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flash drives don't last long!!

P

pppsyang

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 14, 2001
Messages
138
I have had three flash drives and none of them lasted long. They worked for about one week then I got something like "Windows was unable to save all the data..." "data has been lost...".

What is the best kind, size or brand that may not have the problem?
 
they shouldnt die that quick. I have an iomega micro 128mb, lexar (something) 64mb, and we use several sandisk cruzer (mini?) 512mbs at work.

All are many weeks old, get fairly heavy use. The lexar went through the washing machine and after being dried out still works.
 
YEs they should last longer than weeks ... I have a dell brnaded 128MB one ... hung in my keychain since I got it, lost the cap after 1 week ... but it's been more than 6 months and it still works ...
 
Well I have a 64mb Belkin Flashdrive and i've had it since April 2003 and I have used it quite a bit on various computer systems and it is still working. You must have had defective units because if anything I'd say the Flash drives are one of the better removable mediums (totally blows away floppy disks for sure!). I love mine.
 
i have a memorex 128mb and i have had it just under 1 year, and use it just about daily and it still works great.
 
you were probably unlucky or something...I've had the same flash drive for a good two years now...yes it still works
 
Gee three devices go bad and you blame the device? :confused:

What about a bad USB port? Too much voltage?
 
I used them on Windows XP and Windows 2000. The drives were perfect for this first week. Can't believe voltage had anything to do with it. Could it be the size of the files I tried to transfer (>20MB)?
 
pppsyang said:
The drives were perfect for this first week. Can't believe voltage had anything to do with it. Could it be the size of the files I tried to transfer (>20MB)?
Click to expand...
Wait, you think voltage is irrelevant, but the file size matter? :confused:

If your over-juicing an electronic component it can be bad for said component. This isn't a matter of opinion.

File size IS irrelevant, it's solid state media. Pretty much the only thing that will damage this media is: physical damage to the circuitry (did you crush it?) or electricity (only thing providing juice is the USB port).

So, back to my original though... Why on earth would you suspect the device if 3 of them fail? For any given problem, there is generaly one cause, not 3. The chances of 3 devices failing instead of 1 is so insignificant you should defintaly consider other issues to look at?
 
I am looking for other issues. But what are they? I have to know what was wrong so I won't do it again.

Voltage too high? The USB ports on different machines work for other things like digital camera, zip drive....

Physical damage? I certainly took better care of them than people in this thread(washed in washing machine, attached to a keychain). I put the drive in a leather pouch.

What else could have gone wrong?
 
I'm on my 3rd flash drive. The 1st one got physically stuck in a USB port after I lent it to someone for 10 mins (he claimed he didnt do anything wrong to it but I think thats BS) and I had to destroy it to get it out. The replacement for that one had the same exact problem pppsyang is describing and this last one has been working since last December.

I figure the 1st one was broken by my idiot friend and the 2nd was just defective.

I suppose it is possible to get 3 defective drives in a row, but I think its highly unlikely.
 
I guess they were just not good brands. The first one was free (many people at the hot deal forum also got it). The other two were some unknown brands ($10 each 64MB). I will spend more money for a better brand. Again, what is good brand?
 
pppsyang said:
I guess they were just not good brands. The first one was free (many people at the hot deal forum also got it). The other two were some unknown brands ($10 each 64MB). I will spend more money for a better brand. Again, what is good brand?
Click to expand...

Are these the only USB device you have? If not, how are the others? GEt a good warranty on what ever you're buying, just in case it is really the USB connector that's killing your devices ...
 
pppsyang said:
I guess they were just not good brands. The first one was free (many people at the hot deal forum also got it). The other two were some unknown brands ($10 each 64MB). I will spend more money for a better brand. Again, what is good brand?
Click to expand...
sandisk, lexar, etc.
 
Win2k requires that you stop the drive before removing it. It has some issues with how data is cached when writing to a USB device iirc. End result of not stopping thumb drives before disconnecting on a win2k box is a corrupted drive or data.
 
Xeese said:
Win2k requires that you stop the drive before removing it. It has some issues with how data is cached when writing to a USB device iirc. End result of not stopping thumb drives before disconnecting on a win2k box is a corrupted drive or data.
Click to expand...


:D I've heard a lot of people say this ... haven't done it once though ... I always yank any USB connector without stopping it ... keeps giving me that pop-up saying the device was removed without stopping ... I got used to XP I guess ...
 
I never abused flash drive by pulling it without stopping. I need to do that with Windows XP also.
 
Both of my Sony 256's have lasted over a year without any problems...
 
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