subject: The Popular Alternative To Floppy Disks: Portable Usb Drives [print this page] Flash memory data storage devices of portable USB drives are the modern alternative to floppy disks. With a high storage capacity, small and lightweight, portable USB drives allow the transport and transfer of videos, movies, documents or photos between PCs at a very high rate and with maximum of efficiency. The advantages of portable USB drives are more numerous over the rest of portable storage devices and here we refer to floppy discs and compact discs (CDs) too.
All computer operating systems are compatible with the flash cards, from Windows and Mac OS X to Linux. Technically, they consist of a small printed circuit board that has a metal, rubber or plastic cover for protection.
Portable USB drives are based on a combination of technologies that allows for the creation of optimal data storage variants that are cost effective and require very low power levels. The applications of the flash memory card are very extensive and serve for a large number of electronic equipment that we depend on, from digital cameras, GPS devices to MP3 players and iPods.
Moreover, network administrators use portable USB drives to carry around software for recovery, maintenance or troubleshooting computer operations. This is the comfortable alternative to carry a pack of drives in CD format.
Presently, the very generous storage space that is available with portable USB drivers gives one the chance to also have installers for updating and system re-installation available within immediate reach. Then, the recovery and anti-virus software transfer to infected PCs is also possible, allowing for a partial archiving of data on the host machine.
Computer forensics and criminal justice also rely on the use of portable USB drives for a wide number of situations. When Microsoft designed a specific forensic application, the extraction of digital evidence became possible a lot more easily.
Portable USB drives have become an inexpensive data carrier solution, and to most users, this piece of hardware has already proved its efficiency. With the right technology, a memory flash card can serve as a backup medium in point-of-sale systems.
Reliability and resistance, these are two other inherent features of portable USB drives that we should mention before concluding. Unlike hard drives, memory flash cards require almost no power at all and are definitely not fragile. The only inconvenience may be the possibility to misplace, lose or leave the drive behind due to its very small size.
