This passage mainly introduces the definition, main functions, types, and application fields of the USB flash drive. I hope this article can help with your problems and improve your understanding of the USB thumb drive.
USB Flash Drive(USB thumb drive, or USB stick) enables people to have a convenient digital life. But what exactly is a USB flash drive? This article will show you its definition, advantages and disadvantages, main usages, types, and what you should pay attention to while using a USB flash drive.
It is a miniature, high-capacity, and removable storage product and connects to the computer via the USB port for a plug-and-play service. As a practical storage device, it has a relatively long history.
The USB flash drive was first introduced to the world in late 2000. Over the years, it has had more storage capacities and improved in every aspect after continuous optimization. And its price is going down year by year. Therefore, it is widely used in people's work and life, bringing great convenience. USB flash drive makes it convenient and easy to transfer data, store data, and backup folders to an external drive.
USB has many versions now after these years of development. You can check the list below and figure out your device's version.
In 1995, USB 1.0 was introduced to the world.
In 2000, USB 2.0 was put forward to people.
In 2008, USB 3.0 was invented with a much higher transfer speed.
In 2022, USB 4.0 was released.
After these years, people have summarized the pros and cons of the USB flash drive.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the USB flash drive? This chart will show it clearly.
| Comparison | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| USB Flash Drive |
|
|
People always choose a USB flash drive according to its function. The next part will show three main types of USB thumb drives.
In the past years, inventors have invented many different types of USB flash drive to meet people’s various needs. This part introduces three main types of USB flash drives based on their different usages.
In addition to encrypting the stored content, the security USB stick can also be used as an ordinary USB stick. It can fortify the security of the data in the USB stick with physical or logical security ways, making it completely different from the other common USB flash drives in the form of protecting data.
As a plug-and-play storage device, the driverless USB flash drive can be correctly recognized and used by the system in Windows Me or above. Most USB drives on the market are driverless, so users have different choices.
The bootable flash drive makes people renew their impression of this portable product. Compared with other kinds of USB flash drives, it has the function of booting the system, as the name implies.
This table will briefly compare the three types of USB sticks mentioned above.
| Type | Function | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Security flash drive | Encrypt the stored data. | Secure but a little expensive |
| Driveless flash drive | Encrypt the stored data. | Common and convenient |
| Bootable flash drive | Boot the system | Useful |
Different types of USB thumb drives have various application fields. Continue to read if you want to know more about its main usage.
What are the specific usages of the USB thumb drive? This part will introduce its main usages.
The typical usage is personal storage and business storage. In addition, it is widely used to exchange documents, transfer files from PC to PC, and remove pictures.
It is also useful when you need to repair your computer. The USB flash drive has been very successful in PC repair since it can deliver recovery or antivirus software to an infected computer and allow some information to remain in an emergency.
The USB flash drive is also popular among system management and network administrators. This is because they can put the setup information and the software used to manage, debug, and recover the system on the USB flash drive.
The USB flash drive has powerful functions, but it is better to be careful while using it. There is a note for using the USB flash drive.
The way of using the USB flash drive is tightly related to its life expectancy. It easily suffers from USB damage without a proper using method. Remove the USB flash drive from the operating system before plugging it out of the USB port. For example, click "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" at the bottom of the computer screen taskbar in Windows and do not plug it until the indicator light goes out.
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To sum up, as a portable and external storage device, the USB flash drive can help people with data security and bring people convenience.
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