Genealogy Chat

Can anyone tell me what this is please and would I be able to transfer my Tree onto it? I'm not a techie!

Flashdrives are storage devices (like floppy disks) that you can backup (copy) your files onto in case of PC crashes. They come in different sizes so they bigger the Giga Byte (GB) the more storage they have. Have a look on Amazon for some examples. Hope this helps. Anna x

A flashdrive is a small device that plugs into a USB port. It's not much bigger than a key ring. However, it can contain a large amount of magnetic storage, so it is possible to store files and folders on it. Also programs, pictures -- in fact anything you can store on a disk. As far as the computer is concerned, it looks just like another disk, so you can copy files to and from it in the usual ways. But because it is small and portable, it's a good way of backing up your information, and perhaps moving them to another computer. If you are thinking of buying one, check that it works on the software level (of Windows) on your machine. Hope that helps. Jim

Thanks Anna. Had looked at Savapoint and there were several - at several prices. Will try Amazon as you suggested. J

I'm interested in this, too. Is it more or less the same as a memory stick, and if not, what are the differences/advantages?

Hi I just googled 'flashdrive' and came across a site which says that flashdrives are intended to store files for transfer between computers and not really intended as a source of backup storage.(ie temporary portable storage as opposed to permanent backup) It recommends cd backup,but i have my tree backed up on a memory stick which is a slightly different thing to flash drives. I'm no techie either and did struggle with the first transfer but managed it in the end. Perhaps a better technical whizz can tell you better than me. Glen

Jim I can't write on my CD apparently. Would there be a problem with Flashdrive? Sorry for being a nincompoop. PS What is a USB???????? Glen What is the difference between a Flashdrive and a memory stick please????? J

Ah, that was going to be my next question, Glen. What's recommended for long-term storage? I don't think burning to CD's the answer, is it?

USB is the socket on the back to plug in a modem/printer other hardware. There aren't enough on my pc for printer,modem and memory stick at once, so when i saved my FTM files i simply unplugged my printer,and plugged in the memory stick. Glen

Purple Lady, to write to CD you need a CD burner, a piece of hardware which needs to be bought separately from your computer unless it came with one built in. You also need a software program to make it work. To copy stuff to a flashdrive, the drive itself is the hardware, and I assume it comes with whatever software is needed to copy files to it. The USB port is a slot in the back of your computer that it slots into.

This is what the site says, Flash Drive Windows XP How to Use a USB Flash Drive -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Flash Drive is a small self-powered drive that connects to a computer directly through a USB port. It's both Mac and PC compatible, so you can transfer files between both Macs and PCs. They are supported on all public machines, although some flash drives require a user to install drivers before use. Flash drives can hold any type of data, including excel, jpeg, video, and text files. Flash drives are also commonly referred to as key drive, thumb drives, jump drives, USB drives and pen drives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents: Introduction Copying Files on PC's Formatting drives on PC's Notes and Words of Caution Introduction: Flash drives are meant as a way to get files to and from multiple computers. They are NOT for backups. We strongly encourage users to backup files to CD-RW or CD-R disks or zip disks. Please note that not all flash drives are the same. Some may require extra drivers to be installed on a computer in order for them to function properly. Public computers do not allow drivers to be installed. Therefore, not all flash drives will be compatible with public computers. Flash drives come with varying amounts of memory. You may purchase a flash drive that is approximately the size of a zip disk, or 256MB. Also, you have the option of purchasing a few 32MB drives instead of a single 256MB drive. Some of the most popular brand name drives, are Lexar, Sandisk, Kingston, PNY, and Iomega. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copying files to a flash drive on a PC: Open My Computer and see which drives are shown. Most computers, for example, have a hard disk such as a C: drive and a few removable storage devices such as a floppy drive, a CD-ROM drive, and perhaps a zip drive. Insert the flash drive into the USB port and watch to see where the USB flash drive appears. Most will appear as removable storage, but some will instead appear as hard drives. Note the name Windows is using to refer to the flash drive ('Removable Disk (G:),' for example). Open My Documents or the location from which you want to transfer files to the flash drive. Select the files or folders you want to save to the flash drive by left-clicking on them. To select more than one, hold down the CTRL key while you click and select all of the files you wish to save. Right-click on the file(s) or folder(s) you selected, then select Send to, then select the name you saw appearing in My Computer for the flash drive ('Removable Disk (G:),' for example). When the copying is finished, do not immediately remove the flash drive from the USB port. Instead, left-click on the Remove Hardware icon located in the System Tray. A window containing a list of the USB devices will appear. Left-click on the Safely Remove Mass Storage Device line that matches your flash drive (for example, Safely Remove Mass Storage Device - Drive(G:)). When you see the following message appear in the bottom left toolbar, it is, as it says, safe to remove the flash drive from the USB port; you may close the message or ignore it, as it will close itself automatically: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copying files from a flash drive on a PC: Open My Computer and see which drives are shown. Most computers, for example, have a hard disk such as a C: drive and a few removable storage devices such as a floppy drive, a CD-ROM drive, and perhaps a zip drive. Insert the flash drive into the USB port and watch to see where the USB flash drive appears. Most will appear as removable storage, but some will instead appear as hard drives. Note the name Windows is using to refer to the flash drive ('Removable Disk (G:),' for example). Double-click on the flash drive to locate the file(s) or folder(s) you want to copy to this computer. Select the files or folders you want to copy by left-clicking on them. To select more than one, hold down the CTRL key while you click and select all of the files or folders you wish to copy. Right-click on the files or folders you have selected and choose Copy. Open My Documents or the location to which you want to transfer files from the flash drive. Click on the Edit menu, then select Paste. When the copying is finished, do not immediately remove the flash drive from the USB port. Instead, left-click on the Remove Hardware icon located in the System Tray. A window containing a list of the USB devices will appear. Left-click on the Safely Remove Mass Storage Device line that matches your flash drive Glen

Thanks Glen It would seem I really need a memory stick then. Do you agree? Sorry to be a pain!!!! J

Think you'll find that a flash drive is the same as a memory stick. Also can be called a pen drive and a flash memory stick, just to confuse us!! And you can store your info on them, as well as transfer details to another PC. Anna x

I'm not sure, but I *think* that 'Memory Stick' may refer to a proprietary (sp?) type of memory device used by Sony, especially for their digital cameras (and maybe MP3 players). It would be similar to - but not exactly the same as - a Compact Flash (CF) or Secure Digital (SD) memory card. A flash drive, pen drive, etc... has a USB connector, which means that it can be plugged into any PC or Mac made in the past 4 or 5 years. I'd check this out for sure before ordering. Tim

I'm getting out of my depth here,whether a flash drive/memory stick/pen drive are the same i don't know. Any experts out there? Glen

OK - if you really want to know, take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive. Of course, if you're not technically minded, 95 percent of the article is incomprehensible. But at the end there is a list of names commonly used to describe these devices. As I suspected, 'memory stick' does actually refer to the Sony proprietary storage device, although some people may use the term (incorrectly) when refering to USB flash drives. Hope this helps - Tim

USB Flash memory can be used on all PCs running Windows 98SE or later (ie Windows ME, 2000 or XP) as long as you have an available USB port. Most recent machines have them at the front as well as the rear, and most budget printers have been USB only for years. If you have Windows 98SE, then apart from it being time to change, you will need to install a hardware driver for the device (supplied by the manufacturer), but later operating systems and particularly Windows XP will detect and install drivers when you first connect the drive. It will be assigned a drive letter (Typically E if you have a hard disk as C, with CD as drive D). You move, copy and use files on the USB drive just as you would with any other drive, except that you can unplug it at any time, making your data portable. The devices are very reliable, but not as secure as creating a CD copy of your data, so not suitable for permanent storage, but for data like the software files created by family tree programs. which change every time you use them, they are an ideal tool. Cheap and easy to use.

saving for reference - thanks for info

Time to rush out and buy a flashdrive, I think - my hard drive's been making funny noises for a couple of days. I suppose it might just be the fan, but I'm afraid it may be on its last legs.

Glen and everyone else who don't have enough usb ports on their computers. You can buy a usb hub - this is a a 'hub' of 2/4/8 usb ports in one unit which is plugged into one usb port in your computer. This means you can plug say your camera, printer, memory stick, mp3 and anything else you may have into the unit and only use one port. You can purchase these from all the usual places but I got one the other week from *A* *S*imple *D*oit *A*ll shop (don't like to advertise too much - lol) for £6. Obviously the prices vary depending where you buy then and how many ports they are offering - but it does solve the problem of plugging and unplugging 'stuff'.