The drives are so cheap now it doesn’t make sense not to get a BIG one. And shouldn’t you make use of that space once you have it?
Do you back up your all your critical data? Favorite photos or songs? Your partially written Great American novel? Your key financial info?
But… it seems to me that smaller = more likely to lose. And so you are more likely to be handing over the contents to a stranger…
Anyway, what types of data and/or programs do you carry around on that neat-o little gadget?
All I really used mine for is backing up papers and stuff for school. Had a problem once with my computer messing up while writing the paper that was due the next day, and I almost lost the paper, so after that I made sure I backed them up.
The one I have at school backs up all of my notes, documents, tests, quizzes, gradebooks, letters of rec., etc. The hard drives on the school computers were obviously made in North Korea, because we lose a couple every year. They just…stop. Since mine crashed 3 years ago, I’ve backed up everything on it every Friday before I leave.
The home flash drive has all of our key data, and not much else. I still believe in hard copies in a safe deposit box.
I always have my updated resume on mine. I’m grateful I did, especially after my last hardd- drive fried. Also a few of my favorite pictures. Papers and things I no longer need get deleted off periodically.
I use mine to tote data files back and forth from my home office to my work office, and also to swap files with other people I work with. It’s quite handy.
Mostly, I make back-ups of the various reports I write; so I have a back-up in general and also so I can access them through different computers.
I also downloaded some books from Gutenberg so I can read if I’m bored and don’t have a book handy (or if I’m reading someplace where I want to make it look like I’m working).
<Traveller>The star charts for the Spinward Marches?</Traveller>
Mine all have random collections of whatever stuff needed to be sneaker-netted between two machines that couldn’t talk to each other. When I next need to sneaker-net and find one too full to hold what I need to move, I zap it and start again.
I can’t imagine having a real plan to maintain real content on one. Waay too easy to lose.
Then again, I have reliable servers, desktops and laptops with my name on them. If I was a student hotelling on school-provided machines I’d probably take the opposite tack & put everything on my jump drive & nothing on the infrastructure.
If I was a PC tech guy I’d have a complete software toolset on one (writelocked), so I’d always have tools at hand as I worked on fixing people’s trashed PCs. I have the (now rusty) skillz, but that’s not my role so I see no need to to assemble such a toolbox.
One of the key items on my USB flash drive is my password vault program. That way I can use secure passwords on all the websites I visit and not worry about forgetting what they are no matter what computer I’m using.
I use my IPod mini as a portable drive; I have things like drafts of current important papers, c.v., dissertation, and an enormous endnote library that, if I lost all copies, I’d have to throw myself off a cliff.
Reminds me. . . I need to go backup everything.
I don’t keep anything on it (it’s a recent gift and relatively small–only 256 megs). I use it for transporting files mainly, since it’s more convenient than either CD or e-mail. This is pretty useful as I don’t have a working printer right now (having driver issues) so I have to print things off at school. It does have some pics of me and my BF on there, but that’s the only thing permanently stored on it.
While I was still in wedding-planning mode, I constantly backed up my ultimate spreadsheet of wedding info on it (who had been invited, who had responded, who gave what gifts, what table they were assigned to, etc.) Now that the wedding’s over, I back up my gradebook on the one that stays around my neck at all times during school. also takes files from work to home and vice versa, but not any permanent files of that sort.
I’ve considered backing up major information on my smallest one, and storing it in the safe deposit box, but haven’t gotten around to it.
Awesome. 
Thank you.
A kind word can be like water in the desert. It gives life.
Firefox Portable and Gaim Portable.
I first installed them because I can’t install on my work computer, but it’s plenty handy elsewhere, because I can bring all of my bookmarks & history & passwords with me wherever I am.