This has happened to me more than once lately.
I'm using a library computer, saving files onto my USB drive. I check the directory frequently; the files I've already copied are all listed as saved files. I've chosen my USB's directory, no other.
When I'm done, I carefully use the "eject" command before removing my drive.
But when I take the USB drive to another computer, the files I've saved have all vanished. They're completely gone, no trace.
How do I stop this from happening?
Assuming you’re referring to so-called “thumb-drives” or “flash drives,” they are notoriously unreliable — roughly comparable to using water-soluble ink on a postal envelope or mucilage to affix a weighty object to a pane of glass. Carefully choosing “eject” is a *sine qua non*, but not at all a guarantee of success.
ReplyDeleteRecommendations:
1. If you need to use a flash drive instead of a real external hard drive connected via USB, *never* use one that’s more than about a year old, and *always* use a second one as well. The former practice ensures that the drive is relatively defragmented, probably has reasonably recent firmware, and lessens the likelihood of directory-index corruption; the latter preactice will double your odds of success.
2. Even better is to use a well-regarded external SSD (especially) or hard drive *connected* via USB.
In either case, if you can, use a USB-C rather than a USB-A port (generally faster, generally more error correction, generally more robust).
In either case, buy by reputation rather than by cost. Generally recommended brands (although exceptions always occur) include:
- Samsung
- PNY
- Western Digital
- Sandisk
- Corsair
- Lexar
The Wirecutter has good recommendations:
- [USB flash drives](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-usb-3-0-thumb-drive/)
- [portable SSD drives](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-portable-ssd/)
- [portable hard drives](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-external-hard-drives/)
(Portable hard drives are probably not what you want, but I’ve included the link here just for completeness’ sake.)