How to Buy a USB Drive

A USB (Universal Serial Bus) drive is a portable external storage device. It is often called a flash drive, pen drive or thumb drive. The storage space usually ranges between 32 MB to 2 GB. These drives come with different brands and sizes. Know your options before buying.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Consider the storage space you want in your USB drive. You may buy a pen or flash drive for smaller storage space or an external hard disk for larger space. Note that flash drives are easier to carry as compared to the regular hard drives.
2. Check if the drive is designed for USB 2.0 interface and if it is backward compatible.
3. Learn the features of the USB drive before buying. It usually comes with a in-built fast Ethernet port. It has an easy Web-based user interface for quick configuration from the network. The USB drive sends alert signals when the storage capacity is almost full.
4. Visit online stores such as Yahoo! Shopping and eBay to learn more about brands that offer USB drives. Transcend, Memorex, Verbatim, LG, Sony, Lexar and Iomega are some of the reliable brands that offer a variety of USB drives.
5. Plan your budget for purchasing the USB drive.
6. Learn more about the features and prices of USB drives by referring to online buyers’ guides. Browse through reviews and compare pricing. Some popular buyers’ guides include NexTag, Windows Marketplace, MySimon, Bizrate and Epinions (See links below).
7. Browse blogs and tech discussion forums. These are good avenues for gathering more information on features, trends and other insights on USB drives.
8. Buy a USB drive after comparing prices. Search for online vendors using search engines like Yahoo! or Google. Browse through popular online stores such as CompUSA, Best Buy and Circuit City (See links below).

Tips & Warnings

• Choose a brand that offers maximum warranty. Note that the warranty period usually starts from the date of manufacture, not the purchase date.

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