• What is a USB/flash/pen drive?

  • USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drives are a convenient external medium for storing and transporting digital files and acts a lot like a portable hard drive. You can store data on it, as well as, transfer it from computer to computer. They are able to hold a great deal of information, but they do come in different storage sizes. Besides being able to hold mass amounts of data, flash drives are as small as a pack of gum and they can easily fit into your pocket for easy transportation. They are also more convenient to use than an external hard drive, because of their small size. Although they are quite durable in comparison to floppy disks, they should still be treated with care. Their large capacity is very convenient for storing files, but should the drive become damaged or the data corrupted, everything on it could be lost. Always backup crucial files in multiple locations.

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• How do you store files on a USB drive?

  • After plugging in your USB flash drive, locate the USB flash drive icon. If it is not on the main screen, double-click My Computer and look under 'Devices with Removable Storage' and you should be able to see it.

  • Locate the file you want to copy from the hard disk.

  • Click and hold the mouse button on the file icon and drag to the flash drive icon.

  • A dialog box will appear, showing you the progress of the copying.

  • If there is already a file with the same name on your flash drive, a warning will appear asking you if you want to replace the file already on the flash drive. If you don't want to replace it, click Cancel, rename the file on the hard drive and continue from step 2 above.

  • When you are finished transferring files and wish to remove your USB flash drive, it is good practice to remove it safely to ensure no data loss or corruption. See below.

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• How do you transfer files from a USB drive?

  • After plugging in your USB flash drive, locate the USB flash drive icon. If it is not on the main screen, double-click My Computer and look under 'Devices with Removable Storage' and you should be able to see it.

  • Locate the file you want to copy.

  • Locate the place where you want to copy the file to.

  • Click and hold the mouse button on the file icon and drag to the location on the hard disk.

  • A dialog box will appear, showing you the progress of the copying.

  • If there is already a file with the same name on the hard disk, a warning will appear asking you if you want to replace it. If you don't want to replace it, click Cancel, rename the file on the USB flash drive and continue from step 2 above.

  • When you are finished transferring files and wish to remove your USB flash drive, it is good practice to remove it safely to ensure no data loss or corruption. See below.

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• How do you remove a USB drive safely?

  • You can use the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the task bar to remove your USB flash drive.
  • Click the right mouse button on the USB flash drive icon on the toolbar.
  • Then click on the 'Safely Remove Hardware' message that pops-up.
    
      
     
  • The Safely Remove Hardware dialogue box will appear, click Stop.
    
    
     
  • The Stop a Hardware Device dialogue box will appear asking you to confirm, click OK.

            
   

  • A message will appear on the toolbar informing you the USB flash drive can be safely removed.
    
      
     
  • Remove your USB flash drive from the USB port.

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Last updated 01/11/2008