- Flash drives can have 8 to 16 gigabytes of memory or storage space. Many large files like picture and design documents can be loaded into this device.
- The small size of a flash drive makes it as portable as a ball-point pen. This is quite a convenience for students or professionals who need to carry large files from one computer to another at work, school or on business trips.
- Flash-drive storage is a convenient way to back up important files on a computer's hard drive. They are not unwieldy like discs or zip drives. They can be left in a computer's USB port. The drive will appear as an icon on the computer's desktop.
- It's easy to save information to a flash drive. All you have to do is perform the "Save As" function. In the drop-down box that asks where you would like to save the document, simply select the temporary drive (usually D: or F:) or, in the case of Macs, the drive's icon on the desktop.
- The price of a flash drive depends on the amount of its memory. Generally, they run from about $20 to $40.
- Flash drives can crash. That is, you can lose the information on it due to a malfunction. One way to avoid this is to eject the drive before pulling it out of the USB port. On PCs, you click on an ejection icon at the bottom of the desktop. On Macs, you highlight the device's desktop icon and then go to "File" and "Eject."
