USB thumb drive reliable for storage?

[Lou]

My wife needs to make incremental backups of a word document she is working
on. The file size is less than 1mb. I gave her a CD-RW and showed her how
to use it (she has very little PC knowledge) to copy her files to but then
it had errors and stopped working. Not sure if she did something wrong or
the software (Roxio EZCD 6) caused the problem. I was going to try Nero
software, but then I thought why not just use a thumb drive because its very
easy to use and I have never had problems with them. I suppose a thumb drive
could be broken easy by dropping it so I was thinking of leaving it in the
USB port on the back of the PC.
Are thumb drives reliable (or at least as much as CD-RW) for file storage?

Thanks,
Lou

 

[Jan Alter]

Hi,

I've been using a Sandisk thumbdrive for about a year. I've dropped it a
couple of times and haven't once lost a file. I've given maybe five or six
of them as gifts and haven't heard one bad thing about them. They're a lot
easier to use than a CD-RW in that there's no necessity for a drive.

 

[Wheat Muncher]

My wife needs to make incremental backups of a word document she is working
on. The file size is less than 1mb. I gave her a CD-RW and showed her how
to use it (she has very little PC knowledge) to copy her files to but then
it had errors and stopped working. Not sure if she did something wrong or
the software (Roxio EZCD 6) caused the problem. I was going to try Nero
software, but then I thought why not just use a thumb drive because its very
easy to use and I have never had problems with them. I suppose a thumb drive
could be broken easy by dropping it so I was thinking of leaving it in the
USB port on the back of the PC.
Are thumb drives reliable (or at least as much as CD-RW) for file storage?

Thanks,
Lou

Yeah, thumb drives are quite resilient little devils. The only time I
have had issue with mine is when I left it on the dash of my truck and
it melted... so the jist of that is: the drives are only as good as the
user. Or only as stupid in my case...lol. For price vs. convenience,
they can't be beat.

Wheats

 

[RBM]

Like the previous posts replied, flash drives are fast easy and safe, CD-RW
is probably the last thing I'd want to back up to . Some flash drives are
designed for rough use, Lexar Media has one with a rubber boot around it for
protection. Other companies have similar types

 

[William W. Plummer]

My wife needs to make incremental backups of a word document she is working
on. The file size is less than 1mb. I gave her a CD-RW and showed her how
to use it (she has very little PC knowledge) to copy her files to but then
it had errors and stopped working. Not sure if she did something wrong or
the software (Roxio EZCD 6) caused the problem. I was going to try Nero
software, but then I thought why not just use a thumb drive because its very
easy to use and I have never had problems with them. I suppose a thumb drive
could be broken easy by dropping it so I was thinking of leaving it in the
USB port on the back of the PC.
Are thumb drives reliable (or at least as much as CD-RW) for file storage?

I've been using mine for two years. I update it daily with a large
Quicken file. No failure were noted after several trips through
airport scanners.

 

[jim dorey]

Are thumb drives reliable (or at least as much as CD-RW) for file
storage?

more reliable, cd-rw's can be rewritter maybe 20thousand times, flash can
often do 100thousand, before there's cell errors, in which case you mark
that cell as bad and move on. there's some software that will evenly wear
out a flash disk, JSYK. for term storage, i wouldn't trush cd-rw for more
than a few years, flash, depending on type, may last for a few centuries.

 

[kony]

My wife needs to make incremental backups of a word document she is working
on. The file size is less than 1mb. I gave her a CD-RW and showed her how
to use it (she has very little PC knowledge) to copy her files to but then
it had errors and stopped working. Not sure if she did something wrong or
the software (Roxio EZCD 6) caused the problem. I was going to try Nero
software, but then I thought why not just use a thumb drive because its very
easy to use and I have never had problems with them. I suppose a thumb drive
could be broken easy by dropping it so I was thinking of leaving it in the
USB port on the back of the PC.
Are thumb drives reliable (or at least as much as CD-RW) for file storage?

Thanks,
Lou

They are very robust and more reliable than (just about any
alternative). It would be extremely unlucky/unlikely to
break one by merely dropping it. However, there might be
more chance of breaking it if it were left plugged into the
back of the PC, as it's likely to be sticking out further
than any other device and so a leveraged sideways force
against it could be damaging, such as if a cord were tugged
just *wrong* or if the system were scooted backwards towards
a wall at a slight angle.

IMO, the weakest part of a USB thumbdrive is how the USB
connector itself is soldered onto the circuit board. This
makes it most vulnerable while IN the USB socket rather than
out. Another alternative that removes this issue is use of
a media reader bay and a (Compact flash, Secure Digital,
etc) memory card. The Secure Digital cards are not as
sturdy for transportation outside of a pastic casing, for
example putting one in your pocket bare, regularly, would
better suit a thumbdrive.

 

[Dave]

Hi,

I've been using a Sandisk thumbdrive for about a year. I've dropped it a
couple of times and haven't once lost a file. I've given maybe five or six
of them as gifts and haven't heard one bad thing about them. They're a lot
easier to use than a CD-RW in that there's no necessity for a drive.

I got five identical 256Mb Sandisk Micro's for rotating backups a few
months ago. Of the five, two failed within a couple of days - device not
found. The others, and the replacements, have been fine even after some
extensive read / write cycling. I suggest that you don't trust any flash
drive with vital info. until you've tested it for a few days hard use.
(Do a search on infant mortality in electronic equipment.)

Dave

 

[George]

My wife needs to make incremental backups of a word document she is working
on. The file size is less than 1mb. I gave her a CD-RW and showed her how
to use it (she has very little PC knowledge) to copy her files to but then
it had errors and stopped working. Not sure if she did something wrong or
the software (Roxio EZCD 6) caused the problem. I was going to try Nero
software, but then I thought why not just use a thumb drive because its very
easy to use and I have never had problems with them. I suppose a thumb drive
could be broken easy by dropping it so I was thinking of leaving it in the
USB port on the back of the PC.
Are thumb drives reliable (or at least as much as CD-RW) for file storage?

Thanks,
Lou

There is nothing at all robust or reliable about RW media. So anything is
better.