How to Use a Flash Drive or Memory Stick
Moving files from one computer to another has never been easier with a flash drive, also known as a memory stick.
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You Will Need
- Computer
- Flash drive
- Files to transfer
Steps
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Step 1
Plug in the flash drive
Plug the flash drive into the computer in one of the USB ports on the side or on the back of your computer.
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Step 2
Open My Computer
Open My Computer on a Windows machine to find the flash drive. It may be called drive D, E, or F depending on how many other drives are on your computer.
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Step 3
Find the icon
Find the icon on a Mac computer that is on your desktop and says Flash Drive or Travel Drive.
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Step 4
Find your files
Find the files on your computer that you want to save onto the flash drive.
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Step 5
Drag the files
Drag the files you want in the flash drive either to the flash drive on My Computer or to the desktop icon on a Mac. A light will flash on the flash drive indicating it is copying the files.
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If you are moving music, pictures, or video files and folders, make sure you have a flash drive with enough memory to hold it all.
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Step 6
Eject the drive
Eject the drive properly by either right-clicking on it and selecting Eject on a Windows computer or dragging the flash drive icon into the trash on a Mac.
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Step 7
Take the drive
Take the flash drive with you so you can access your files on any computer you come across during the course of your day.
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Early hard drives on computers held 20 megabytes and cost about $800. Today, an $8 flash drive holds 2 gigabytes, which is a 100-fold increase in capacity.
