IN SOLIDARITY - OPSEU

Technically speaking
USB keys: the new
floppy disk
by Larry Farr, In Solidarity
Y ou’ve probably seen one of those multicoloured
USB keys by now – that’s because they’re
quickly replacing the floppy drive as the storage
media of choice. They’re smaller, faster, and hold
much more data. (One floppy holds 1.4 MB of data,
while a typical USB key holds 128 MB—or the
equivalent of 91 floppies.) Some USB keys hold a
Gigabyte (GB) or more. Let’s see now, a GB—that’s
1024 MB, or about 731 floppy disks. How’s that for
storage? You can also get 32, 64, 256, and 512MB
versions.
USB “keys” (a.k.a. keydrive, pen drive, pocket
drive, thumb drive and jump drive) use flash memory
(a solid state storage device with no moving parts)
and connect to the USB port on your computer.
They’re durable, fast, and powered by the USB port
(so no batteries or wires to worry about.) They’re
also cross-platform, so you can use the same key to
move files from a PC to a Mac. Some have a lightemitting
diode (LED) – which flashes to let you
know when it’s working.
The thinner the key, the easier it is to plug in.
That’s because the USB ports on your computer
don’t have a lot of extra space around them –
especially if you’re plugging more than one USB
device in at a time.
When purchasing one of these items you may also
want to consider that USB 2.0 is preferable over
USB 1.1 for speed (you’ll have to have a USB 2.0
port on your computer though.) For more on USB
go to http://www.usb.org/faq
USB keys are “plug and play” for the latest
operating systems – Windows 2000, ME, or XP –
although you may have to insert your Windows
installation CD to get a driver. (Drivers are
programs that control devices attached to your
computer such as printers and disk drives. When
installing new devices, you generally need the
supplied driver that comes with the device.) With
Windows 98, for example, you’ll definitely need a
driver. Before you buy, ask if the key comes with
one.
For Windows XP users, the “plug and play”
feature will automatically detect the type of device
that you plug into your USB port and, if needed,
automatically install the appropriate driver. The USB
key will show up as an icon (often labelled
“removable disk”) in the “My Computer” window,
somewhere under your C drive icon. A letter will
also be associated with it.
To copy or move files, use it as you would any
other storage device. If you’ve never used the “send
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