USB Flash Drives
An introduction to Flash Drives
If you're fed up with floppy drives, ZIP disks, and CD-R's as a removable storage medium for transporting your fil es, you'll love USB Flash drives. Flash drives are small solid state memory sticks that are about the size of a highlighter pen and can hold anywhere from 8Mb to 1GB of data.
 They're incredibly light weight, very portable (some models function as key chains) and they are compatible with any PC equipped with a USB port and running Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS 9-10X. Windows 95 and 98 PC's require a one time driver installation. USB Flash Drives have fast transfer rates, no moving parts, and they don't require a separate power source or batteries.
Just stick the flash drive into the USB port of your PC and Windows plug and play will immediately see it as an additional drive. Then copy the files you need to take with you, unplug the device from the PC and you're ready to go. Flash drives hold more data than a floppy, are more portable than ZIP drives, and are more convenient and less fragile than CD-RW disks. In short, USB Flash Drives may just be the perfect removable storage medium.
Things to consider when purchasing a USB Flash Drive
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Flash Drive Size
Flash Drives range in size from 8MB to 1GB. A 256MB USB Flash Drive offers as much storage capacity as 177 standard floppy disks while a 1GB drive can store as much as 695 floppy disks. Current prices range from $25.00 for a 16Mb module to $75.00 for 256Mb and $200.00 for a 1GB module.
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USB 1.1 or USB 2.0
Most Flash Drives sold today are USB 2.0, but what's the difference? USB 2.0 has a raw data transfer rate of 480Mbps, and it is rated 40 times faster than its predecessor interface, USB 1.1, which tops at 12Mbps, so the speed difference is quite noticeable. The vast majority of USB 2.0 devices will work on older PCs and Macs. None should flat-out fail unless there are other issues with the system.
Tips on using your USB Flash Drive at COD
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Include return information
In the event your flash drive is lost or misplaced, including a small readable text file that includes return information could help you get it back. You may want to consider NOT including your company name in the file, and simply refer to a phone number or P.O. Box. You may also want to include a legal disclaimer that clearly identifies the information on the drive as confidential and protected by law.
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USB Drive not accessible after plugged in
If your USB Drive is not accessible after it is plugged in, try logging off your system and then logging back on. This will allow your Flash Drive to be detected before your computer assigns drive letters to other devices. If you are still having problems, call the Help Desk at ext. 4357.
Help
Desk Phone:
630-942-4357
Help
Desk Hours:
Monday
thru Friday - 7:30am to 10pm
Saturday - 8am to 5pm
Sunday - 11am to 8pm
*After 5pm
and on weekends, calls are received by a paging system. When
you leave a message the Help Desk staff person will automatically
be paged and will respond to your call as soon as possible. |
