Thumb drive assets/pitfalls...

On 1/13/2022 11:00 AM, bob prohaska wrote:
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
On 1/12/2022 7:27 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:

I ended up settling on 64G microSD cards. They are physically
tiny and everyone can use them in a phone, tablet, etc. once
they\'ve taken the delivered data off. So, they don\'t become
discards like the thumb drives would!

Have you come up with a decent way to label them, which doesn\'t
get in the way of actually using them in a reader or other device?

If so please post your method. My best efforts have all failed.

My first guess would likely be a Sharpie? Depending on how much
you want to write on them. I assume you\'ve tried this? Does the
ink not adhere? Or, is *re*labeling them the problem?

Speaking only of microSD, my handwriting isn\'t good enough to put
useful amounts of legible text on them and it can\'t be read when
they\'re in use, such as in Raspberry Pi systems that are running.

Don\'t worry about \"useful amounts\"! My network cables are \"labeled\"
A, B, C, D, E... up through several *punctuation* symbols (ran out
of letters). There\'s a little \"card\" I keep next to each switch
that explains:
Identifier Length Hostname

All you really care about is: \"Is this the card that I want?\"

As to how to identify when installed... <shrug>

Thin \"Scotch\" tape tags sort of work, but off the roll they\'re
too wide to fit the socket, tend to come off and frequently have
exposed adhesive when folded onto itself imperfectly. That last
problem leads to cases where labels attach themselves to moving
objects, causing them to diffuse away from where they\'re put down,
leading to vast confusion.

Putting a readme file on the disk certainly identifies it, but
doesn\'t help with the initial \"which one do I want\" problem.

But, may help with the identify when installed issue (at least
if the device is powered up AND a console is easily accessible).

I have a database that tracks the contents of my media so I can
look for a particular file and sort out where it resides. You
might be able to do the same by
ls -alR > filelistN.txt
and
grep <filesought> filelist*.txt

But, I still have to physically hunt for \"medium #381\". (so, discipline
comes into play, eventually)

I guess the only answer is greater discipline in handling the cards.....

Thanks for writing,

bob prohaska
 
On 1/13/2022 8:59 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
On 12/01/2022 02:48, Don Y wrote:
I\'ve been canvasing colleagues for thumb drive recommendations.
I typically only use them to sneakernet files into my LAN (or,
onto a TV\'s media server) so speed, reliability, etc. tend not
to be issues (drives see very few reads or writes over the course
of a year).

Most recently, I\'ve been using Lexar USB2 drives (again, speed
isn\'t important) tending to favor 16GB devices -- big enough to
carry meaningful content without being *so* big that speed and
reliability *do* become issues!

I quite like Sandisk or Integral for sacrificial code distribution. Picking
whichever is the best buy at any particular time. I have sometimes used Toshiba
too. I\'m about to try no-name Chinese ones.

I used Sandisk in the 4G days -- with a single drive going R/O on me,
shortly after purchase (replaced under warranty). But, have been using
Lexars in the time, since. I don\'t expect speed from them as I\'m
just using them as giant floppies (sneakernet); the time/effort spent
downloading <whatever> far exceeds the time spent reading/writing them.

Sandisk remain my long term favourites although I try to buy them when the
price is £10 of a pack of 3 (or equivalent on the dowdier 5 pack).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-Cruzer-Blade-Flash-Drive/dp/B07QBNYJ6X/ref=asc_df_B07QBNYJ6X/?th=1

I\'ve got to purchase a dozen or so to ship files to folks who
don\'t want to deal with multigigabyte downloads. Probably 32GB
or 64GB devices as this is a one-time transaction -- if the
drive goes R/O after I\'ve written everything on it... <shrug

So far, I\'ve no failures/data loss/problems with the Lexars.
I had one SanDisk go R/O shortly after purchase (replaced under
warranty).

The odd failure is inevitable if you use enough of them. Some fails are likely
to be from people unplugging them without demounting. It can do strange things
if an AV is prodding around on the removable volume.

No AV running, here, so I can control who/what is looking at them
(and \"safely remove media\"). No idea if the fault lies in the controller
or the media running out of clean (reusable) blocks. (My one failure was
still readable, but wouldn\'t accept writes, despite being largely empty)

PNY seems to be met with \"meh\" responses from colleagues -- some
citing high controller failure rates (high enough to turn them
off to the brand, but not necessarily statistically significant).

I\'ve also noticed a dramatic cheapening of some models, lately.
E.g., designs where the entire body (INCLUDING THE CONNECTOR SHELL)
is plastic! Gotta wonder what else they\'ve skimped on...

Any brands to avoid? Favor?

I am prepared to try some of the cheapest Chinese ones for a non critical
distribution to friends and family (bargain Xmas offer). I wouldn\'t dream of
using them for business. However, despite my misgivings they seem so far to be
OK and relatively well made.

I\'m not keen on revisiting the effort. Build the image, make N copies,
mail and then forget about it -- recipients responsible for maintaining
the integrity of their copies (as it would be \"an imposition\" to ask
me to repeat this exercise because you were \"careless\")

16GB is about the sweet spot for lowest USB2 price here. I suspect with the
cheapest it is literally pot luck with reliability and even claimed capacity
being somewhat questionable. (at least for large capacity ones)

If you look at price per GB, I think the 64\'s (depending on vendor) are
now the cheapest. Though I found some 32s being sold at a competitive
price, having to ship *two* of them instead of one device adds an
intangible cost.

I\'d like *not* for them to be one-use devices -- just on principle (I\'m
actively involved in ewaste recycling and would hate to be a part of
the problem just to save a buck). Hence, the microSD cards seem (among
the intended recipients) to be the most useful \"container\". Smaller
tends to not be of much use (in the sorts of devices that you\'d *install*
a microSD). And, they tend to get pricier as they get much larger.
 
On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:49:54 AM UTC-5, Beeper wrote:
On 1/12/22 8:49 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 11:04:23 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:
On 1/12/2022 8:35 PM, whit3rd wrote:
Seriously, USB sticks are the same way; they all look alike, and there\'s no
place to label that really works. The best I could do, was to find a vendor
with bright colors, and order six, all different colors (of some unknown quality and
tiny capacity). Those, I can kinda remember which is which. And find on
a desk, eventually.
For all but the \"teeny-tiny\" USB drives (that only protrude ~1/4 inch and need
to be grasped with finger nails), I use a pTouch labeler to make an adhesive
label. Careful choice of typeface size and orientation of the label lets
you put at least 5 or 6 letters on each drive.

I\'ve never seen a flash drive that didn\'t have a way to attach a cord.
ADATA UD310 USB Flash Drive
https://www.adata.com/us/consumer/199

I use them for my laptops.

Good for you. I would never buy something like this as they would be too easy to lose track of. But to each his own.

--

Rick C.

+ Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
+ Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
 
On 1/13/22 6:09 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:49:54 AM UTC-5, Beeper wrote:
On 1/12/22 8:49 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 11:04:23 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:
On 1/12/2022 8:35 PM, whit3rd wrote:
Seriously, USB sticks are the same way; they all look alike, and there\'s no
place to label that really works. The best I could do, was to find a vendor
with bright colors, and order six, all different colors (of some unknown quality and
tiny capacity). Those, I can kinda remember which is which. And find on
a desk, eventually.
For all but the \"teeny-tiny\" USB drives (that only protrude ~1/4 inch and need
to be grasped with finger nails), I use a pTouch labeler to make an adhesive
label. Careful choice of typeface size and orientation of the label lets
you put at least 5 or 6 letters on each drive.

I\'ve never seen a flash drive that didn\'t have a way to attach a cord.
ADATA UD310 USB Flash Drive
https://www.adata.com/us/consumer/199

I use them for my laptops.

Good for you. I would never buy something like this as they would be too easy to lose track of. But to each his own.

Good for you -- don\'t use them. They may be too easy for someone like
you to lose, but others don\'t have that problem. But, to each their own.
 
On Friday, January 14, 2022 at 12:16:20 AM UTC-5, Beeper wrote:
On 1/13/22 6:09 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:49:54 AM UTC-5, Beeper wrote:
On 1/12/22 8:49 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 11:04:23 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:
On 1/12/2022 8:35 PM, whit3rd wrote:
Seriously, USB sticks are the same way; they all look alike, and there\'s no
place to label that really works. The best I could do, was to find a vendor
with bright colors, and order six, all different colors (of some unknown quality and
tiny capacity). Those, I can kinda remember which is which. And find on
a desk, eventually.
For all but the \"teeny-tiny\" USB drives (that only protrude ~1/4 inch and need
to be grasped with finger nails), I use a pTouch labeler to make an adhesive
label. Careful choice of typeface size and orientation of the label lets
you put at least 5 or 6 letters on each drive.

I\'ve never seen a flash drive that didn\'t have a way to attach a cord.
ADATA UD310 USB Flash Drive
https://www.adata.com/us/consumer/199

I use them for my laptops.

Good for you. I would never buy something like this as they would be too easy to lose track of. But to each his own.
Good for you -- don\'t use them. They may be too easy for someone like
you to lose, but others don\'t have that problem. But, to each their own.

I believe that is what I said. To each his own.

--

Rick C.

-- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging
-- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
 
On 1/13/22 10:23 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Friday, January 14, 2022 at 12:16:20 AM UTC-5, Beeper wrote:
On 1/13/22 6:09 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:49:54 AM UTC-5, Beeper wrote:
On 1/12/22 8:49 PM, Rick C wrote:
On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 11:04:23 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:
On 1/12/2022 8:35 PM, whit3rd wrote:
Seriously, USB sticks are the same way; they all look alike, and there\'s no
place to label that really works. The best I could do, was to find a vendor
with bright colors, and order six, all different colors (of some unknown quality and
tiny capacity). Those, I can kinda remember which is which. And find on
a desk, eventually.
For all but the \"teeny-tiny\" USB drives (that only protrude ~1/4 inch and need
to be grasped with finger nails), I use a pTouch labeler to make an adhesive
label. Careful choice of typeface size and orientation of the label lets
you put at least 5 or 6 letters on each drive.

I\'ve never seen a flash drive that didn\'t have a way to attach a cord.
ADATA UD310 USB Flash Drive
https://www.adata.com/us/consumer/199

I use them for my laptops.

Good for you. I would never buy something like this as they would be too easy to lose track of. But to each his own.
Good for you -- don\'t use them. They may be too easy for someone like
you to lose, but others don\'t have that problem. But, to each their own.

I believe that is what I said. To each his own.

Yes, and I believe that I simply exposed you to one example of something
that you stated that you had never seen.
 

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