How to Optimize a Flash Drive

It is not hard to optimize your flash drive.

Portable and inexpensive, flash drives are ideal for sharing files with others without the hassle of using CD/DVD discs. Flash drives connect via your computer's Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports and are available in a variety of sizes. Optimizing a flash drive speeds up its file save and open functions. The process also reduces the lag time you may notice when transferring multiple files between your computer and a flash drive. Once the optimization process is complete, you can disable the function later, if desired.

Instructions

1. Click "Start" and "Control Panel." Click the "System and Security" link. Select "Device Manager," if using Windows Vista or 7.

   If using Windows XP, click the "System" icon. Click the "Hardware" tab then the "Device Manager" button under the heading "Device Manager."

2. Click "Yes" if prompted with a "User Account Control (UAC)" dialog box. Click the "+" symbol next to "Disk Drive" to access your computer's various disk drives.

3. Right-click on your flash drive's drive letter/name. Select "Properties." Click the "Policies" tab.

4. Click the radio button next to "Optimize for performance" or "Better performance."

5. Click "OK." Your flash drive's optimization process is now complete.

Tips & Warnings

• If using a Mac, you must use a third-party application to optimize your flash drive. The Mac OS doesn't contain an optimization feature. Click the "Mac OS X - System / Utilities - Maintenance / Optimization Software" link in the Resource section for a list of Mac optimization applications.

References

• My Digital Life: Speed Up and Optimize USB Drive Speed Performance by Enabling Write Caching
• Lacie: P3_HD_USB_UM (2).qxd
• Support.Apple: About Disk Optimization With Mac OS X

Resources

• VersionTracker: Mac OS X - System / Utilities - Maintenance / Optimization Software
• Online Tech Tips: How To Format USB Drive And Memory Stick With NTFS