Working with Flash Drives

A flash drive is a small, removable hard drive that plugs into a USB port on your computer. You can purchase a flash drive for less than $20 at just about any retail store with an electronics department, and even at some grocery stores and pharmacies. Flash drives are a convenient way to bring your files with you and open them on a different computer. You could also use a flash drive to back up important documents and other files. In this lesson, we'll show you how to use a flash drive with your computer.

To connect a flash drive:

1. Insert the flash drive into a USB port on your computer. You should find a USB port on the front, back, or side of your computer (the location may vary depending on whether you have a desktop or a laptop).
2. Depending on how your computer is set up, a dialog box may appear. If it does, select Open folder to view files.

3. If a dialog box does not appear, open Windows Explorer (or File Explorer) and locate and select the flash drive on the left side of the window. Note that the name of the flash drive may vary.

Working with a flash drive:

Once you've connected a flash drive, you can work with it just like any other folder on your computer, including moving and deleting files.

1. If you want to copy a file from your computer to the flash drive, click and drag the file from your computer to this window.

2. The file will be duplicated, and this new version will be saved to the flash drive. The original version of the file will still be saved to your computer.

3. If you want to copy a file from your flash drive to your computer, click and drag the file from this window to your computer.

4. If you want to remove a file from your flash drive, click and drag the file to the Recycle Bin. A dialog box will appear. Click Yes to confirm that you want to permanently delete the file.

To safely remove a flash drive:

When you're done using a flash drive, don't remove it from the USB port just yet! You'll need to make sure to disconnect it properly to avoid damaging files on the drive.

1. Right-click the flash drive, then select Disconnect (or Eject).

2. You can now safely remove the flash drive from the USB port.

FAQs

What is a flash drive used for?

A flash drive is used to store, transfer, and back up files (like documents, photos, and videos) easily between different computers without needing the internet.

Is a flash drive the same as a thumb drive or USB drive?

Yes. Thumb drive, jump drive, pen drive, memory stick, and USB drive are all different names for the exact same device.

Why do I have to "Eject" the flash drive safely?

Ejecting tells the computer to finish saving any data currently writing to the drive. Pulling it out abruptly while it is saving can corrupt your files, making them unreadable.

How much data can a flash drive hold?

Flash drives come in many sizes, usually measured in Gigabytes (GB). A typical drive ranges from 16GB up to 512GB, with larger sizes capable of holding thousands of photos and hours of video.

Can a flash drive catch a computer virus?

Yes. Because you plug them into multiple computers, flash drives can carry malware from an infected computer to a clean one. It is a good practice to scan your flash drive with antivirus software occasionally.