-----Original Message----- From: Richard Rands <<Someone else mentioned the issue of USB 1 vs. USB 2, so it may be good to provide a little bit more info about this to help some of you avoid problems. If your machine is more than about a year old, your USB ports (if you have them) will more than likely be USB1.1 which are considerably slower than the new USB 2 ports. USB 1.1 runs at about 11 Mps whereas the USB 2.0 ports run at 480 Mps. Before you decide to purchase a Flash Drive, you ought to be sure you know what speed your computer's port is. Also, if you need to purchase a hub to add more USB ports, you need not buy a USB 2.0 hub if your computer is only a USB 1.1 port.>> How can you find out what speed your USB port is? If you have the slower port, can nothing be done but buy a newer PC? Donna

If you have an available PCI slot inside the computer, there are add-on USB cards you can use. I was just looking at a card that has 2 Firewire and 3 USB 2.0 ports for $59.95. See http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home;jsessionid=CxDQMl8jwZ!-1164899179?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=289614&is=REG For $15 you can get a 2-port USB 2.0 card. Gary Templeman ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna" <dkcooper6@comcast.net> To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 5:28 PM Subject: RE: [PAF-5] What is a Flash Drive/ > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Richard Rands > > <<Someone else mentioned the issue of USB 1 vs. USB 2, so it may be good to > provide a little bit more info about this to help some of you avoid > problems. If your machine is more than about a year old, your USB ports > (if you have them) will more than likely be USB1.1 which are considerably > slower than the new USB 2 ports. USB 1.1 runs at about 11 Mps whereas the > USB 2.0 ports run at 480 Mps. Before you decide to purchase a Flash Drive, > you ought to be sure you know what speed your computer's port is. Also, if > you need to purchase a hub to add more USB ports, you need not buy a USB > 2.0 hub if your computer is only a USB 1.1 port.>> > > How can you find out what speed your USB port is? If you have the slower > port, can nothing be done but buy a newer PC? > Donna > > > > > > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > RootsWeb > http://www.rootsweb.com/ >

Hi all, Someone asked on the recent Flash Drive thread how you can find out if you have USB 1 or USB 2 ports. Have a look at this page, it explains how to find this out: http://www.usbman.com/Guides/checking_for_usb_2.htm Regards, Andrew McPhee http://mixedbunch.com/

Just adding my 2 cents here. No Donna, you don't need to get a new computer. Although USB 1 is slower than 2, it's not that much slower, it's a matter of seconds. I can use the same flash drive on my 7 yo desktop and on my brand new laptop. I doubt that I'd be able to count a significant number of seconds difference in the time it takes to access or save a file. I'm talking our kind of files here, not huge big data dumps. Our PAF files usually aren't that huge in terms of these flash drives. My geek son just advised me that all USB drives produced now will be version 2 and are backwards compatible, meaning they will work on computers with USB 1. Should you happen to find a USB 1 flash drive, it will be something found in an old backroom and on sale, which will probably be a great temptation; but although it will probably work with the older computers, pre version 2, it will not be compatible on the new computers with USB 2. So you don't need to get a new computer, just a jump drive, assuming you do have a USB port on your computer. Another note though. You do need to check that your version of windows is compatible with the flash drive. If you are running Windows 98, it "may" not be compatible. However, my Lexar says 98SE, but the drivers worked fine on my 98 (non SE) computer. 2000 and above, again according to geek son, don't need any extra driver downloads as those versions can recognize the flash drive. So check the package carefully to be sure it will work with your version of windows. Linda -----Original Message----- From: Donna [mailto:dkcooper6@comcast.net] Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 6:29 PM To: PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: RE: [PAF-5] What is a Flash Drive/ -----Original Message----- From: Richard Rands <<Someone else mentioned the issue of USB 1 vs. USB 2, so it may be good to provide a little bit more info about this to help some of you avoid problems. If your machine is more than about a year old, your USB ports (if you have them) will more than likely be USB1.1 which are considerably slower than the new USB 2 ports. USB 1.1 runs at about 11 Mps whereas the USB 2.0 ports run at 480 Mps. Before you decide to purchase a Flash Drive, you ought to be sure you know what speed your computer's port is. Also, if you need to purchase a hub to add more USB ports, you need not buy a USB 2.0 hub if your computer is only a USB 1.1 port.>> How can you find out what speed your USB port is? If you have the slower port, can nothing be done but buy a newer PC? Donna ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== RootsWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/

At 07:38 PM 3/10/2005 -0700, Linda wrote: >Another note though. You do need to check that your version of windows is >compatible with the flash drive. If you are running Windows 98, it "may" >not be compatible. However, my Lexar says 98SE, but the drivers worked fine >on my 98 (non SE) computer. 2000 and above, again according to geek son, >don't need any extra driver downloads as those versions can recognize the >flash drive. So check the package carefully to be sure it will work with >your version of windows. Linda's son is correct. Windows machines running 98SE and later have the flash drive drivers built in. If you have a Windows 98 machine, you will need to install a driver, but it will still work. Richard

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005, Donna wrote: > How can you find out what speed your USB port is? If you have the slower > port, can nothing be done but buy a newer PC? Donna Donna, the slower port on my 3-year-old Dell (and my 256MB Kingston DataTraveler, which is -- if I have the terminology right -- only "full speed" instead of "high speed") -- are still blazing fast by my modest standards. Loads in a few seconds. My entire largish PAF file takes 2 percent of the flash drive/thumb drive capacity. Perhaps someone with very large photo files would need more. I'll pass along one caution I was given -- some of the "curvy" cases, while cute, will not work on some computers because of inadequate space to plug them into the USB port. (Richard, is that true or nonsense?) My Kingston is just a silvery rectangle, less than 3 inches by one inch, about 1/4 inch thick, very lightweight, weighs less than the thin lanyard. My 12-year-old grandson said it looked "cool." My son-in-law said the pros at his office call them "geek pendants." I'll go with "cool." Cheers, Dolly in Maryland

How do you find out what speed your USB hub is? The only way I know is to plug a USB 2 device into it and see if you get a warning on the screen saying that you have plugged a USD 2 device into a USB 1 port. It is only a warning to let you know that the USB device will run slower than expected. Since they look the same physically, and they don't seem to be identified differently in the device table, I don't know any other way. I am in the process of buying 1,000 little 4 port USB 1 hubs for my company to give away at trade shows, and nowhere on the devices does it indicate that it is a USB 1 hub. I suspect, however that if they were USB 2 hubs, it would be marked as such. If you have a desktop machine, you can purchase a USB 2 interface card and install it in your machine so that you will not have to buy a whole new machine. These cards cost about $40. Richard Rands At 08:28 PM 3/10/2005 -0500, Donna wrote: >-----Original Message----- >From: Richard Rands > ><<Someone else mentioned the issue of USB 1 vs. USB 2, so it may be good to >provide a little bit more info about this to help some of you avoid >problems. If your machine is more than about a year old, your USB ports >(if you have them) will more than likely be USB1.1 which are considerably >slower than the new USB 2 ports. USB 1.1 runs at about 11 Mps whereas the >USB 2.0 ports run at 480 Mps. Before you decide to purchase a Flash Drive, >you ought to be sure you know what speed your computer's port is. Also, if >you need to purchase a hub to add more USB ports, you need not buy a USB >2.0 hub if your computer is only a USB 1.1 port.>> > >How can you find out what speed your USB port is? If you have the slower >port, can nothing be done but buy a newer PC? >Donna > > > > > > > >==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== >RootsWeb >http://www.rootsweb.com/

Richard, most USB2 devices will work with USB1 ports. They are just a little bit slower. Eldon J. Edgin 14908 Woodbriar Drive Dallas, Texas 75248 Phone: (972) 991-4891 eedgin@sbcglobal.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Rands" <rrands@cfmc.com> To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 12:36 AM Subject: RE: [PAF-5] What is a Flash Drive/ > How do you find out what speed your USB hub is? The only way I know is to > plug a USB 2 device into it and see if you get a warning on the screen > saying that you have plugged a USD 2 device into a USB 1 port. It is only > a warning to let you know that the USB device will run slower than > expected. Since they look the same physically, and they don't seem to be > identified differently in the device table, I don't know any other way. I > am in the process of buying 1,000 little 4 port USB 1 hubs for my company > to give away at trade shows, and nowhere on the devices does it indicate > that it is a USB 1 hub. I suspect, however that if they were USB 2 hubs, > it would be marked as such. > > If you have a desktop machine, you can purchase a USB 2 interface card and > install it in your machine so that you will not have to buy a whole new > machine. These cards cost about $40. > > Richard Rands > > > > > > > At 08:28 PM 3/10/2005 -0500, Donna wrote: > > >>-----Original Message----- >>From: Richard Rands >> >><<Someone else mentioned the issue of USB 1 vs. USB 2, so it may be good >>to >>provide a little bit more info about this to help some of you avoid >>problems. If your machine is more than about a year old, your USB ports >>(if you have them) will more than likely be USB1.1 which are considerably >>slower than the new USB 2 ports. USB 1.1 runs at about 11 Mps whereas the >>USB 2.0 ports run at 480 Mps. Before you decide to purchase a Flash >>Drive, >>you ought to be sure you know what speed your computer's port is. Also, >>if >>you need to purchase a hub to add more USB ports, you need not buy a USB >>2.0 hub if your computer is only a USB 1.1 port.>> >> >>How can you find out what speed your USB port is? If you have the slower >>port, can nothing be done but buy a newer PC? >>Donna >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== >>RootsWeb >>http://www.rootsweb.com/ > > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > PAF @ FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service > http://www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/ >