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General discussion

need new Flash drive

Aug 19, 2006 2:13PM PDT

I'm looking for a new flash drive and would like some suggestions. I currrently have a 512mb cruzer titanium which is now not big enough (i got it because of it's speed). i am looking for something that has a 1 or 2Gb storage capacity. i like the "new" cruzer titanium but don't know if it is any good.

Discussion is locked

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Some insight...
Aug 19, 2006 9:29PM PDT

Thos bigger ones(1mb or better) I've come across haven't failed yet, but most are relativity new, so I can't yes/no on any certain brand. Lower capacity ones have done quite well and when they do fail, they just do, more than likely because of "static/ESD" damage. I do find the Kingston brand more to my liking as I've had a 32mb for years and still works, all others have failed, like Memorex and Secure jumpdrives. Some other "give-aways" when they were 128mb or less didn't make it and died too, but they certainly lasted at least 1-2 yrs. before biting the dust. Earlier Cruzer drives had some glitch and I stayed away from them, but it seems they've corrected that(not recongized) or resolved it. As for any flash drives, I like those that have an easily "recappable" cover for the business end.

tada -----Willy Happy

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I bought and used these ...
Aug 23, 2006 2:41PM PDT
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Cruiser+other possible solutions you may not have considered
Aug 24, 2006 7:04PM PDT

Over the years I've used a variety of brands of off-system storage, including the Cruiser 1Gb which worked flawlessly except for the need for a clean reformat at time of purchase (can be said of most of them -- work best/most reliably if they are wiped occassionally).

Things to consider/watch for:
- If you have a Mac anywhere in your workflow (home/office/local print-house/etc), make sure the drive is cross-platform compatible. The Cruiser is, although file names get truncated.
- Consider whether you would be better served by a dual-purpose machine, such as an iPod (which can be used for storage as well for any model except the shuffle, while still providing MP3/AIFF/AC3/etc playback capabilites with the rest of the dedicated memory), or a cell-phone that takes mini-CF cards and an USB dataport, or even a digital camera with a large memory card. I have used all of these methods at various times to move data, and one of my HD-based iPods commonly serves as a field-boot drive for client macs in addition to just being an ''iPod''.
- Finally, consider how long you want the data, how much you'll need in a year or two, and whether a micro external HD (eSATA, USB-2, FireWire/IEEE-1394) makes sense for you. If you just need to move the occasional document, it may not, but if you move entire projects or need active back-up of your stuff, it may make better sense...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

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search for the best $
Aug 24, 2006 11:06PM PDT

I recently got a "My Flash" 1G online for a very good price. I first did a Google search for a "1G USB" and then went to one of the price comparison sites to find what I wanted for the best price.
You should also check local weekly sales at such places as Staples, Office Max, etc. They sometimes have outrageous sales. I recently had a friend pick up a 512 USB for $15.
And thats it!

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search for the best $$...Flash/jump/thumb drives
Aug 24, 2006 11:14PM PDT

Office Max, Staples, Circuit City and Comq USA all have had the 1Gbyte for $25 the past few weeks (rebate) and 512 Mbyte for $ 15-18.00. Yes the Cruzers have a nice, tough body. But they are all just memory chips and unless you know who provides the vendor the CHIPS buy by price. With the advent of Large, large scale Chips which is replacing discrete electronic components and everything is manufacture in China or Indonoesia......quality is more uniform.

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Beware of fake 1GB, 2GB USB flash memory!
Aug 25, 2006 4:23AM PDT

If u buy from retailers like Staples, CC, ZipZoomFly, and Newegg, this shouldn't be an issue. I'm not sure ot the extent they test for opened returns and refurbs, but even so, u could get your $$ back on grounds of defectiveness.

If purchasing from a site where more dubious selling conditions are possible like ebay, u'll wanna check that your 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB flash memory can really hold that capacity. Sometimes they just use 32MB to 512MB chipsets and disguish it so Windows sees the full, claimed capacity. When u go and try to use all that capacity however, u get corruption errors since that extra capacity in truth does not exist. A simple to perform is to write a single 900MB file onto a 1GB flash memory, and then try to read or load off it. While USB speeds vary betw PCs, if you're certain it keeps writing/reading "infinitely", then you may have a fake capacity.

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Good price at Staples this week
Aug 25, 2006 10:45AM PDT

I'm partial to the SanDisk Cruzer, and Staples has them on sale this week--after all the rebates it's $22.98 for 1GB. If you have a brand you like, I'd just wait until they go on sale and try to get the lowest price you can.

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with Staples, just watch the rebates
Aug 26, 2006 4:27AM PDT

I've never had any major problems with Staple's mail in rebates, but some ppl do NOT like them at all. U can still get cheap stuff w/o MIRs, but u'll need to be patient, and your selection will be less

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Memorex appears to work out very well
Aug 25, 2006 5:44AM PDT

I got an retail Memorex 512MB USB flash memory from Staples just under a year ago. It costed $20 w/o requiring any MIRs. Came with driver CD, lanyard, and warranty info. One day, I couldn't find it. Searched everywhere I could've thought of, but nowhere to be found

I got an OEM Memorex 1GB flash mem for $32 back in early April this year from 3bTech. It's just the module and the protective cap over the plug. Bought some lanyards from a one-dollar store and strung that up. As of now, it hasn't failed on me yet.

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Re:
Aug 31, 2006 3:02AM PDT

Just got a 1GB Corsair flash drive from New Egg for $24.99 which included free 3 day shipping. I ordered it Tuesday and already have it. There were many good reviews for this particular flash drive so I thought I would mention it. It comes with a lanyard, CD for Win98 (should anyone have that), and an extension. Seemed like a good deal.