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Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

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Running low on storage, was wondering if there is any issue with just using a USB thumb drive for a secondary storage device.

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[kees_b]

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

Please explain “long term” and “secondary”.
And please tell for what purposes you use a secondary/long term storage device.

And remember the principle of backup: you will your data sooner or later if you only have it on your PC/laptop phone and nowhere else (like a USB-stick, an external disk, the cloud).

• This reply was modified 3 months ago by kees_b.

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

I just mean for general use. I’m a gamer, and I produce music. Basically I’m just asking if I can leave the drive in as a form of extra storage.

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

Yes, that’s possible. Oni my old PC I had a USB stick to regularly copy changed files from certain directories to (using a batch file with xxcopy /m) as a backup. It was permanently in.

But remember that USB-sticks are rather slow, possibly slower than an external SSD, and certainly much slower than an internal drive. So if your desktop or laptop has the option to install a second hard disk/SSD that’s much better. Replacing the current disk (that is getting too small) by a larger one would also be a perfect solution to get more disk space.

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

Thank you! I’ll have to check and see if my computer has another SSD slot.

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

You can store music, data, pictures for example. Think of it like a SSD. When the thumb drive is plugged in to a computer, it will be assigned a drive letter (D: or E: for example). The actual drive letter is assigned by your computer. I don’t suggest trying to store programs or applications and running them directly from the USB thumb drive.

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

Alright, thank you. I think I might get one just to store videos and music files then.

Given your updated answer. My answer is YES BUT!

In reply to Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

Google this: 321 BACKUP.

While what you have will/should work I continue to encounter people who have lost it all.
There’s no reason to lose data today except maybe in wartime.

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Given your updated answer. My answer is YES BUT!

Are thumb drives more prone to data loss or damage? I feel like they would be but at the moment I don’t have enough space for a backup. I’m going to have to look into getting another SSD if my computer offers it like the other guy said.

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

A good backup is on another medium. Are ypu saying you have no place store an external harddisk (say 3 x 5 x .5 inch)? And nowhere outside your room or house to store the third copy?

When there is no backup copy.

In reply to Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

Then the owner has made their choices.

Given the free online storage albeit 2GB or so in size, why would we not have a backup of what we can’t lose?

There is no magic here. No backups mean there is a chance that everything can vanish without notice.

Again, we only need backups of what we can’t lose. No need to backup a Windows installation. We can rebuild that.

Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

You can use a USB thumb drive for long-term storage, but it’s not the best option. Over time, the data can degrade or the drive might wear out. USB drives are also small and can get damaged or lost easily.

For safer long-term storage, consider using:

External hard drives or SSDs (more durable).
Cloud storage (safe and accessible).
Optical discs or tape drives (good for offline storage).

[txrhliveme]

Reply To: Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

In reply to Can I use a USB thumb drive for long term storage?

USB thumb drives are convenient and great for transferring files, but they aren’t the best option for long-term storage. Over time, the data on a thumb drive can degrade, and these drives have a limited number of write cycles which can lead to failure, especially if they’re used frequently. For long-term storage, it’s advisable to use multiple backup solutions. Consider using external hard drives, SSDs, or even cloud storage services to ensure your data is safe. Additionally, maintaining multiple copies and periodically refreshing your storage media can help protect against data loss.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by txrhliveme.
• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by kees_b.

NO!

Encrypting backups makes data recovery harder and unlikely.

If you need security, put the backup copies in a vault or safe.

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