Working with USB Sticks

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Working with USB Sticks in Windows XP

The “old-fashioned” floppy disk is slowly falling out of fashion. More and more new computers are being delivered without a floppy drive.

The replacement for the floppy disk is the USB stick. Windows XP supports the use of these devices.

You can stick this kind of device right into a USB port on your Windows XP computer.

A USB port can be on the front or the back of the system cabinet. Sometimes a PC will have USB ports on both the front and the back:

After inserting the stick, you can transfer files onto it:

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Please note:

When you place a USB stick into a USB port, Windows XP will recognize the stick and give it a name in the form of a letter. Make sure you remove the stick correctly after use.

Windows has a separate icon on the taskbar that you can use to “log out” the stick. If

you don’t do this, then Windows will give the stick a new name every time you use it, and you run the risk that eventually there won’t be any more letters available.

In the following tips you’ll learn how to:

copy files or folders from the hard drive to a USB stick copy files or folders from a USB stick to the hard drive

save a file directly to, or open a file directly from, the USB stick within a program delete everything from a USB stick

safely remove a USB stick from the computer

Tip

Copying Files to a USB Stick (Windows XP)

In this example, you’ll see how to copy a set of folders to a USB stick, and how to copy them back off the stick on a different PC. You can also place files on the stick instead of folders. The method is identical.

Insert the USB stick into the computer’s USB port

The stick will only fit into the port one way. Press lightly. If it doesn’t work, turn the stick over and try again.

Wait a moment until Windows XP has recognized the device. When you insert the stick into the computer for the first time, Windows will automatically display a message in a balloon telling you that you can use the stick.

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-Select the folders or files you want to copy to the stick

Click on

In the Copy Items dialog box, you can search for the USB stick. Windows XP gives a USB stick the name Removable Disk. In this example, the stick has gotten the letter E. That might be a different letter on your computer.

Click on Click on

The folders are now being copied to the USB stick:

Now you’re going to safely remove the USB stick from the computer:

Double-click on the icon on the right-hand side of the Windows taskbar

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-You see the Safely Remove

Hardware dialog box:

Click on

When you see this balloon, you can safely remove the USB stick from the USB port.

Now you can use the USB stick on a different Windows XP computer.

Insert the USB stick into the computer’s USB port

After Windows has recognized the stick:

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-In the My Computer window, you see the components of your PC. The USB stick is shown as a Removable Disk:

Double-click on

Please note: The letter (E:)

next to Removable Disk may be different on your computer. Now you see the contents of the USB stick in the window:

Select the files or folders Click on

In the Copy Items dialog box, select the folder on the hard drive where you want to copy these folders, such as the My

Documents folder.

The folders or files will now be copied.

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Tip

Save or Open a File on the USB Stick within a Program

You can save a document or file you’re working on directly onto a USB stick from within a program. You can also open a file directly from a USB stick within a program.

In this example, you’ll see how to do this in the program WordPad. It works the same way in other programs.

Start WordPad

You see the WordPad window:

Type some text

You’re going to save this little document onto the USB stick.

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-Click on beside

Now you see a list of your computer’s components, among other things:

In this example, Windows has given the USB stick the name

.

That might be a different letter (and not E:) on your computer.

Click on

Now you can save the

document onto the USB stick:

Click on

The document will now be saved with the name Document.

After this you see the WordPad window again.

Close WordPad

You’re also going to try opening a document or file from a USB stick.

Start WordPad

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-Click on Click on

Click on beside

Now you see a list of your computer’s components, among other things:

In this example, Windows has given the USB stick the name

.

That might be a different letter (and not E:) on your computer.

Click on

Now you see the contents of the USB stick:

Click on the file you want to open

Click on

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-The document will be opened in WordPad. Now you can continue working on it. In this example, however, you don’t need to do that. You’re going to close WordPad and safely remove the USB stick:

Close WordPad

Now you’re going to safely remove the USB stick from the computer:

You see the Safely Remove

Hardware dialog box:

Click on

.

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HELP! I don’t see the file in the Open dialog box.

If you don’t see your document or file in the Open dialog box but you’re certain it’s on the USB stick, then:

Click on beside the

box Click on

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Tip

Deleting Everything from a USB Stick

You can delete files from a USB stick like this:

After Windows recognizes the USB stick:

Open the My Computer window

In the My Computer window, you see the components of your PC. The USB stick is shown as a Removable Disk:

Double-click on

Please note: The letter (E:)

next to Removable Disk may be different on your computer.

Now you see the contents of the USB stick in the window:

Select the folders or files Click on

If you had selected a file, you would click on . For multiple files or folders, click

on .

The files or folders will now be deleted from the USB stick.

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Tip

Safely Removing a USB Stick

When you insert a USB stick into a USB port, Windows will recognize the stick and give it a name in the form of a letter. Make sure you correctly remove the stick from the computer after use. Windows has a separate icon on the taskbar that you can use to “log out” the stick. If you don’t do this, then Windows will give the stick a new name every time you use it, and you run the risk that eventually there won’t be any more letters available. You can safely remove a USB stick from the computer as follows:

Now you see the Safely

Remove Hardware dialog box:

Click on