About Flash Drives

Flash drives are a popular type of storage media that allows you take small files with you as you travel. They have a "plug and play" interface, and have storage space that ranges from just 256 MB to four GB. These drives are very useful for backing up important information, and are generally very secure.

History

The first commercially available flash drives came onto the market in 2000. There were a variety of brands available, including the IBM thumbdrive, and the Keydrive from Trek Technology. Early USB drives did not have much storage, with most holding only 8MB. However, this was almost four times as much staorage as the rival floppy disk at the time, and the USB drive was quick to replace standard floppies. Due to the shrinking of technology, and expanded memory capabilities, the space in USB Flash drives has expanded greatly in recent years, and many flash drives can now hold up to 8MB of storage.

Function

There are several uses for USB flash drives which include personal storage, backup, and on larger USB drives, program execution.

Using the USB drive as a personal storage device is very popular as it is very convenient. USB Flash drives are very small, and as such are very portable. You can plug them in to any USB-enabled computer and edit word documents, view pictures, and listen to music, as long as the computer you are using has the applicable programs needed to run whatever is on your flash drive.

Backing up important information to a flash drive is a very good idea, especially if your computer is susceptible to viruses or malware. It is good to keep an extra copy of any important work or documents on a dedicated backup flash drive that is stored in a safe place. That way, even if your computer crashes, you'll still have your important information.

Program execution can only be accomplished on larger flash drives, but can save you a lot of trouble. If you have a particular photo editing program that you love to use, but need to use it on a public computer, you can store the program on your flash drive, and then execute it from the drive, on any computer compatible with the program itself.

Types

Although all flash drives perform the same basic functions, there are some that have some special tweaks, including biometric flash drives, rugged flash drives, and security flash drives.

Biometric flash drives are ideal for someone who is storing highly sensitive information on their flash drive and will only engage after a user's fingerprint has been successfully scanned.

Security flash drives are also for those storing sensitive information, and come pre-loaded with security software that includes a higher encryption level and anti virus capability.

Rugged flash drives are intended to take some abuse, and are generally much bulkier than regular flash drives. However, these drives can withstand dropping, washing, and sometimes even throwing, so if you are accident prone, this flash drive may be for you.

Benefits

There are many benifits to using flash drives to store your data. First of all, you can have instant access to any data you need, so if you need to access an expense report or invoice, you can just fire up your flash drive, no matter where you are, and get the information you need. Flash drives are also beneficial because they provide an easy back-up source. All you have to do is make copies of the files, and then store your flash drive in a safe place. After that, you won't have to worry about losing important data should your system crash.

Warning

Although using USB drives is very safe, you should be extra cautious not to leave your USB drives in public computers, especially if they contain sensitive information.

Resources

• USB Flash Drive Comparison Site

Photo Credit

DIYhappy