- There have been various occurences where files are becoming corrupted when saving directly to a
usb flash drive from Microsoft Word and other programs.
- To reduce file corruptions, please save your file to Drive H: ( My Documents) first.
- When you are satisfied with your file, copy the final saved version from Drive H: (My Documents) to your
USB Flash Drive.
Function and usage
A USB flash drive is much like a portable version of your
computer's hard drive. It is much smaller than a floppy disk and
can hold much larger amounts of data. An average flash drive
can hold anywhere from 64MB to 256GB. Compare
to a floppy disk that holds 1.44MB and you can start to see why
USB flash drives are so popular. Flash drives are
also very durable since they have no moving parts to malfunction or
become damaged due to dirt.
Using a flash drive in the library
Make sure when you buy your personal flash drive that it requires
no device drivers or special software to be installed for use
with Windows XP.
| How to use your flashdrive in the library |
Connecting a USB flash drive to a library computer
Find your USB port and insert the drive. |
 
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When you insert the usb flash drive into a USB port
you will see a brief message on your computer screen that
says, "Found New Hardware" and a new icon with a green
arrow in your system tray.
- The disk is now connected and should be fully functional.
- To save to it, select "Removable Disk (E:\)" from the
"My Computer" directory (If a zip drive is attached, the flash drive may be drive (F:\) instead).
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Removing a USB flash drive from a library computer
Proper removal of a USB flash drive
is VERY IMPORTANT in making sure your data is preserved.
- First make sure all programs are closed (i.e. MS Word, My Computer Folder, E:/ Drive Folder). Then single left click the green arrow icon in the system tray (Double clicking is disabled on this icon).
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- A box will pop up with a list of devices. Choose the USB Mass Storage Device (E:/)
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- If you receive a message saying that the device
is active, wait 2 or 3 minutes and try the removal process
again.
- If you receive the message again, close and
reopen theMy Computer folder. Make sure your saved work is
listed in the Removable Disk (E:\). Close the My Computer
folder and try clicking on the jump drive icon in the system tray again.
If the process fails again, you will have to pull out the jump drive
without stopping it. The possibility that your data may be lost does exist
if this method is used.
- Remember to save often and save in more than one place. Flash drives
can fail.
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You should now be able to safely remove your flash drive. |
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Connections
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