How To Care For Your Branded USB Memory Stick
You have invested time in selecting, designing, sourcing and of course paying for your Branded USB memory sticks. Or you could be the lucky recipient of a free Branded USB drive. Either way there are a few golden rules to follow to ensure you have many years of happy ‘USBing’…..
Rule 1. When not in use do store the Branded USB away from extremes of temperatures, magnetic emissions from your mobile phone and of course water. All of these can potentially damage the sensitive components of the USB. Ideally consider bespoke USB packaging that the memory stick can be stored in. There is now a large selection available, which can also be branded.
Rule 2. Keep the metal connector that is inserted into the USB port covered so that dust and dirt will not accumulate inside. This can cause an ineffective connection so it seems the memory stick is not working. A sharp blow of air into the connector can sometimes dislodge this.
Rule 3. Ensure the computer is fully booted up and the home screen visible before inserted the Branded Flash drive. If this is inserted before the computer is turned on or whilst it is booting it could cause an electrical ‘shock’ to the flash drive that could destroy some of the USB components.
Rule 4. Once you have finished using the Branded Memory stick, do not remove the flash drive immediately from the USB port. The computer the stick is inserted into is constantly reading the flash drive and if removed like this on a regular basis it can damage the UBS components.
The correct process is to use a simple remove procedure before pulling it out of the USB port. On a windows platform, the easiest way to do this is to right click on the USB drive letter and selecting the ‘eject’ option. This will then provide a pop up message stating it is now safe to remove the memory stick. It is a similar process for Macs.
Rule 5. Whilst rare, static electricity can also damage Flash Memory sticks. For example, on dry days, a person can generate enough static electricity and if they discharge by touching a drive it could short circuit the internal components of the USB stick.
Rule 6. USB Flash drives must be inserted in one direction only. It cannot be forces into the port, otherwise this could damage both the USB memory stick and / or USB port. New standards are being considered to allow the USB to be inserted in any direction, but this is several years away.
Whilst the humble USB is now ubiquitous and reasonably robust, it needs to be recognised that it is still a highly sophisticated and complex technological device which needs to be treated accordingly. These simply rules should certainly help!
Capless Twister Style USB Memory Sticks