Have you downloaded more applications for your U3 smart drive yet? I could hardly wait to get my drive out of the wrapper to start adding software (and it took me long enough to get into the packaging!). Before I got my first smart drive, I used to look at the software through the U3 website, at U3 Software Central (U3SC). I had heard the U3 E-commerce manager, Renee, talk about the online store and point out the benefits of accessing U3SC through the Launchpad and was curious to find out why.
Renee said a direct Launchpad install offers you a one-step download onto your U3 drive. With a PC download, you need to download the app to your hard drive, then open the Launchpad and then open/install the application on the drive - OK, not rocket science, but more time, effort and opportunity to mess up. Plus, you’re missing out on the whole benefit of U3 technology that enables you to bypass the hard drive! Renee summarized that “a direct Launchpad install is a more seamless integration of the technology allowing you to easily get to what you need and download”.
Personally, I found the direct download really easy - I clicked on the app I wanted then went and did chores for a few minutes while my applications were installed onto my smart drive (I do like to multitask). I could then enjoy the fun bit of getting a new toy - personalizing and playing with it!
Jun 28, 2007
U3 Smart USB Pen Drive
Meet the next generation of USB flash drives: the U3 smart
drive. It's
what's inside that makes them smart.
- Carry and access your files easily
- Keep your data safe and secure
- Comes with pre-loaded software
- Hundreds of software titles available
Store your data and carry software
applications!
Imagine carrying your software on the same flash drive that carries your
files. That’s what you can do with a U3 smart drive. You can plug it into any PC
and work, play a game, message friends, send email, edit photos and more. A U3
smart drive makes any PC your own PC. And when you unplug it, it leaves no
personal data behind.
Jun 25, 2007
tree trunk memory sticks
These flash drives look a bit weird they use real wood, so green these devices are not, after all where did the wood come from? But they do act as reminder for people to see that trees are used for many things and without even any thought to where they have come from etc.
Jun 24, 2007
When Your Computer Won't Recognize Your Flash Drive
If your Windows XP computer is not recognizing your flash drive, its likely that you computer simply is confused as to what drive letter to assign to the memory stick. Fortunately, the fix is a simple one. This trick also works when your computer refuses to recognize a USB drive or other removable storage device.
First, hit Windows+E to open an Explorer window.
Select “My Computer.”
Right click and choose “Manage” from the contextual menu. This will open a window called “Computer Management.”
Select “Disk Management”, which is under “Storage”
On the bottom right side of the window, you’ll see a list of all of the storage devices currently attached to the computer. If your flash drive is listed there, that’s great—you can fix the problem. If not, this solution won’t work.
Right click on the drive listed in that window. This will bring up a contextual menu. Choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths.”
This will bring up yet another window, which will show your “missing” drive. Choose “Change” at the bottom.
Another window will pop up. This one will have a drop down menu on the right hand side. Choose a letter “higher” than the one currently assigned to the drive. If it’s “E”, for example, choose a letter between “F” and “Z.” Its probably best to pick one toward the end of the alphabet.
Once you’ve selected a drive letter, a warning message will come up saying that “Changing The Drive Letter of a Volume Might Cause Programs No Longer To run.”
That’s OK. It’s likely that all you’ve got on the drive is data. Click on Yes.
That will return you to the Computer Management Window.
Your drive now should function properly.
First, hit Windows+E to open an Explorer window.
Select “My Computer.”
Right click and choose “Manage” from the contextual menu. This will open a window called “Computer Management.”
Select “Disk Management”, which is under “Storage”
On the bottom right side of the window, you’ll see a list of all of the storage devices currently attached to the computer. If your flash drive is listed there, that’s great—you can fix the problem. If not, this solution won’t work.
Right click on the drive listed in that window. This will bring up a contextual menu. Choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths.”
This will bring up yet another window, which will show your “missing” drive. Choose “Change” at the bottom.
Another window will pop up. This one will have a drop down menu on the right hand side. Choose a letter “higher” than the one currently assigned to the drive. If it’s “E”, for example, choose a letter between “F” and “Z.” Its probably best to pick one toward the end of the alphabet.
Once you’ve selected a drive letter, a warning message will come up saying that “Changing The Drive Letter of a Volume Might Cause Programs No Longer To run.”
That’s OK. It’s likely that all you’ve got on the drive is data. Click on Yes.
That will return you to the Computer Management Window.
Your drive now should function properly.
DOS USB Drivers
There are several ways folks are getting their USB CDroms, Hard Drives, and other drives to work in DOS. One is using what's known as DUSE driver system. The second method is using what looks somewhat like standard CDrom driver files and a USB driver. Both methods appear to require loading an usbaspiX.sys file first in config.sys in most cases. The third method is a bootdisk from a USB vendor. Method 4 is getting good reviews also.
METHOD 1 - The DUSE System
Example 1 Using DUSE
[config.sys]
device=a:\himem.sys
devicehigh=a:\emm386.exe
device=a:\usbaspi.sys
dos=high,umb
Note: You can find a usbspi.sys on the internet or use on of the five different versions I've found in the Download Files section at the bottom of the page
[autoexec.bat]
@echo off
duseldr a:\duse.exe
MSCDEX /D:USBCDROM /S /M:15 /V
Example 2 Using DUSE
[config.sys]
device=a:\himem.sys
DEVICE=a:\duse.exe
[autoexec.bat]
MSCDEX /D:USBCDROM /S /M:15 /V
METHOD 2 - The usbaspi.sys/usbcd.sys System - Example 1
METHOD 1 - The DUSE System
Example 1 Using DUSE
[config.sys]
device=a:\himem.sys
devicehigh=a:\emm386.exe
device=a:\usbaspi.sys
dos=high,umb
Note: You can find a usbspi.sys on the internet or use on of the five different versions I've found in the Download Files section at the bottom of the page
[autoexec.bat]
@echo off
duseldr a:\duse.exe
MSCDEX /D:USBCDROM /S /M:15 /V
Example 2 Using DUSE
[config.sys]
device=a:\himem.sys
DEVICE=a:\duse.exe
[autoexec.bat]
MSCDEX /D:USBCDROM /S /M:15 /V
METHOD 2 - The usbaspi.sys/usbcd.sys System - Example 1
usb sushi drives
Never again will you have to choose between having sushi or having a USB memory drive--thanks to the USB sushi drive. These USB drives are hand-made-in-Tokyo sushi replicas. The convincing USB sushi drive comes in several flavors.
Disable usb flash drives
Once in a while I have a friend, or customer that needs to keep people from using the USB ports to copy data off of a system.
It is easy to lock a machine down, disable the floppy, and cdrom in the bios. Many times when you try to disable USB - it disables it entirely.
This can be a real pain on newer laptops or systems that don't even have a PS2 interface for the mouse or keyboard.
There is a simple registry change that will keep the USB storage drivers from starting when the system boots. Keeps people from walking up to a PC and copying data off with a USB key, but allows you to keep your scanner, keyboard, and mouse working.
As always - back your system up before messing around in the registry.
Just open regedit and browse to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
Notice the value 'Start'
Switch this value to 4, and USB storage devices are disabled.
Switch this value to 3, and USB storage devices are enabled.
Put Your USB Drive To Work: 5 Strategies For Going Mobile
Your flash drive can do more than just hold data -- it can give you the ability to take your PC anywhere. Here are five strategies for making the most of that tiny USB key.
Now that the floppy disk is dead (or as dead as it gets) and the USB flash drive has pretty much replaced it, it's high time to think about that USB drive as more than just a big floppy
There's no question the size of your average USB drive has made it far easier to shuttle both data and applications between computers. For $25, you can pick up a 2GB USB flash drive, enough data to fill roughly four CD-ROMs. But aside from data, applications are also becoming a featured item: Some companies sell Linux distributions pre-loaded on a USB stick, for instance. With all that space and flexibility available, it's become possible (or at least a lot easier) for people to take both their data and their applications with them.
Because so many things are possible, people new to the idea of using USB drives to work on the go sometimes get a little lost. What kinds of on-the-go work can you specifically do with a USB drive, and why? To that end, I've assembled five basic ways you can use your USB drive on the go in more effective ways:
How to use applications without installing anything on the host machine
How to run a standalone operating system from a USB drive.
How to maintain a standalone (and secure) password repository
How to synchronize data between two or more computers
How to encrypt your data so that it's safe to carry it around with you.
The vast majority of the material described here is for Windows -- the PortableApps suite, for instance, is a Windows-only item at this point. Some individual programs do exist in Linux incarnations, though -- TrueCrypt, for instance, and KeePass has been unofficially translated into Linux and MacOS editions (as well as a U3 device edition). Check the respective Web sites of each application for what versions are available, as they may change over time.
A Note Of Caution: Sorry, You Can't Plug That in Here
As usage of portable USB drives rises, so does caution about their use. Many workplaces and public-access computers no longer allow USB devices to be connected as a security measure, or only allow read-only access (and don't allow non-approved applications to run). It can be frustrating, especially if the data you brought with you is encrypted and you need to run an application to get access to it.
As a general rule of thumb, if you don't think you can log into a given system as an administrator, chances are you won't be able to do the vast majority of things you might expect to do with applications or data on a USB drive. Be prepared to fall back to a data-only or read-only setup if you think you're going to be going back and forth between home and other machines that are heavily locked down.
Page 2: Be Productive -- Without Installing Anything
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Next Page »
Now that the floppy disk is dead (or as dead as it gets) and the USB flash drive has pretty much replaced it, it's high time to think about that USB drive as more than just a big floppy
There's no question the size of your average USB drive has made it far easier to shuttle both data and applications between computers. For $25, you can pick up a 2GB USB flash drive, enough data to fill roughly four CD-ROMs. But aside from data, applications are also becoming a featured item: Some companies sell Linux distributions pre-loaded on a USB stick, for instance. With all that space and flexibility available, it's become possible (or at least a lot easier) for people to take both their data and their applications with them.
Because so many things are possible, people new to the idea of using USB drives to work on the go sometimes get a little lost. What kinds of on-the-go work can you specifically do with a USB drive, and why? To that end, I've assembled five basic ways you can use your USB drive on the go in more effective ways:
How to use applications without installing anything on the host machine
How to run a standalone operating system from a USB drive.
How to maintain a standalone (and secure) password repository
How to synchronize data between two or more computers
How to encrypt your data so that it's safe to carry it around with you.
The vast majority of the material described here is for Windows -- the PortableApps suite, for instance, is a Windows-only item at this point. Some individual programs do exist in Linux incarnations, though -- TrueCrypt, for instance, and KeePass has been unofficially translated into Linux and MacOS editions (as well as a U3 device edition). Check the respective Web sites of each application for what versions are available, as they may change over time.
A Note Of Caution: Sorry, You Can't Plug That in Here
As usage of portable USB drives rises, so does caution about their use. Many workplaces and public-access computers no longer allow USB devices to be connected as a security measure, or only allow read-only access (and don't allow non-approved applications to run). It can be frustrating, especially if the data you brought with you is encrypted and you need to run an application to get access to it.
As a general rule of thumb, if you don't think you can log into a given system as an administrator, chances are you won't be able to do the vast majority of things you might expect to do with applications or data on a USB drive. Be prepared to fall back to a data-only or read-only setup if you think you're going to be going back and forth between home and other machines that are heavily locked down.
Page 2: Be Productive -- Without Installing Anything
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Next Page »
Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager (Standard)
Brief Description
Standard Install
Use this application to backup and restore presentation, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. Use USB Flash Drives to store personal data, to keep your network configuration and to share information with your friends. Microsoft USB Flash Drive .
USB flash drives are compact and easy-to-use devices that are similar in use to your computer hard drive. USB flash drives slip into your pocket, conveniently around your neck or on a keychain for ultimate portable storage. USB flash drives in 2005 can hold up to 4 gigs of data, which is over 1700 three-minute songs (66 hours) recorded as MP3s or about three times the content of a standard compact disc. If you share a computer, USB flash drives are a great way to store personal information. USB Flash Drives are also a great option for saving information and share it with others. When you have many things to save and share but you have a limited number of USB Flash Drives, you will need to backup the information and restore it when needed. This is where the Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager application can help you. The Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager will help you backup and restore presentation, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. The application can also help you to classify and name USB Flash Drives images (for instance "My network configuration" or "The pictures for my grandma") and lets you see this name whenever the USB Flash Drive is plugged into the computer.
Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager is available for Windows XP only.
Standard Install
Use this application to backup and restore presentation, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. Use USB Flash Drives to store personal data, to keep your network configuration and to share information with your friends. Microsoft USB Flash Drive .
USB flash drives are compact and easy-to-use devices that are similar in use to your computer hard drive. USB flash drives slip into your pocket, conveniently around your neck or on a keychain for ultimate portable storage. USB flash drives in 2005 can hold up to 4 gigs of data, which is over 1700 three-minute songs (66 hours) recorded as MP3s or about three times the content of a standard compact disc. If you share a computer, USB flash drives are a great way to store personal information. USB Flash Drives are also a great option for saving information and share it with others. When you have many things to save and share but you have a limited number of USB Flash Drives, you will need to backup the information and restore it when needed. This is where the Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager application can help you. The Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager will help you backup and restore presentation, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. The application can also help you to classify and name USB Flash Drives images (for instance "My network configuration" or "The pictures for my grandma") and lets you see this name whenever the USB Flash Drive is plugged into the computer.
Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager is available for Windows XP only.
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