flash drive

[richard1971]

can anyone tell me what a flash drive is cheers

[fo3nix]

a flash drive is any such drive that has flash memory to let you store things on it.

also called "usb key", "pen drive", "memory stick" and probably other things. basically its just a little tool that lets you store your files on it. they use usb2 (also compatible with the older usb1.1), which most computers have now. windows2000 or XP or mac OSX will load the things straight away with no more messing. windows98SE will require you install some drivers to get it working.

example of where to get them from:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=94 32857461&action=c2hvd3N1YmNhdGVnb3J5X3BhZ2U=&sub cat_uid=405

so instead of using a floppy disk just to transfer some files from machine to machine, use one of these. they also store _far_ more than a floppy. and some are very cheap, for their capacity.

[d0gsb0dy]

A tip. Buy the biggest capacity drive you can afford.

[stevie21]

d0gsb0dy, that's generalising a bit.
What if I knew I would never ever need anything over 512MB? (as I know I don't with my flash memory mp3 player).

Buy what suits your needs if you're even thinking of buying one.

[d0gsb0dy]

We are talking here about backing up the information on the hard-drive. For the difference in price, it is best to buy what you can afford. Naturally, you wouldn't buy more capacity than you thought you would ever use. However, there really is no way of knowing what you're back-up requirements might be in, say, a year's time, so err on the safe side. I speak from experience. I bought my first drive thinking it would be adequate; I now have three of them. And compared to what I paid then, they are dirt cheap now.