NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, September 2003
My New Tool Box
USB Flash Storage Drive

by John Clark, Webmaster
rcmahq@nwark.com
(click to email author)


Even though I sit in the back of the room with the Software Library I still try to listen to the speaker. Last meeting I got some very good information when it comes to backup tools. Namely the "Flash Card". Three days later, I ordered one. It is a most interesting device.

The first thing I thought when I got it was "Oh Oh!, I am going to have to be carefull with this one". For a person who tends to misplace things like keys and glasses, this device will take some special care. - I have pen caps that are bigger than it. It is something you don't want to carry loose in your pocket.

Functionally it is just an USB pluggable hard drive. Windows XP and ME will recogonize it with out any trouble. For Windows 98SE you will need a driver. Flash Drives come in sizes from 16 Mbytes up to 1 Gbyte. They are not really big enough to back up a big system, but that is not my intention. I plan to us it as a tool box. On it I plan to place the software that I use for working disk drives and other software.

Problems
For true windows applications you probably should install the software on the flash drive. Since a lot of my tools are really old DOS applications, I just copied the directory from the HD to the Flash Drive.

The question is how to access the application. From XP the use of the old .BAT files is not a good choice. When you take the tool box to a new computer your entry will probably be through "My Computer". I have found the best way was to pick the file you want to start with and create a shortcut to it. Works like a charm even on a . BAT file. Once you get the shortcut you can go to properties and adjust the the various way you want it to run.

When you take the Flash Drive to another computer it will become the last of the hard drives, so you may have to go to each shortcut and adjust the `properties' section and change drive letter, but that is just clicks and key strokes.

For me the purchase of the Flash Drive is the best one I have made since I got a personal computer. The cost for me was about 30 cents/mbyte and will be a quarter if I ever get my rebate.

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