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How many USB flash stick drives do you have right now?

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Ant

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Apr 13, 2023, 9:19:56 PM4/13/23
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I have like 15. Smallest and oldest ones are Sandisk's 128 MB that still work. :O
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Rod Speed

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Apr 14, 2023, 1:35:51 PM4/14/23
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Ant <a...@zimage.comant> wrote

> I have like 15.

I don't have that many, essentially because the main
PC won't boot from a usb flash stick and I dont use
them to move stuff between machines anymore.

Ant

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Apr 14, 2023, 3:21:04 PM4/14/23
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In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Rod Speed <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ant <a...@zimage.comant> wrote

> > I have like 15.

> I don't have that many, essentially because the main
> PC won't boot from a usb flash stick and I dont use
> them to move stuff between machines anymore.

So, you use optical discs, network, and/or floppy disk(ette)s for that old PC?
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"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'" --James 4:14-15. Will TGIF B quieter / still slammy like da rest of da wk? 4h of Z overnite. :(

Rod Speed

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Apr 14, 2023, 7:36:59 PM4/14/23
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Ant <a...@zimage.comant> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote
>> Ant <a...@zimage.comant> wrote

>>> I have like 15.

>> I don't have that many, essentially because the main
>> PC won't boot from a usb flash stick and I dont use
>> them to move stuff between machines anymore.

> So, you use optical discs,

Only for recovery and for booting linux and
the True Image full backup to external hard
drive image creation on that older PC.

> network,

Yes.

> and/or floppy disk(ette)s

Nope.

> for that old PC?

Yep. It isnt that old, just can't boot USB sticks.

Ant

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Apr 14, 2023, 8:58:48 PM4/14/23
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In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Rod Speed <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote:
...
> > for that old PC?

> Yep. It isnt that old, just can't boot USB sticks.

How old? Strange that it can't boot all of your USB sticks.

Rod Speed

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Apr 15, 2023, 2:50:46 AM4/15/23
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Ant <a...@zimage.comant> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.sp...@gmail.com> wrote
...
>> > for that old PC?

>> Yep. It isnt that old, just can't boot USB sticks.

> How old?

June 2011

> Strange that it can't boot all of your USB sticks.

Nope.

Jeff Jonas

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May 1, 2023, 5:51:02 AM5/1/23
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I lost count how many I have.
I put them in ziplock bags sorted by capacity.

Verbatim 16 gig "paper clip" drives
were $1.77 at Brandsmart (Florida appliance store),
so I bought maybe a dozen from 2019-2022.
I load them with spec sheets and projects notes
and put them in the parts bag or project box.
That way, I can always find the notes
or even hand it to someone else.


As to oldest:

- my Kingston 256 megger is the smallest in size and capacity.
It looks like a 1x2 Lego piece!

- my green 512 meg PNY Attache is the ONLY one
with a real write-protect switch.
I still use it for presentations
to be ABSOLUTELY SURE my files are never corrupted!

[in the early 2000s, PNY was often on sale
at Staples or BJ's warehouse.
Each size/capacity was a different color]

***

I still use many old flash formats
such as "smart media" (for embedded systems)
and "Compact Flash" cards.

***

WARNING: Microcenter's purple 256 gig flash drive LOVE TO FAIL :-(
I have 3 dead ones right now.
1 gives read errors, 2 won't even enumerate.

I've had several no-name show-swag flash drives fail on me,
but real brand-name ones (Sandisk, PNY, Verbatim) tend to work well.

***

Now that flash drives are commodities sold everywhere (CVS/Walgreens),
"value engineering" has taken away just about everything:
- no more lanyard
- no more colored sleeves
But taking away the activity LED and write-protect switch
means they cannot be used responsibly :-(


--

Jeff Jonas

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May 1, 2023, 5:53:05 AM5/1/23
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Jeffrey Jonas
jeffj@panix(dot)com
The original Dr. JCL and Mr .hide
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