How Many Flash Drives Do You Need?

Jump drive, flash drive or thumbnail – they are all similar names for the same kind of device. These are external drives that are used to save information that you want to keep. But, how many of them do you really need?

Your computer has a hard drive. And, that hard drive has a certain amount of memory on it. It is a good idea to buy a computer with hard drive memory in mind so multiple applications or multiple files won’t slow your system down. Sometimes, you need external storage for more versatility.

A flash drive is another form of storage device. They usually connect to your computer via USB ports. They can range from 256MB to several gigabytes in storage capacity. You can have huge external hard drives with terabytes of data storage space, but we will concentrate on the flash drives for now.

Flash drives have several advantages. One, they are portable. You can use them anywhere you have a computer with a USB port. Your data is always with you when you need it.

Second, they are durable. You can hang them on a lanyard; place them in your purse or even in your pocket. Because of their size and lack of moving parts, a little jumbling is tolerated well.

Third, they can store massive amounts of data for almost instantaneous retrieval. Keep your pictures, music, videos and movies on flash drives to be used anywhere. They replace carrying around tons of folders in your briefcase.

Realistically, you only need as many flash drives as you have different tasks to use them for. For example, personal and business needs can be kept separate on two flash drives to avoid pulling up pictures of baby’s first bath at the monthly sales meeting. Buying a flash drive, with future storage in mind, ensures the most memory for your buck.

It is easy to check to see how much memory you have on a flash drive to know if it is time for another one to be purchased. When you plug one in to your computer, you can access information on it and about it. From your Start menu, go to Computer.

Here, all of your computer storage media are listed. Under Removable Storage, you will see your flash drive listed according to the port it is attached to. Right clicking on the picture will reveal a menu. Choose Properties and view a pie graph comparing used to free space.

Flash drives are useful for portable storage when you don’t need to take your laptop along. This is great for PC users who can’t possibly drag their desktop everywhere with them. Buy flash drives with sufficient memory for present and future needs.