# Holy crap! My new 1GB USB drive is tiny! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 3, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327 "2006-06-03T23:23:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/1 "2006-06-03T23:23:57Z")
I ordered this last week, and it just got delivered. I didn’t realize when I bought it that it was so small! It’s no wider than the USB port itself. Here’s a pic of it with a dime: [![](http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j52/revtim128/USB_1GB.jpg) ](http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j52/revtim128/USB_1GB.jpg) It’s not very fast, but adequate. I mainly ordered it because it hit my price point, 20 bucks for 1GB. The tiny size was a pleasant surprise! ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/2 "2006-06-03T23:47:29Z")
[300 MB.](http://www.computerhistory.org/VisibleStorage/images/IMG_2327_sm.jpg) I used these things until the mid-1990’s. I try descibing them to people nowadays, and just get a blank stare. I wish there was something for scale, but I think a quarter would have been the _width_ of the horizontal bar. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/3 "2006-06-04T00:41:23Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > [300 MB.](http://www.computerhistory.org/VisibleStorage/images/IMG_2327_sm.jpg) > > I used these things until the mid-1990’s. I try descibing them to people nowadays, and just get a blank stare. > > I wish there was something for scale, but I think a quarter would have been the _width_ of the horizontal bar. What is it, a portable hard disk? I can’t find the text that corresponds to that picture on that site. (Interesting site, by the way) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/4 "2006-06-04T00:43:18Z")
Ah never mind, I found it, it’s a “SCOPUS 300MB Removable Disk Pack”. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/5 "2006-06-04T00:52:34Z")
[Here](http://www.computerhistory.org/VirtualVisibleStorage/artifact_main.php?tax_id=02.07.04.00) (You need to scroll all the way to the right.) It’s a removable multi-plattered hard disc. It was screwed into its own drive, and the outer cover removed. The platters were about 12" across; 300MB had, I think, 10 platters? Can’t remember after 10 years. Always wanted to find one… ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/6 "2006-06-04T01:09:54Z")
Terrific price! Where did you get it from? Approximately how long does it take to download, say, 100 mB into your computer? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/7 "2006-06-04T01:48:48Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Terrific price! Where did you get it from? > > Approximately how long does it take to download, say, 100 mB into your computer? > > Thanks. I got it from here: [http://pcclub.com/product\_details.cfm?itemno=A4302099](http://pcclub.com/product_details.cfm?itemno=A4302099) I think I discovered it from [www.digg.com](http://www.digg.com). Looks like the price went up, it’s now $27 before shipping and handling. It was $20 when I bought it, $27 after adding shipping and handling. I just did a test where I transferred a 54.5mb directory from the drive to my hard disk in about 7 seconds. Writing to the USB drive is much slower, writing the same directory back to it took 49 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/8 "2006-06-04T01:58:08Z")
Looks like it’s cheaper here now: $22.25 > **[KINGMAX 1GB Flash Drive (USB2.0 Portable) - Newegg.com](https://www.newegg.com/kingmax-model-ku201g-u2-1gb/p/N82E16820155006?Item=N82E16820155006)** > > Buy KINGMAX 1GB Flash Drive (USB2.0 Portable) Model KU201G-U2 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/9 "2006-06-04T01:59:00Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > [Here](http://www.computerhistory.org/VirtualVisibleStorage/artifact_main.php?tax_id=02.07.04.00) > (You need to scroll all the way to the right.) > > It’s a removable multi-plattered hard disc. It was screwed into its own drive, and the outer cover removed. The platters were about 12" across; 300MB had, I think, 10 platters? Can’t remember after 10 years. Always wanted to find one… [Here’s a pic with person carrying it (or same form factor unit)](http://www.tpub.com/neets/book23/0066.GIF) ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/10 "2006-06-04T03:00:10Z")
Very cool, **Revtim**! I got a 256 MB keychain fob that’s a little bigger than that about two months ago; I LOVE it. Works instantly on every computer I’ve tried, and it cost only $12. Now, alas, I feel outdated again. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/11 "2006-06-04T03:08:06Z")
My second hard drive was a 244MB RLL hard drive. 5.25", full-height. If you’re wondering how big that is, think two CD-ROM drives stacked on top of one another. It sounded like a jet engine when it powered up, and operated with about as much noise as my entire computer (with 6 fans and 3 hard drives) does now. Now? I have a two-gig SD flash card a little bigger than a postage stamp, and an 8 gig hard disk drive in a compact flash (type II) case. I love progress. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/12 "2006-06-04T08:39:35Z")
I didn’t feel like futzing around, so about a year ago I plunked down the money for a [2 Gig sucker](http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/MFR/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=3209). I’ve almost never used it. But when I have, I’ve never needed to worry if the whatever would fit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/13 "2006-06-04T20:41:36Z")
I bought two of those flash memories last week. They’re so small I’m afraid I’m going to lose or break 'em- I love it. I was showing them off at a party last night. By the way, apparently they’re also waterproof. ---
**Author:** ![Penchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Penchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penchan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/14 "2006-06-05T00:07:20Z")
I just bought [this](http://mxflash.stores.yahoo.net/xvx1024.html) for the SO for his birthday. It’s pricey, but it’s such a geeky, yet somehow manly gift that I had to get it. It comes on Wednesday and I can’t wait for him to play with it! ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/15 "2006-06-05T00:49:38Z")
I can’t figure out how to password protect the thing. It was advertised as “Support security function (password protection)”; is there some kind of standard way to password protect USB flash drives in Win XP that’s so obvious they don’t need to describe the process in the documentation? The meager documentation it came with mentions nothing about passwords. Neither does the website, except for a mention in the FAQ that if you forget the password, you’re screwed because there’s no back door. When I right-click the drive in explorer and choose “sharing and security”, it seems to only be about sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/16 "2021-09-04T20:56:12Z")
\<15 year later bump\> I just ordered one that’s 1TB, in other words about a thousand times the capacity of the 1GB that seemed so huge back in the old days. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/17 "2021-09-04T22:39:20Z")
Back in 1973 Ed Fredkin came to talk to an architecture class I was taking at MIT and boldly predicted that some day memory prices would come down to a penny a bit. We’ve come a long way. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/18 "2021-09-05T00:09:03Z")
I’ve got a 4TB disk we paid $99 AUD for (about $75USD, but obviously sold for the price). I’d misread, and thought we were getting a 2TB disk, so for technical reasons that was a problem, which lead me to reminisce … My dad paid ~ $400 for a 40MB disk. $10/MB. That would value a 4TB disk at $40,000,000. Holy Crap! I’ve got a 40 million dollar disk! ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/19 "2021-09-05T00:32:05Z")
wow i remember my last HD i bought myself was a 1.2 gig HD for 150 and back then we wondered if we’d ever fill it up we just paid 75 dollars for a 4tb external for the XB1 and 25 for a128 gb microsdxc for the switch that’s as big as a dime … I just rememberd when RAM was 10$ per MB i upgraded the frankenstein pac-bell (shudders) i bought at walmart from 4 to 8 via buying another 4 mb ram chip and it was 40 +tax I wanted to buy a 8mb chip but the motherboard couldnt handle 12 MB of ram ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327/20 "2021-09-05T00:47:09Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > 40 +tax I wanted to buy a 8mb chip but the motherboard couldnt handle 12 MB of ram My dad bought a fully-loaded 8MB computer for a technical investigation – and the supplier came back to confirm that he actually wanted 8MB of memory – that he hadn’t confused ‘memory’ and ‘disk size’. Or, as we would say now, that’s 0.008 GB of memory 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-my-new-1gb-usb-drive-is-tiny/359327.md?page=2)