Transferring lots of files quickly to USB sticks? [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Dec 3, 2009 - 25 answers

Dual-bay SATA Enclosures! Which ones let me copy from one drive to the other on a Mac? [more inside]
posted by sdis on Nov 28, 2009 - 3 answers

Are there any hard drive enclosures for 3.5" form HDs that can be powered off a USB port alone? (ie, without additional AC plug) [more inside]
posted by chefscotticus on Oct 17, 2009 - 9 answers

How do I set up a computer to automatically copy files to any flash drive when it is plugged into the USB port? [more inside]
posted by dcams on Apr 29, 2009 - 5 answers

How can I install firefox and Quakelive on a thumbdrive to play at work? [more inside]
posted by tylerfulltilt on Feb 27, 2009 - 17 answers

I have a portable usb hard drive that I use for keeping all my documents / backups on. Windows seems to love using this drive for everything, for example I am installing IE7 from windows update, and it is using the drive to hold all the temporary files during the install. Because of this the drive is always in use and I can never eject it. [more inside]
posted by Syntoad on Feb 17, 2009 - 5 answers

I have an AirPort Extreme with a printer and two external hard drives connected via a USB hub. Quite frequently one or more of these USB devices won't appear in the AirPort Utility and I can't access them. Rebooting sometimes helps. Where does the problem lie? [more inside]
posted by krunk on Jan 29, 2009 - 10 answers

So i partitioned my pocket 320gig USB drive and installed the lastest ubuntu. My intent was to use it like a live CD to virus scan windows XP worksations (to avoid imaging). Odd thing though, I can not access any data on this drive when running WinXP. in windows, it tells me that the drive isn't formatted. I checked the drive and see the Ubuntu partition, the original partition and a small 1gig partition I assume was created during the Ubuntu install. Grub loads when I restart the machine and boot from USB and Ubuntu runs fine. Is my data irrevocably lost? I was thinking of deleting the MBR, but I figure that'd just make the drive useless. ideas?
posted by Davaal on Jan 4, 2009 - 14 answers

How can I change the generic name "USB Mass Storage Device" in my Vista system tray "Safely Remove Hardware" dialog? [more inside]
posted by msbrauer on Dec 30, 2008 - 6 answers

What's the best way to dispose of a USB flash drive? [more inside]
posted by brandman on Oct 2, 2008 - 14 answers

External hard showing "weird". Better known as, sharing an external/portable hard drive between osx and winxp. [more inside]
posted by jadepearl on Jun 23, 2008 - 10 answers

What is the highest memory storage capacity for USB portable Flash drive in the market right now? [more inside]
posted by omaralarifi on Jun 18, 2008 - 4 answers

My external hard-drive's on the fritz. What can I do to make sure I get all my data off it before it goes? [more inside]
posted by djgh on Jun 3, 2008 - 5 answers

I have a Dell Inspiron 600m that has a weird problem: USB flash drives aren't detected at all, but other usb devices (i.e. external usb harddrives) work perfectly fine. Clean install of Windows with updated drivers does not fix this problem. My google-fu apparently isn't sophisticated enough to dig up a solution. Ideas?
posted by jytsai on May 30, 2008 - 6 answers

I think I'm finally switching to Ubuntu on my main machine. I have two 160GB external drives, currently both with NTFS, currently mirrored (by software, not a RAID). With what and how should I format/use these guys? [more inside]
posted by tmcw on Mar 14, 2008 - 8 answers

I have a big external USB hard drive with three partitions for infrequently used files and backup. I was wondering what kind of file to make to have it automatically open a folder showing the drive when I power on the device and not ask me what I'd like to do with each of the other drives. [more inside]
posted by royalchinook on Feb 21, 2008 - 7 answers

I need to find a way to keep all of my various bits of information handy in one application on my USB drive - things like notes, to-do lists, addresses and project information - and would be very grateful for any recommendations or help you can give me :) ! I'm happy to pay for the right software so paid or free options would both be great. What I'm looking for is something that is... - Self contained: must run on, or from, the USB stick and not* require a webserver or apache to work (browser-based apps are fine if they meet this criteria) - Easy to use - Secure (a login would be ideal) - Searchable - Has checklists for my to-do items - Has the ability to write freeform text for project info / notes Do you know of a portable PIM or similar application that would fit the bill? A huge thank you in advance for taking the time to help me out :)! * Web servers, wiki's and Wordpress (so many w's!) are out of the question sadly since my work computer is in serious IT lockdown and I can't even change the apache port.
posted by katala on Jan 24, 2008 - 12 answers

Syncing up 2 USB Hdd on a Mac and Font converting software (PC to Mac) [more inside]
posted by spinko on Nov 27, 2007 - 4 answers

Please recommend the sturdiest USB drive around. Assume that I am rougher on these things than Bigfoot. [more inside]
posted by portabella on Nov 4, 2007 - 9 answers

I did something dumb, have I screwed up my USB key / flash drive?? [more inside]
posted by katala on Oct 20, 2007 - 9 answers

Recommendations for 'No Install' CD recovery software for a thumb drive? [more inside]
posted by whatisish on Oct 17, 2007 - 3 answers

External Hard drive USB device not recognized, how do I fix? [more inside]
posted by complience on May 26, 2007 - 9 answers

Thumb Drive Life Cycle [more inside]
posted by KRS on May 24, 2007 - 2 answers

Why can I use a usb drive interchangeably between my Mac and PC, but not an external drive? [more inside]
posted by horsemuth on Jan 11, 2007 - 8 answers

How do I stop windows from automatically searching for media when a new drive is plugged in? (Minor annoyance.) [more inside]
posted by univac on Nov 29, 2006 - 3 answers

Just received a 2gb usb drive as a gift -what do I put on it and what do I use it for - transferring shite between work and home is not a concern.
posted by philad on Oct 7, 2006 - 18 answers

LinuxN00bFilter: Linux and/or dual boot from external USB HD (not pen/flash drive, but a real hard drive) -- how? [more inside]
posted by treepour on Oct 1, 2006 - 5 answers

Hello, Hive Mind. I'm about to buy a Mac Mini for my space-cramped office. However, I want to be able to use my two old IDE drives. So, what kind of enclosure should I buy? Are they all essentially the same? Should I go for USB or Firewire?
posted by optimuscrime on Jul 30, 2006 - 15 answers

So, I accidentally stuck my usb pen drive into my ethernet socket. Now it doesn't seem to be working, is it likely that the USB drive has damaged it?
posted by MrC on Jul 12, 2006 - 11 answers

What can I do to get my computer to recognize my USB thumb drive? [more inside]
posted by bison on Jun 9, 2006 - 7 answers

Where is the cheapest place to get about 1000, 256mb USB thumb drives imprinted (not just a sticker) with my company logo made?
posted by banished on Apr 10, 2006 - 4 answers

Changing drive letters in Windows 2000 [more inside]
posted by vanoakenfold on Jan 28, 2006 - 6 answers

Someone who shall remain nameless put my Sandisk Cruzer Mini USB drive through the washer. It's one of the groovy ones with rubberised slipcases, and it's still working. What are these things made of? Will it rust? [more inside]
posted by Happy Dave on Jan 16, 2006 - 12 answers

My external USB Hard Drive is freezing my PC! [more inside]
posted by Kiwi on Jan 12, 2006 - 4 answers

So I just got a 512MB USB key drive as an early christmas present, and I'm looking for interesting things to put on it (other than, you know, files). I know about Portable Firefox and Portable Thunderbird, but is there anything else I should check out?
posted by kaefer on Dec 24, 2004 - 11 answers

External USB Hard Drive FAT32 corruption via Mac OS 9! Help me Obi-Wan Kenobe! (More inside) [more inside]
posted by loquacious on Dec 21, 2004 - 1 answer

(Lost Data FIlter)
I attempted to partition my Maxtor 60 GB HDD earlier, while I had a 40 gb Maxtor external USB 2 drive plugged in. What I'm afraid happened is that when the computer rebooted, the drive letters change and Partition Magic 8 was going to work on the external drive.
[more inside] [more inside]
posted by Evstar on Nov 17, 2004 - 6 answers

Can a USB flash drive be used as your Windows swap space? What are the positive aspects of a design such as this?
posted by Keyser Soze on Sep 7, 2004 - 18 answers

Large external drive on ancient laptop: I've got a 160 gig USB drive I'm trying to access from a laptop running Windows ME. [more inside]
posted by muckster on Mar 2, 2004 - 13 answers