usb thumb/keychain/pen drives ...

[blazerazor]

Anybody have experience with these? Cant find comparitive reviews on them?
Sony, PNY, Memorx, Scandisk, Lexar?

Looking to get the 128mg usb2.0 version. I seem to remember sony being fastest, but for portable storage of small files i dont see that being mush a issue. (correct me if im wrong) I have no experience with these companies aside sony and Memorx-CD-Rs.

 

[Jumpem]

I have a Lexar and it's great.

 

[JBT]

I have a 128MB USB2.0 drive from Mushkin. It works pretty good. Its a little bit bigger than some others but it comes with a USB extension cable and other and key chain and even a necklace. haha im a dork but not that much of one to where around my neck... I like it it was around 40 from direct from mushkin

 

[VTEC01EX]

I got a Sandisk Mini-Cruzer unit last week, and it's fantastic. Super small and light, and comes with replacement caps for when I inevitably lose the first one. I wanted to buy the Lexar Sport drive, but I couldn't justify the extra $20 it was at CompUSSR.

 

[DougVA]

If you have a MicroCenter near you grab the 256MB PQI IStick 2.0. It costs $84.95 but through March 29 there is a $40 MIR, so $44.95.

I bought one last week and it is working very well for me. It is also the smallest and lightest USB flash drive available atm. It's USB 2.0 and 1.1 and transfer rates seem to be very good. Comes with a small plastic case to store in the card in. No joke it's about as thick as a quarter and 1 inch long.

Microcenter Link: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=169679

Even without the MIR I think it's worth $84.95, but with $40 off it's a no brainer.

 

[blazerazor]

I got a Sandisk Mini-Cruzer unit last week, and it's fantastic. Super small and light, and comes with replacement caps for when I inevitably lose the first one

VTEC01EX, that has been the major reason I haven bought one yet. Some look as if the memory is the detachable apart. Imagine looking down to see the key loop with no mem. To be found run over in the parking lot!
The usbdrive looks to be the toughest. As does the iomegaMini

This one is going to be for 'the office' so it must be purchased from OfficeDepot on the account. And really wont be in hostle environments. I think ill order one tomorrow. If it proves to be useful I plan to buy one to really put on my keychain, and get one for my girlfriend to carry her adobe stuff from my PC's to her college Macs.
I think this would be great for transfering nic drivers off the web to a old sheep thats lost its way. Or taking home thoughs vodka body shots pictures from my sisters party she took of me and her cute friend ^_^ (hey, I didnt say i was married.)

 

[arod]

I ordered a scandisk 256 mdg usb 2.0 drive for 40 bucks this morning.

 

[blazerazor]

I'm seeing $44.69 for the 128meg version. How are you getting it so cheap>?

 

[tomstevens26]

I'm using a 256MB Sandisk Mini Cruz that I got right after Xmas. Works great. The only thing I wish it had was built in automatic file encryption that happens when you copy files over. The ones that we now issue at work have that feature and I really like it. Other than that, no complaints with the Sandisk.

Tom

 

[labrat25]

I have a USB1.2 Lexar, no major problems...

only problem i do have is having the front USB ports of dell's recognize it, but i thinks that's 'cause the ports on the dells slant down (making the contact not so good)

 

[hahher]

are all usb drives bootable?

 

[suklee]

Good question. I was asking the same when I bought my USB drive a month ago... I got various answers:

-Not all of them are bootable
-None of them are bootable
-Only certain brands are bootable

In the end I picked up an EagleTec 128MB USB2.0 stick. Works great and bootable as well. Needed some work to make it bootable though, lmk if you need help.

 

[tooltime]

i have a lexar...works great. it has a cap with a pocket clip...geek nirvana!

i recall a recent issue of maximum PC put some brands through wild tests: wash, spin and dry cycle; ran over 'em with a truck...lexar was one of the best

 

[suklee]

I'm back with more info

Here's what I did to make my USB2 stick bootable:

- d/l DELL utility from http://www.aaltonen.us/mirror1/usb_memory_boot_setup.exe and format your stick with it
( go here for more background info)

- you should see three files on your stick: an empty autoexec.bat, command.com and kernel.sys.

- keep the mem stick inserted and boot with a floppy. The usb mem stick should be assigned drive letter B. If not check around in your BIOS and play with enabling USB floppy/USB removable FDD, etc.

- simply do a sys b: command and it should work like a charm

Obviously for those of you that don't even have floppies, it will work a little differently. But lmk if you guys have success with it (or not)

AFAIK, sys b: gave my mem stick a new command.com, as well as io.sys and msdos.sys. Somehow the DELL USB formatting util didnt put those *.sys files on thjere.

EDITAlso THIS other page documents another process, but note I DID NOT TRY IT, so use at your own risk! (as with my method )

 

[JBT]

hmmm I just tried and it gave me a "missing parameter" error. oh well thanks it was worth a shot.

 

[hahher]

Make the USB drive the first in the drive sequence.
Why?? fdisk does not allow for a partition to be set as ACTIVE (bootable) unless it is the first drive. It is most likely that your hard drive(s) is set as the first drive. This needs to be changed.

is there no simple way of formatting a usb drive as active partition from within windows?

 

[Sid59]

Originally posted by: hahher
are all usb drives bootable?

gotta be enabled in BIOS ..