How to Use a Memory Stick as a Memory Card

A Memory Stick is a Sony-branded memory device that is designed to be fully compatible with Sony-branded products, such as the PlayStation Portable, and the Sony line of CyberShot cameras. However, in addition to the Memory Stick's uses in these devices, you can also use the Memory Stick in your computer as an external memory card.

Things You'll Need

• Memory Stick Drive
• Memory Stick Duo (With Adapter)

Instructions

1. Find the Memory Stick drive on your computer. Most computers have a Memory Stick drive on the front of the tower (or on the side if you are using a laptop). The drive should say "Memory Stick" or "Memory Stick Pro Duo." If you cannot locate a Memory Stick drive on your computer, you will need to purchase a USB Memory Stick drive.

2. Look at what type of Memory Stick you have. If you are using a standard Memory Stick (like the one pictured above), then you can insert it directly into the Memory Stick slot on your computer (or adapter.) If you have a Memory Stick Pro Duo, which is a more modern and smaller model, then you will have to insert the Memory Stick into its adapter, which was bundled with it at the time of purchase, before continuing.

3. Go to the "My Computer" area of your computer. You should see an icon pop up that says "Memory Stick." Select this with your mouse, and then right-click on it to pull up a sub-menu. From this sub-menu, select "Format." This will erase all previous content from the Memory Stick and format it specifically for use with the computer.

4. Save and retrieve data. Now that your Memory Stick is being used as a memory card, you will be able to save data on it, just as you would a regular hard drive. If the Memory Stick is big enough, (16GB or over) you can also save programs to it and boot your operating system from it.

References

• How to Use a Memory Stick