LESSON FOUR

USB FLASH DRIVES

A USB flash drive consists of a NAND-type flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (universal serial bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, much smaller than a floppy disk (1 to 4 inches or 2.5 to 10 cm), and most USB flash drives weigh less than an ounce (28g). Storage capacities typically range from 64 MB to 128 GB with steady improvements in size and price per gigabyte. Some allow 1 million write or erase cycles and have 10-year data retention, connected by USB 1.1 or USB 2.0.

USB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly floppy disks or the COMPACT DISC (CD). They have a more compact shape, operate faster, hold much more data, have a more durable design, and operate more reliably due to their lack of moving parts.

Additionally, it has become increasingly common for computers to be sold without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on almost every current^[update] mainstream PC and laptop. These types of drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other Unix-like systems.

Nothing actually moves in a flash drive: the term drive persists because computers read and write flash-drive data using the same system commands as for a mechanical disk drive, with the storage appearing to the computer operating system and user interface as just another drive.

A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board protected inside a plastic, metal, or rubberised case, robust enough for carrying with no additional protection—in a pocket or on a key chain, for example. The USB connector is protected by a removable cap or by retracting into the body of the drive, although it is not liable to be damaged if exposed. Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection allowing plugging into a port on a personal computer.

You can transfer photos from your camera directly to your USB Flash Drive as well.

DOWNLOADING PICTURES FROM YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA

There are numerous solutions for importing digital pictures from your camera to your hard drive. I typically just connect my digital camera to my PC and copy the files over using Windows Scanner and Camera Wizard.

If you prefer to use an external application, Google's Picasa is an excellent solution. So is Photobucket, and Flickr. In addition to being a convenient way to manage your images, Picasa also includes common photo editing functions and assists in uploading images to the Web or creating slideshows on your local system.

One of my favorite features of Picasa is a timeline that shows when images were taken in relation to all your other images (which only works if your digital camera is set to the correct date). Picasa is free for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Linux.

Downloading Your Pictures From Your Digital Camera

After you take pictures with your digital camera, you'll want to copy the pictures from your camera to your computer so you can print them, share them with others, and back them up for safe keeping. Once your pictures are on your computer, you can erase them from your camera, freeing up memory so you can take more pictures. You can also view your pictures on a larger screen and decide which ones are worth keeping.

Some digital cameras come with software that helps you copy pictures from your camera to your computer. You can use this software, but you don't have to.

Windows XP can copy pictures to your computer without requiring additional software.

Here's how to copy your pictures using Windows XP:

Once you've connected your camera to your computer using a USB cable or inserted your memory card into your memory card reader, Windows XP will detect the connection and ask you what you want to do with your pictures. If you connected your camera with a USB cable, click Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard, and then click OK. If you are using a memory card reader, click Copy pictures to a folder on my computer using Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard, and then click OK.

When the Scanner and Camera Wizard appears, click Next. >On the Other Options page, you can choose to publish your pictures to a Web site or order prints. If you have finished working with your pictures, click Nothing, and then click Next. On the final page of the wizard, click Finish.

SOME MEMORY CARDS:

Windows XP opens a Windows Explorer window showing the pictures you downloaded from your camera. Your camera's memory card is now clean and ready to store new pictures. If you connected your camera to your computer using a USB cable, disconnect your camera. If you used a memory card reader, return the memory card to the camera.

Digital cameras and computers have revolutionized photography. Whether photography is your profession or a hobby, the ability to transfer your pictures from your camera to a flash drive without needing a computer is a bonus. Purchase a few accessible and inexpensive devices, or a full-featured tool, in order to quickly move your images to your flash drive and immediately continue taking pictures.

Transferring Photos from memory card to USB Flash Drive
(We don't have a memory card reader in the lab)

Step1

Select a combination memory card reader and USB flash drive. There are various memory sizes available depending on the amount of pictures you need to transfer.

Step2

Consider a multi-card reader that accepts different types of memory cards. This will help you organize your pictures or come in handy if you have two types of digital cameras.

Step3

Remove the memory card from your camera and place it in the appropriate slot in the card reader flash drive. Check that you are inserting the memory card correctly to avoid damaging the card or card reader.

Step4

Allow the card reader to transfer the pictures from the memory card onto the flash drive before removing it. Disconnecting it before it is finished transferring will cause you to lose your images or corrupt the memory card.

Step5

Replace the memory card in your digital camera and safely erase the pictures from the card. The flash drive will store your images and you have the ability to take more pictures.

You can transfer photos from your camera directly to your USB Flash Drive as well. Demonstrate. Requires 2 USB ports.

Copying files and folders to a CD

1. Insert a blank CD into the CD recorder. Use one of the following:
• Recordable compact disc (CD-R)
• Rewritable compact disc (CD-RW)

With rewritable CDs, you can copy data to and erase data from the CD multiple times.

2. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3. Click the files or folders that you want to copy to the CD.
• To select more than one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want. Then, under File and Folder Tasks, click Copy this file, Copy this folder, or Copy the selected items.
• If the files are located in My Pictures, under Picture Tasks, click Copy to CD or Copy all items to CD, and then go to Step 5.
4. In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive, and then click Copy.
5. In My Computer, double-click the CD recording drive. Windows displays a temporary area where the files are located before they are copied to the CD. Verify that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD appear under Files Ready to be Written to the CD.
6. Under CD Writing Tasks, click Write these files to CD. Windows displays the CD Writing Wizard. Follow the instructions in the wizard.

Notes

• Do not try to copy more files to the CD than it will hold. Check the CD packaging to see the capacity of each CD. For files too large to fit on a CD, you can copy files to a recordable DVD (DVD-R or DVD+R) or rewritable DVD (DVD-RW or DVD+RW). However, Windows XP does not support copying to a DVD, so you have to use DVD authoring software.
• Make sure that you have enough disk space on your hard disk to store the temporary files that are created during the CD-writing process. For a standard CD, Windows reserves up to 700 megabytes (MB) of the available free space. For a high-capacity CD, Windows reserves up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of the available free space.
• After you copy files or folders to the CD, you can view the CD to confirm that the files have been copied.