USB Flash Drives

Frequently asked questions about USB sticks

What is important for a "good" USB stick? We have answers for the most important questions about the popular storage medium.

How does a USB stick actually work?

The memory sticks comprises of two essential elements:

• The first is the eponymous "Universal Serial Bus (USB), i.e. the connection system for connection of stick and another device. This allows a plug and play application, i.e.: The USB stick is simply connected to the respective end device and can be used immediately.
• The second component is a flash memory that lets us store data for long periods of time without energy consumption. Unlike conventional magnetic hard disks, a flash drive works without moving parts.

It is made up of tiny memory and controller chips that are attached to a circuit board. After all as the energy is not required to use the USB memory sticks – it makes the handy storage media all the more practical for the everyday life.

How high should the storage capacity be?

How much GB of storage space your USB sticks should have, depends primarily on your personal usage:

• If you want to use the stick only to store and carry documents with small file sizes and few GB, comparatively small models with 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB completely sufficient
• If you use the USB sticks to back up large files (such as videos), the smaller sticks quickly reach their limits. Under such conditions, 64GB USB stick models and sticks with more storage capacity offer you considerably more scope

Therefore, whenever you are buying the USB stick, always consider purpose for which you need it and the size of the data volumes. SanDisk, Intenso and the other manufacturers in our product range provide a suitable stick for every instance - with a lesser GB at a reasonable price or with comprehensive storage capacity for a larger data volume. Models such as the SanDisk Ultra or Intenso Ultra Line are available in different versions from 16 GB to 128 GB.

What do the different transmission speeds mean?

Besides the storage capacity, which can easily be up to 256 GB, speed is the most important technical feature. After all, you want to retrieve and edit your stored data from the stick as quickly as possible.
A distinction is made between writing and reading:

• The transmission rate for writing means the speed at which data is transferred to the stick. The top models from our range achieve 150 MB / s (megabytes per second)
• The transmission rate for reading refers to the speed at which data on the stick can be recognized and transferred to another device. The maximum speed of our USB sticks is 150 MB/s

Please make a note that the transmission speeds differ considerably from the respective version of the USB port. Models with older connection variants create lower speed for reading and writing.

Where should I pay attention for different connections?

You can easily recognize the version of the USB connection by the addition: USB 2.0 is common, but USB 3.0 sticks are also being used more and more. The transfer rates between older and newer connection variants differ considerably. Theoretically USB 3.0 can handle ten times the amount of data per second as compared to USB 2.0. The newer generation of USB 3.1 is also available from quite some time now. As compared to USB 3.0 technology, the transfer rate has been doubled once again.

What standards does my device support?

How powerful and fast your USB stick actually works, also depends on which ports are supported by the end device you use. The high speed of the latest USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 ports can only be reached if your computer also supports this standard.

Can I still use my USB stick with a higher standard?

The answer is yes. But you can use current USB standards even with connected devices that are not up to the same technical standard: USB ports are "downward compatible", so you can easily connect newer USB sticks to older devices - you only have to expect not to reach theoretically the possible peak values when transferring between USB stick and hard drive.

What does "Type A" mean for my USB stick?

"Type A" is the most common type of USB port. It is used across the board for USB 1.0, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, as well as USB 3.1, and is compatible with almost all end devices - from computers to smart TVs to game consoles. The prerequisite is, of course, that they have a USB input.

What do the different colors of the USB plugs mean?

The various USB interfaces differ not only in shape and size, but also in color:

• Black and white distinguish the standard USB 1.0 and USB 2.0 connectors
• Blue stands for the newer USB 3.0 standards

In addition, some USB plugs provide information about the power supply with their color:

• Yellow means a connection with permanent power supply
• Red and orange promise high amperage

However, the color scheme is not part of the standardized USB specifications - variations are therefore possible. Not all colors are relevant for USB sticks anyway.

What to keep in mind while carrying and using the USB stick?

With a USB stick you can store your data safely, but you should also make sure that the memory stick itself is safe. If you use the stick primarily along your way, you should invest in a model that is not affected by splash of water, shocks and other external influences.

Protection against dirt and damage
Particular care is also recommended for USB sticks whose plug is not protected by a cap. During transport, dust or small particles could get into the connector and damage it - and in the worst case the connected device. If the connector is unusable, you can no longer use.

Make sure that your USB stick is always well protected when you travel, in order to avoid damage and contamination.

Safe removal for undamaged data
In addition, to ensure the integrity of your data, you should always use the "Safe Removal" option on Windows devices. The plug-and-play mechanism of the USB sticks makes it incredibly easy to insert the storage device and remove it from the device again. However, it will only take you a few moments to avoid possible loss of data.

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