# Should USB flash drives not be kept in the port?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-usb-flash-drives-not-be-kept-in-the-port/361229>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 19, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-usb-flash-drives-not-be-kept-in-the-port/361229 "2006-06-19T00:40:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-usb-flash-drives-not-be-kept-in-the-port/361229/1 "2006-06-19T00:40:50Z")

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Is it always better to remove the flash drive when you’re not using it, or is it mostly harmless to leave it in as long as your computer stays on?

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**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-usb-flash-drives-not-be-kept-in-the-port/361229/2 "2006-06-19T00:49:41Z")

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Electronically, there’s no real reason not to keep it in the port, although you probably shouldn’t use it as a second drive as there is a limit to the number of read and writes that flash memory can support. (It’s in the thousands…)

Mechanically, however, as I know to my sorry, it’s easy to break the casing on a flash drive if, for example, it’s in the port of a laptop and you move the laptop. Similarly, if the port is one of those front-mounted ports that they have on some pc cases, the flash drive is admirably positioned to be stepped on.

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**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-usb-flash-drives-not-be-kept-in-the-port/361229/3 "2006-06-19T02:15:00Z")

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[QUOTE=Finagle]  
Electronically, there’s no real reason not to keep it in the port, although you probably shouldn’t use it as a second drive as there is a limit to the number of read and writes that flash memory can support. (It’s in the thousands…)  
[/QUOTE]

[Erm…](http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/print/2600)

NOR flash-RAM starts failing around 10,000 erase-and-write cycles (reading is free), but NOR isn’t really used in portable drives much. [Most commercial flash products are built for a million.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_memory#Limitations) I’ve seen some higher-end produts built for eight million, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they go higher.  
Leave it in if you want.