USB Flash Drive

Introduction

A USB flash drive - also known as a pen drive, thumb drive, jump drive, keychain drive, or simply USB drive is a plug-and-play portable storage device that uses flash memory card that plugs into a computer. USB flash drive is touted as being easy-to-use as it is small enough to be carried in a pocket and is lightweight enough to attach to a key chain.

USB flash drive , which looks very much like an ordinary highlighter marker pen, can be used in place of a floppy disk, Zip drive disk, or CD. When the user plugs the device into their USB port, the computer's operating system recognizes the device as a removable drive and assigns it a drive letter.

USB flash drives have less storage capacity than an external hard drive, but they are smaller and more durable because they do not contain any internal moving parts. Unlike most removable drives, a USB drive does not require rebooting after it's attached, does not require batteries or an external power supply, and is not platform dependent. With this drive, data can be retained for long periods after its has been removed from the computer, or when the computer is powered-down with the drive left in. This makes the USB drive convenient for transferring data between a desktop computer and a notebook computer, or for short-term backup of small to moderate quantities of data.

There are several USB drive manufacturers which offer additional features such as password protection, and downloadable drivers that allow the pen drive to be compatible with older systems that do not have USB ports. USB drives are available in capacities ranging from 8 MB to 2 gigabytes, depending on manufacturer, in a corresponding range of prices.

The Upside
- It is small and light, thus give you the freedom to carry around.
- It is durable, highly reliable, and work on almost every computer with a standard USB port.
- Higher capacity as compare to a floppy disk.
- Installed with no problems, needed no driver.
- Using a USB flash drive, you can save data 10 times faster and it also enable you to create, copy and delete files quickly.
Recordable CDs take time to burn and prone to errors.
-It is also affordable.

The Dark Side
- Easy to lose
- It has size limitations so its not the best technology for backing up large amounts of media (photos and music).
- Most of these devices have little or no security features and if you happen to lose your Flash Drive, anyone you picks up the
device may be able to access data on it.
- Small size and large storage capacity can make it a dangerous tool in the wrong hands.