Gone are the days when people used floppy discs as storage media. Nowadays, with the increase in the size of the applications and data, the 1.44 MB storage capacity that a floppy disk provides us is not enough. We definitely need something of more storage capacity that aids us in a hassle free transition of data between PCs. This is where a pen drive comes handy for us.
What is a Pen drive?
A pen drive, also called as a thumb drive, pocket drive, jump drive etc, is a simple, compact, light weighted, re writeable, removable drive that weighs approximately about 20gm in size and looks not more than about 100mm in length. But when we look at the storage capacity that it has, we are left speechless! This has different storage capacities starting from as low as 32MB till 1GB, 2GB and even more! The storage capacity of the Pen drive is thus, that it can retain data that is stored in it, until we need, and later can also be erased and re-written with fresh set of data. A pen drive stores data up to its maximum storage capacity, and then transmits the data to the other PC. The only condition is that the two systems should be USB compatible, as the data is transferred via USB ports.
Now, what is USB?
USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. Now, is that another confusing term being used? No. In fact, this is a helpful media for people to transfer data easily. Nowadays almost all the PCs and laptops are made USB compatible, so as to benefit from this wonderful piece of technology. This is a standard or a port that allows various types of USB supportive devices to be connected to the PC or the laptop, for transferring data into them. Other examples of USB devices are Digital Cameras, Handy cams, MP3 players etc. The latest version of USB is the USB 2.0 version, which is incorporated in the latest PCs and laptops.
This is how a pen drive is employed:
The process of using a USB pen drive is very simple and does not involve any complexities or rocket science! To first store data from, say, a PC, the pen drive is first inserted into the USB port of the PC, which is usually at the back of the CPU. This allows the PC to detect the pen drive, and when we look at the PC drives info, we get to see a new drive been formed by the Pen drive inserted. In this drive, we can store the data that we need to transfer. The storage capacity depends on the size of the Pen drive that we are using. As the data is stored in the pen drive, a red light keeps flashing on the pen. Once the data has been completely stored, the flashing stops. This means the data transfer has been completed. Similarly, to transfer the saved data to another system, the pen drive is inserted into the USB of that PC. Once the system detects the new drive, the data to be transferred is selected from the pen drive, and this saves the data in to the PC. It is as simple as that!
Various advantages of a Pen Drive:
- Ultra portable, light weighted and very small in size.
- Impervious to dust and scratches, along with being shock proof.
- Weighs about 20g and so is very easy to handle.
- There is no requirement of any batteries, and so this definitely has a long life.
- Comes in various storage capacities, starting from as low as 32 MB to higher capacities like 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, up to a maximum of 32GB, being the latest.
- Power usage of a USB pen drive is less when compared to the other portable hard disk types, because of the unavailability of moving parts inside it.
- Compatible with almost all of the PCs and laptops that come nowadays, unlike to the Zip drives, that are usually not available in all the PCs.
- Some pen drives are water proof that retains data in it even after being dropped in water.
- owadays Pen drives come coupled with MP3 players, so that we get our work done as well as enjoy the entertainment that it provides, both in the same device!
- Definitely value for money, when looked at its features and uses.
Disadvantages:
Like all other products, there are, of course, certain disadvantages with a pen drive as well.
As the drive ages, the write able capacity of the Pen drive decreases. This is quite natural for any electronic gadget. As the other storage devices, a Pen drive too has a chance of getting infected by the virus from a host PC. This problem could be solved by using a write protected pen drive. But not many in the market are write protected.
When it is a good thing that it is small and is highly portable, it also has its disadvantage of misplacing the drive or losing it easily. To overcome this problem, nowadays pen drives come as key chains and lockets, so that one does not forget to carry it.
Also, since the pen drive is very small, people can use it to smuggle confidential data from their work place to places where it should not be taken to. So there is a chance of security breach happening.
Dos and Don’ts while using a USB Pen Drive:
Dos:
Though the pen drive does not fall prey to dust, scratches etc, it is always required to keep it safe. The drive being a small and handy one, it is easy for the data to be transferred anywhere, and so it is important to keep it in a safe place, so that data cannot be misplaced or lost. And more importantly, the pen drive should be remembered to be carried with us, whenever we need it!
Don’ts:
One of the major mistakes that many people make while using the pen drive is to disconnect it without proper logging off. The USB Pen drive should not be disconnected from the computer system, without logging off from the system. When the pen drive is connected, a small icon appears on the bottom right hand corner of the computer system. This should be right clicked and should be selected as “Safely remove hard ware?, before disconnecting the Pen drive manually from the system. A removable storage drive, that is portable, easy to use, easy to maintain, holds lots of data to be transferred and compliant to almost all types of Operating systems, the pen drive is indeed a boon to the present world, where sharing of large sizes of applications and software has become a common and most importantly, a serious affair. With technology developing each moment, we are only thankful that such tasks, which were considered impossible once, are done in the fraction of a second! Where can i get more information?Some of the leading players in the pen drive field are Sandisk, Memorex, Kingson and Integral. You can find latest Sandisk Drives and Sandisk Pen Drive reviews, Kingston Pen drive latest products and Kingston Pen drive expert, consumer reviews. You can also check the latest technologies in pen drives like Ready boost and U3 Technology.