6][1][7] Later in 1999, IBM filed an invention disclosure by one of its employees.[1] Flash drives were sold initially by Trek 2000 International, a company in Singapore, which began selling in early 2000. IBM became the first to sell USB flash drives in the United States in 2000.[1] The initial storage capacity of a flash drive was 8 MB.[7] Another version of the flash drive, described as a pen drive, was also developed. Pua Khein-Seng from Malaysia has been credited with this invention.[8] Patent disputes have arisen over the years, with competing companies including Singaporean company Trek Technology and Chinese company Netac Technology, attempting to enforce their patents.[9] Trek won a suit in Singapore,[10][11] but has lost battles in other countries.[12] Netac Technology has brought lawsuits against PNY Technologies,[13] Lenovo,[14] aigo,[15] Sony,[16][17][18] and Taiwan's Acer and Tai Guen Enterprise Co.[18]
We offer the largest selection and variety of no minimum custom USB flash drives in the industry. Our sub-surface laser engraved Crystal Flash Drive with 25+ cap colors is elegant and classy. If wood flash drives are more your style, we have over 40 different colors and finishes to choose from. Customize and personalize with options to laser engrave or full color print–no extra charge, ever.  

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.

With their paper-slim profiles, Ultrabooks and tablets are barely thick enough for a USB port. That's why some of the bulkier drives on this list are not ideal for those devices. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Fit drives are slim and compact, about the size of your thumb nail. This unobtrusive storage is constructed with a metal casing that is resistant to the elements and NAND flash technology. With USB 3.0 tech you can expect fast read speeds, while the price is easy to stomach. Just make sure to attach it to a lanyard, so you don't lose it.
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.