USB memory sticks

Also known as thumb, flash or pen drives, these represent the current standard in removable media for personal computers. We recommend their use on both Mac & PCs in University of Melbourne learning environments. They are compatible with all installed computers in University of Melbourne learning environments. They are an easy to use, high capacity, reliable and fast means of transporting files between computers.

Read the user guide for instructions on how to use your USB memory stick with PCs & Macs in University of Melbourne learning environments:

USB memory stick user guide [PDF 248kb 4 pages]

You may need the latest version of Acrobat Reader to view this PDF.

The table below gives a brief outline of the pros & cons of the most commonly used forms of removable media. Prices should only be used as a rough guide.

Device	Pros	Cons
Floppy disc	Easy to carry Reusable Cheap	No longer supported on all computers in University of Melbourne learning environments Slow data transfer Small amount of space (1.44MB) Easily damaged Outdated technology that is being phased out
Zip disc	Easy to carry Fast data transfer Relatively large amount of space (up to 250MB) Reusable	No longer supported on computers in University of Melbourne learning environments Expensive ($18 per 250MB disc) Outdated technology that is being phased out
CD-R	CD drives available on all computers Fast data transfer Large amount of space (up to 800MB) Cheap	Data can only be written to disc once Easily scratched
CD-RW	CD drives available on all computers Fast data transfer Large amount of space (up to 800MB) Reusable Cheap	Easily scratched Can be confusing for novice computer users
USB memory stick	Easy to carry Fast data transfer Many storage sizes (from 128MB to 16GB+) Reusable Compatible with all computers in University of Melbourne learning environments	Easily lost

Learning EnvironmentsConference AV support for external clients

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USB memory sticks