What Is A USB Flash Drive?

Date First Published: 28th June 2023

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Hardware

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Easy

Difficulty Level: 3/10

CONTENTS

Storage Capacity
Components
Advantages and Disadvantages Of USB Flash Drives
History

Learn about what a USB flash drive is in this article.

A USB flash drive, also known as a pen drive, thumb drive, USB keychain drive, memory stick, or simply a flash drive, is a small portable storage device that has a built-in USB connector and uses flash memory. Their size and shape often resemble a thumb or a small pen, as suggested in the words 'thumb drive' and 'pen drive'. Nearly all USB flash drives are removable, rewritable, weigh less than 30 grams, and are much smaller than an optical disc.

USB flash drives are often used to store backups, transfer files from one computer to another, and store an operating system that can be launched from a bootable flash drive. They can be used with any computer that has a USB port and are supported by all operating systems and BIOS systems.

To use a USB flash drive, all users have to do is insert it into a USB port on their computers. Once inserted, they will be notified and the contents of the USB flash drive will appear in a similar way to how files are browsed on a computer.

Storage Capacity

The standard storage capacity of a USB flash drive ranges from 8 GB to 256 GB. However, some USB flash drives come with a storage capacity of 512 GB or 1 TB. Some of the largest available USB flash drives have a storage capacity of up to 2 TB, but these are very expensive. Early USB flash drives could only store a few megabytes of data.

Components

The main components of a USB flash drive are:

Outer cover - The visible part of the USB drive that protects the internal components. It is usually made out of metal or plastic.
Standard USB connector plug - This is the metal part that connects the USB flash drive to a device with a USB port. Nearly all USB drives have a standard USB-A connector but are moving to the faster USB-C connector.
USB mass storage controller chip - This chip acts as the intermediary that helps it communicate with the device it is plugged into. It allows the device to access, modify, and delete the files stored on the USB flash drive.
NAND flash memory chip - This is used to store the data. All data, including documents, spreadsheets, photos, databases, applications, or anything else that is loaded onto it is stored on the flash memory chip.
Crystal oscillator - This component functions as a tiny clock inside the USB drive. It controls the flow of information and data output within the USB drive using its 12 MHz clock signal.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of USB Flash Drives

The advantages of USB drives are:

Due to their small size and weight, they are extremely portable storage devices. This is a reason why they have replaced older portable storage devices, such as floppy disks and removable hard disks.
The built-in USB connector makes them compatible with a wide range of devices.
Like SSDs, they have no moving parts. This makes them more durable as knocks and bumps are less likely to damage them. Unlike CDs, they are not harmed by surface scratches.
Like CDs and DVDs, they don't require an internet connection to use. This makes it easier to use them whilst travelling and avoids expensive mobile data charges from mobile service providers.

The disadvantages of USB drives are:

Like SSDs, they can only handle a limited number of read and write cycles before the drive fails. However, this is not as much of a problem with USB drives as they are not written to as much as SSDs.
Due to their small size, they can be easily lost. For example, they can fall out of someone's pocket without them noticing, they could get lost in a large drawer, or they could fall down the back of a sofa.
Compared to SSDs and HDDs, storage capacity is low. Although USB flash drives with a larger storage capacity are becoming more widely used, it quickly becomes very expensive.
Risk of data theft. Since USB flash drives are small, they can be easily stolen. This could lead to unauthorised users accessing private or confidential data.

History

On 5th April 1999, Amir Ban, Dov Moran, and Oron Ogdan of M-Systems, an Israeli company, filed a patent application titled "Architecture for a Universal Serial Bus-Based PC Flash Disk". The patent was granted on 14th November 2000 and these individuals have been known as the inventors of the USB flash drive.

The first commercially available USB flash drive, called the "ThumbDrive" was produced by Trek Technology, a Singapore company in 2000. It was the first company known to have sold a USB flash drive. In 1999, Netac, a company based in China, also claimed to have invented the USB flash drive. However, its claim was difficult to prove. This was because its U Disk USB flash drive was not available on the market until 2002.