LEXAR MEDIA 256MB JumpDrive USB 2.0

Rating:
Summary: Don't do it!
Review: I was really excited to get the JumpDrive because of the reviews I read. True, it is a lot more durable than many flash drives, but I've had so many problems that it's entirely not worth it. From day one I was unable to use it with most of the computers at school because the JumpDrive tries to install its "secure" software onto whatever computer you plug it into. Most public computers will not allow this due to all of the computer viruses going around. Unfortunately, if the software doesn't install you can't access the drive. Another problem that I've had while using it with friends' computers is that it will occasionally delete entire batches of files! I've always been careful to properly eject the device, but more than once it has deleted numerous files that I had recently saved onto it. I generally like Lexar products, but not this. My friends have cheaper flashdrives that do a much, MUCH better job.

Rating:
Summary: Bye Bye Zips!
Review: This handy little device all but eliminates the need for carrying bulky Zip disks and delicate floppies as a means of transferring data from one PC to another. And best of all, it's simple. Just plug it into the USB port and Windows immediately recognizes the unit as a removable drive. No drivers to load (unless you're using Windows 98), no partitioning or other disk related hassles. The drive defaults to a "public" view, which means that if you lose the device anyone who finds it can plug it into their computer and access your files. To address this concern, the unit comes with security software that enables you to create a passworded section on the drive which is invisible to anyone who doesn't know your password. Sort of like the invisible partition that can be created with PGP Disk. File transfer via USB 2 is nearly as quick as a hard drive transfer, and the drives come in different sizes from 16 megs up to 2 gigs. This 256 meg unit was reasonably priced, and should fit the needs of anyone who just wants to carry a few documents, photos, MP3s or video clips from one place to another. A word of warning! If you have mapped network drives you may have to manually assign a drive letter through the Administrative Tools in Control Panel. For some reason adding a new removable drive to a system that already contains mapped network drives is sometimes problematic. Both my Palm device and this USB flash drive always try to hijack my G: drive, which is mapped to another computer. When this happens, manually changing the letter in Disk Management, under the Administrative Tools icon in Control Panel is the way to fix the problem.