After a certain number of write cycles, the materials in the drive that transfer electrical charge start to get worn out, making the memory more likely to fail. The main measure of a flash drive's lifespan is its number of write cycles -essentially, the finite number of times that the drive's data blocks can be erased and rewritten. The answer depends mostly on how much you use it. So, how long can you expect a flash drive's lifespan to be? However, since digital storage is pretty much a necessity in today's world, most people use solid state flash memory because it's an extremely reliable and easily accessible option. Mechanical hard drives, solid state flash memory (such as USB drives) and even CDs and DVDs will all fail eventually. Unfortunately, humans haven't yet invented any digital storage medium that lasts forever. Flash memory is a lot less likely to suffer damage from being dropped or jostled, which makes it the preferred choice for devices that get taken on the go.įor the whole story on flash memory, read our guide to the basics of solid state memory! If you don't have time for the nerdy stuff, the takeaway is this: Flash memory is the most reliable storage technology that we have today, and USB flash drives offer one of the most convenient and customizable ways to do it. That makes it much more reliable than the old spinning disc magnetic hard drives, especially when it comes to portable devices. That's because these types of drives all use the same type of highly reliable memory, called solid state flash memory.įlash memory is amazing because it doesn't require power to store data and has no moving parts. Generally, a high quality flash drive is at least as good a place to store your data as the hard drive in most laptops or an external solid state hard drive is. ![]() That brings us to our question for today: Are USB flash drives reliable, and how long can you expect an average flash drive to last? Below, we'll look at the facts about the reliability of USB flash memory storage.Īre Flash Drives a Reliable Place to Store Your Data? Thus, if you're going to store something important on a USB flash drive, you want to be sure your drive won't fail when you need it most! Lost USB drives are also a good reason for encryption and password protection.In today's world, losing access to important data can be every bit as detrimental to your life as losing your wallet or your keys. If you plan to attach a drive to a keychain, make sure it’s waterproof. USB flash drives are easily and commonly lost, so a way to keep track of it or attach it to your person can help prevent the unfortunate loss of treasured photographs or important files. Many flash drives come with encryption and password-protection, which can be an easy and cheap investment to protect your data.įinally, while low-profile tiny drives can be an attractive option, especially as semi-permanent additional storage for a desktop or laptop, consider physically larger thumb drives or thumb drives made to be attached to a keychain. Look for USB drives made from materials like aluminum, or flash drives rated against water, shock and magnets.Īlso consider security. Given how small USB flash drives are, they are often fragile. It’s better to buy a 16-gigabyte drive straight off than to buy an 8 gigabyte one and end up needing a second.Īnother consideration is durability. ![]() ![]() ![]() When buying USB flash drives, the first consideration is how much memory to purchase: Look to get a bit more than you think you’ll need. USB flash drives are ubiquitous and versatile, providing either semi-permanent extra storage or an easy way to move files between devices.
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