True that. Sadly, even when that's done religiously, they still have a higher rate of failure than I now trust. So, hooray for redundancy! From: Bill Buchanan Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 11:28 AM To: Suzanne Walker ; paf-5-users@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [PAF-5] USB memory stick Windows does not always finish copying data to the flash drive, unless you use the official "Eject" or "Safely remove mass storage device" process. Otherwise, the last few bytes of data may still be held up in the data transfer buffer, which means that if you unplug the flash drive without going through the Eject process, the file on the flash drive may be incomplete and unusable. Newer versions of Windows (Vista and 7) seem to have fewer problems in this regard than older versions, but always use the Eject process anyway. It only takes a few seconds. Bill Buchanan On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 12:08 PM, Suzanne Walker <swalker7736@yahoo.com> wrote: On a side note, if you're using a thumb drive to work on your PAF file, I would caution against it. I have twice now ended up with major database corruption keeping my PAF file on a USB drive so that I could work on different machines. I've switched to using dropbox, which synchronizes files over an internet connection (it also serves as backup, and has version recovery capabilities). Best, Suzanne > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:42:23 +1000 > From: "Col Paterson" <banjo1@bigpond.net.au> > Subject: [PAF-5] USB memory stick. > To: <paf-5-users@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <001501cbbd13$6c840210$458c0630$@net.au> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > G'day Friends, Happy Australia Day. May I ask of the many people on this > list who use these USB Thumb Drives, Flash drives whatever you may call > them, ever been able to secure the information on one by way of a P.I.N or > Password. I have been told that one must buy a particular brand that comes > with a software disc to enable just this and also to partition the drive. > Presumably there will be an extra cost for this it's a thought that > occurred > to me when mine fell off my keyring into the river, as it had previously > been through the washing machine cycle and survived I'm now a little > concerned that if anyone finds it they will have no trouble reading my > content. > > Allabest > > Col

Bear in mind that USB drives, as devices that retain their memory when the power source is disconnected, have a finite life--meaning the number of times read/write operations can be successfully performed. This varies by many factors, including the essential quality of the drive, but there is an upper limit. I've reached it on one of my drives (the one I used at the Family History Center). When they fail, they fail all at once and with little warning. Eevrything needs a backup. Best regards, David Wardell _____ David Wardell davidwardell.typepad.com/blog/ (Genealogy & Family History Commentary) wardell-family.org/ <http://www.wardell-family.org/> (Family History in Detail) Facebook: dj.wardell _____ "It doesn't matter whether your computer is able to compile all the family group sheets for everyone that ever lived on the earth, it remains the responsibility of each individual to know his kindred dead ... "Even if the work is done, then it is still each person's responsibility to study and become acquainted with his ancestors." - Joseph Fielding Smith: Hearts Turned to the Fathers, p. 184 -----Original Message----- From: paf-5-users-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:paf-5-users-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Suzanne Walker Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 4:14 PM To: Bill Buchanan; paf-5-users@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [PAF-5] USB memory stick True that. Sadly, even when that's done religiously, they still have a higher rate of failure than I now trust. So, hooray for redundancy! From: Bill Buchanan Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 11:28 AM To: Suzanne Walker ; paf-5-users@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [PAF-5] USB memory stick Windows does not always finish copying data to the flash drive, unless you use the official "Eject" or "Safely remove mass storage device" process. Otherwise, the last few bytes of data may still be held up in the data transfer buffer, which means that if you unplug the flash drive without going through the Eject process, the file on the flash drive may be incomplete and unusable. Newer versions of Windows (Vista and 7) seem to have fewer problems in this regard than older versions, but always use the Eject process anyway. It only takes a few seconds. Bill Buchanan On Wed, Jan 26, 2011 at 12:08 PM, Suzanne Walker < <mailto:swalker7736@yahoo.com> swalker7736@yahoo.com> wrote: On a side note, if you're using a thumb drive to work on your PAF file, I would caution against it. I have twice now ended up with major database corruption keeping my PAF file on a USB drive so that I could work on different machines. I've switched to using dropbox, which synchronizes files over an internet connection (it also serves as backup, and has version recovery capabilities). Best, Suzanne > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:42:23 +1000 > From: "Col Paterson" <banjo1@bigpond.net.au> > Subject: [PAF-5] USB memory stick. > To: <paf-5-users@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <001501cbbd13$6c840210$458c0630$@net.au> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > G'day Friends, Happy Australia Day. May I ask of the many people on this > list who use these USB Thumb Drives, Flash drives whatever you may call > them, ever been able to secure the information on one by way of a P.I.N or > Password. I have been told that one must buy a particular brand that comes > with a software disc to enable just this and also to partition the drive. > Presumably there will be an extra cost for this it's a thought that > occurred > to me when mine fell off my keyring into the river, as it had previously > been through the washing machine cycle and survived I'm now a little > concerned that if anyone finds it they will have no trouble reading my > content. > > Allabest > > Col ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to <mailto:PAF-5-USERS-request@rootsweb.com> PAF-5-USERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message