2. ABOUT PEN DRIVES
A pen drive, or a USB flash drive, is a portable data-storage device. Pen
drives have replaced the floppy drives of old and have become the most
popular data-storage devices among consumers. Micro, lightweight and
handy, a pen drive can be easily carried from place to place by students,
professionals, academicians and independent tech consultants. Currently
available pen drives with storage capacities ranging from 8GB and 32GB
can be used to store graphics-heavy documents, photos, music files and
video clips.
3. HISTORY OF PEN DRIVES
Pen drives, also called USB drives, flash drives, jump drives and thumb drives, were
introduced in 1999 and began to be sold commercially the following year. A pen drive is a
device for storing data and plugs into a USB port on a computer.
Who created the first pen drive is still under dispute, but according to Linkyo Insights, most
people credit M-Systems Company, which was eventually sold to Sandisk. The first
generation of pen drives had a storage capacity of 8 megabytes, which was about five times
greater than the floppy disk, a common data-storage technology of the time. By 2003, M-
Systems and other manufacturers were selling 64-megabyte versions of pen drives. Shortly
after that, 128-megabyte pen drives became available, which is when pen drives gained
popularity and became standard equipment for most computer users. Storage capacity
doubled for a few years so that by 2013, pen drives with storage capacities of 512 gigabtyes
and 1 terabyte were common.
4. WORKING OF A PEN DRIVE
Pen drives consist of a small printed circuit board. This circuit board provides a
sturdy base for the pen drive's form and also serves as a means to collect
information. The microchip within it (the circuit board) is able to extract data
with relatively low electrical power. It is based on old EEPROMS technology that
allows writing and erasure processes.
When a pen drive is connected to a USB port, it activates. Otherwise, it lies
dormant. The USB port gives the pen drive access to information on a specific
computer. Because most pen drives are formatted using FAT or FAT 32 File
systems, they are compatible with almost any USB host/port on a computer.
5. USES OF A PEN DRIVE
To transport personal data
Repairing computer
System administrators' helper
As an application carrier
As audio players