Tip #2443 - Thumb Drive
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Q:
I see that you often have USB thumb drives on sale, but if I order one,
I don't even know how to begin using it. Can you please give some basic
instructions?
A:
A USB thumb drive is, believe it or not, very easy to use. It's not hard
for any computer user to figure it out and if you're really interested
in purchasing one, you shouldn't put it off any longer, because the setup
really isn't that bad. I know it may sound confusing if you're not used
to some of this new technology, but if you buy one, you'll be up to par
in no time.
If you have Windows
XP or 2000, the setup couldn't be easier. All you do is plug the thumb
drive that you get into one of your USB ports on your computer. XP automatically
recognizes the new hardware and you can start dragging your files to your
new external file saver (the thumb drive). You don't even have to worry
about connecting to a drive if you have XP or 2000, because it is driverless,
so you can just plug it in and play.
If you have Windows
98 or ME, the setup is a little different, but again, it's not too difficult.
Just plug the thumb drive into one of your USB ports and Windows will
detect that you have placed new hardware into your system. It will give
you a message like "New USB storage device."
Once this comes up, just click on the Next button.
Now, Windows will
ask you were the driver is for the new hardware, so you just have to click
on the Browse button and locate the drive that your computer
selected. External drives like these usually choose the E: drive, because
it is a removable disk drive. Once you find the driver, click the Next
button again. Now you can go back and double click on your My
Computer icon and find the E: drive. Double click on that and you can
then start to drag and drop your files onto the thumb drive.
Your thumb drive will
have what is called an LED indication light. When it is lit up, it just
means that your computer is still recognizing the thumb drive. When it
is flashing, your computer is reading data or is copying the data you
have sent. When it is done, it will stop flashing, so you know when the
job is done.
A thumb drive is a
really reliable and handy external storage device. Some of you may still
use floppy disks or maybe even an external hard drive to save your files,
but thumb drives are a lot smaller and they're much easier to transport
around. If you're still a little weary about buying one, just know that
they are perfect for saving everything from documents to music files to
photographs and anything else you want to save and they come without a
lot of extra hassle. Try one out today, you never know, it might be your
new best friend!
~ Erin
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