Ask Readers: USB Storage Sticks
July 6 by Chris Brogan | Uncategorized
I’ve gone and lost my second USB stick. In the first case, the stick had some documents pertaining to my company’s business. Nothing damning, and nothing especially illegal, but annoying to lose and imagine out there in the wild. Oh, not to mention that it had a personal journal written in straight text that I’m sure gave someone a few laughs. On the plus, my resume was on there, so maybe someone will call me up and offer me a job, based on my clever ability to leave USB memory sticks around in public areas.
The second one was lost at the beach, I’m fairly sure (and don’t ask why I carried the stick in my pocket on the way to the beach- I’m a dork).
Well, you can mess with my twice, but by the third time, it’s pretty pathetic if I go about putting anything particularly pertinent on a USB memory stick that might subsequently be picked up and never returned by yet another lucky new owner. So, I have some thoughts.
- Encryption- I know some of you are thinking that I should just get a free or cheap encryption program and then the drive’s useless to whoever gets it and doesn’t have the password. Sure, except that I’m not sure there’s an encryption software that’s cross platform, and I use this stick between a Mac, a Windows PC, and a Linux box. If you know about a great cross-platform solution to that, let me know.
- Pocket Drives- I’m thinking that maybe I should just stick with my pocket drive, which is just a little too big to really fit in my pocket (about the size of a checkbook, but firm), but that I doubt I’d lose through falling out of my pocket, or accidentally leaving plugged into the public library’s computer. There might be some middle-of-the-road sized devices out there. Do you use one?
- Lanyard- These little stick drives always come with a dumb-looking fabric lanyard (thing that goes around your neck). First, if you wear your stick around your neck, stop. That’s my fashion tip for the day. But, it *would* give a visual queue that there’s a memory stick hanging out of my pocket about to fall on the ground, especially if I replace the typical stylish black one with a shiny “oh crap, he’s going to lose me again!” orange or something.
- Your thoughts- And what else? How can you help me keep better track of my straying USB sticks? Because at this rate, I’m going to buy a box of them, load my resume and my business plan on each of them, and proceed to lose them strategically all over the US.
Come on, Life Hack community. What are your tricks about keeping your USB sticks and their data coralled?
iPod in Data Mode.
‘Nuff said.
Christopher S. Penn
Daily financial aid internet radio on demand, no iPod required
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com
Got iTunes? http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/subscribe/
As for the encryption question. I don’t have a full solution but looking into GPG might be the way to go. If anything is going to work cross platform that would. I know there is GPG Tools for the mac that well let you encrypt files (though not directories I don’t think). As well, there are some graphic front ends for Linux that well do file encryption. That only leaves windows to investigate but I’m sure something can be found.
I use my iPod in Disk mode, works a treat and I’m never scared of loosing it – I just wouldnt leave my iPod laying around.
I’d say carry on the search for Encryption software as from what you’ve said it would suit you better and would save you having to use those stupid lanyards.
An alternative approach – my USB stick has a plain text file in the root (ThisUSBKeyBelongsTo.txt) with my address, and the offer of a cash reward to whoever posts it back to me.
I also use encryption (not cross-platform, unfortunately) for some things, but at least this way I have some chance of getting the stick back so I can stop worrying.
If you have a memory card in your mobile, you could use that to store your data, assuming your mobile goes with you whereever you go!
At least then it’s one less thing to carry about. I’m contemplating using mine in this way (SPV C600 windows mobile phone), in which I’ve already installed a 1GB SD card.
Only downside is that you’d need to either carry the USB phone cable with you, or rely on a Bluetooth connection to get the data off… Oh and ActiveSync…
:)
Buy a really small one (like the Cruzer Microdrives) and add it to your keychain.
Dunno if you can encrypt your data cross-platform though.
Another option is to buy a watch with a USB holder.
If you don’t like one of the above options then leave your USB key in the car when you go to the beach.
I did something similiar to the text file with the reward info — I named my stick my email address. I figured that might help it get back to me if it was lost.
Sorry for your loss! ;^)
I would like to suggest putting your memory stick at the end of a short rope and securing it to your belt loop with a small carabiner.
I no longer carry a USB memory stick around but store files on-line and retrieve them when necessary. You could try Box.net, Backpack, ContactOffice.com or Foldera.
I bought a 1GB PQI Intelligent Stick (http://www.pqi1st.com/products/istick.asp) that has worked great. It’s very small and comes with a credit card size case that I keep in my wallet with me.
Now I only have to worry about losing my wallet!
I don’t actually use my flashdrive that much, but I do store some important stuff there.
However, I have cornered off over 95% of the drive to a secure zone, and I left a little text file in the unsecure part that says something like this:
“If you’re reading this, you found my flash drive. Guess what? There’s only 5 mb of unencrypted space on this drive, so it is pretty much useless to you. Why don’t you give me a phone call at AAA-BBBB and you can give this thing back to me…”
I figure that might help if I lose it…
http://www.truecrypt.org/ Free open-source disk encryption software for Windows XP/2000/2003 and Linux.
For cross platform encryption, keep an eye on TrueCrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org). It’s open source and currently available on Windows and Linux. The first item on their upcoming features list is OSX support.
Like you, I’ve lost several flash drives. One even went in the laundry… twice. As a result of that painful lesson, I’ve been looking for a better solution. I have a firewire drive for big files, but I also use my iPod. These are best for big files. Sometimes I use FTP or Gmail to store files when traveling, but I like the portability and ease of the flash drive.
The only flash drive that’s lasted is the one on my work keychain. I may misplace my keys from time to time, but hooking the gizmo to my keys has kept me from losing it or my sanity.
Another vote for TrueCrypt. It does sound like you need to make your storage bigger, so an ipod is probably the way to go.
Keychain.
Keychain, absolutely.
Of course, you could always glue it to the back of your hand, but that might be a little much.
Perhaps I am lucky in this, but I need to wear glasses when reading and working on the computer. I keep my usb drive, loaded with apps and documents, wrapped up in my lens cloth in my glasses case.
I’m currently using locknote and YadaDisk for some security, but just for a few files. My Portable Firefox does remember some of my passwords, but I’ve enabled the master password to control that. I haven’t needed to concern myself with multiple platforms yet.
Oh, and I have included a .txt file with return contact information. The drive has my telephone number as the title.
First, I don’t put anything on my USB stick without which I could not survive. Everything is backed up somewhere. Second, if I put anything sensitive or damning, I encrypt it. I’m windows only so there are lots of portable options for either encrypting files or the whole drive. Third, I don’t carry my stick anywhere but in my big-ass backpack, about which I am pretty compulsive, and therefore, the stick would be difficult to lose accidentally.
“Stolen” is another matter. I don’t bother putting anything identifying on the stick because, like I said before, I don’t keep anything on it that I wouldn’t want broadcast on CNN. Sensitive stuff is encrypted. If somebody stole it, they’d have some meaningless spreadsheets, one or two to-do lists, and lots of files packed with ASCII gobbledygook.
My overarching philosophy is that I don’t put anything in it that, if stolen, would force me to perform seppuku.
Openssl is available on Windows (via cygwin or as a windows binary from openssl.org), OSX, Linux, *BSD, etc., and can be used to encrypt files: http://www.madboa.com/geek/openssl/#encrypt-simple.
It isn’t the most elegant solution, but given your requirement to be platform independent, it is probably the quickest way to get it done.
–jed
You gentlemen should carry purses! I have my USB storage stick’s lanyard tied to the “key hook” inside my purse.
Just last month I finally lost my Cruzer micro that had survived three trips through the laundry. Luckly I didn’t have anything but apps on it, as I’ve never really warmed up to carrying sensitive documents in my pocket in the same way I don’t carry anything with my Social Security number on it in my wallet.
When I do have to transfer documents, I do it either via my old nearly dead 10GB iPod which has been relegated to file transfers (although it seems to overheat after a few minutes and fail these days) or I use my Zen Micro Photo and a little retractable USB cable.
A year or so back a local CompUSA had a peg full of a neat device from mediaGear: it looks like a thumb drive, but it’s really an SD-to-USB adapter. Pop off the cover, stick in your SD card, and it’s a thumb drive.
http://www.mymediagear.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=58&products_id=70
It’s flimsy. The snap-on cover doesn’t seem as though it’ll stand up under daily use, but it allows me to carry some basic applications and docs on the SD card in my Treo 650 and have that availabe on a PC in a pinch.
Yet another vote for truecrypt, but there are simpler options.
For the drive itself I just got a 1 GB swivel style key, no cap just a frame that hinges over the plug so no seperate bit too loose. This attatched to keys to remind me.
Too many keys have the clip on the lid not the body of the key so you find your lanyard/keyring has a shiny lid on it & you’ve still lost the good bit.
Bcrypt is what you want, if you can grok command line tools:
http://bcrypt.sourceforge.net/
This is a very secure command line encryption tool for dos/windows/linux/osx. It’s also very small and simple to use. Unlike other options you don’t have to install it on a PC (my work PCs are locked down) – just run the command line from the dos prompt.
It’s also small enough to keep all the different OS versions on your USB key for convenience.
I have a Sandisk Mini USB drive and yes, it came with a stupid lanyard. I wanted to keep it in my pocket but also needed to keep it from getting scratched up from keys/coins in my pocket.
On hackaday.com I saw this picture of a leatherpouch for a USB drive:
http://common.weblogsinc.com/common/images/3060000000053285.JPG
Luckily I have a friend who is into leatherwork and I commissioned him to make me one for $7. I love it!
I carry a messenger bag with my laptop most of the time (otherwise a backpack). My thumb drive lanyard is looped over one of the straps and then the whole thing is shoved into a pocket. I generally only use it for file transfers, so it gets used, then immediately put back.
My USB drive has a short lanyard attached (about 2.5 inches), and I clip it to a carabiner on my belt. I also clip my keys to this carabiner via a short nylon strap with a ring. When these items are in my pocket, they do not actually reach the bottom of the pocket, which reduces wear and tear on the fabric. I find that the abrasion of keys, etc wears holes in my pockets very fast, and all the stuff bunched up there is uncomfortable.
I have developed a physical habit of holding the cap of the flash drive between two fingers when I use it for short sessions (at the library), so I remember to re-cap it and put it on its clip when I’m done. I dislike losing the caps.
I am considering the SanDisk UltraII Plus SD card with integrated USB connectors to replace my USB-Flash drive. The card would then normally live in my iPaq, which I carry with me all the time.
Regrettably, all the hardware on my belt (I have a nylon belt to hold all the gear, separate from the one that holds my pants up) makes me look extra-dorky. I’ts a very natural look for me, though :)
I have multiple solutions… One, attach your USB drive to your Keychain. While you might actually try to leave your USB drive behind, you are not going to get far without your Keys… Believe me. It works. Secondly, I have taken to the portable drive methodology. I have a portable drive that runs my newsreader, contains important files, has my pictures on it, etc… It is a little larger, but I have a photography bag I carry it in. If you are afraid to leave it, keep it in the bag and just run the cord from the bag to the computer.
Use the lanyard! But don’t wear it around your neck. (That does look dorky.) Wear it around your suspenders or belt and keep the stick in your pocket.
Pull the lanyard loop up between your pants and your belt so that you have about 6 inches (15 cm) of loop. Bring the rest of the lanyard (with your drive) up over your belt, then tuck it through the first loop that’s behind your belt. Pull tight by pulling on the drive part of the loop. Put the drive in your pocket. It’s hard to walk away!
[...] As someone working across platforms (MacOS/Windows) and from two different places (home office/office at the university), I can fully appreciate the advantages using Foldera would have for myself. It could also benefit friends: tongue in cheek, I would venture in saying that using Foldera, my friend Chris Brogan, of Lifehack fame, would no longer be loosing his USB memory sticks! ;^) I was initially seduced by ContactOffice, which I find very useful. However, Foldera really seems to have the potential to take things to a whole new dimension. It seems clear that the Huntington Beach folks are going in the right direction: talks of the integration of applications and possible mash ups are in this respect most encouraging. Now, could it bring about a real paradigm shift? It is perhaps early days to tell, but it seems to be a real possibility. [...]
I’ve got a Lexar Jumpdrive Secure 1GB that came with an encryption program standard that works with both Mac and PC. I generally don’t use the secure portion of the drive (you can set it up as part secure, part public if you like) and I also don’t use Macs, but I know it’s on the drive if I ever need it. Also, the drive is a bit wider than most (1.25″), so it’s a little easier to keep track of. For more info, check out the lexar site: http://www.lexar.com/jumpdrive/jd_secure.html
(and no, I have no affiliation with lexar, but I generally like their products)
I put my active project folders in a folder called “Current”. These are files that I am currently using, and so they change frequently. I have another folder on my Flash drive with the same name. I use SyncBack to keep the files synchronized. It’s useful to know that I generally have two up-to-date copies of my active work files, and SyncBack makes the process very easy.
[...] This is something a lot of people do. Steve Pavlina has a post devoted to it, with tons of comments; he notes in passing that, at first, he “became skilled at sensing” where they were, presumably using something akin to dowsing, but then he fell back on simply hammering key hooks next to his garage door. Lifehack.org has a post devoted to what to do about losing USB sticks. In both cases, the consensus opinion is to find a consistent place to put your things, and always keep them there, so you always know where to look. Rudolf Steiner has by far the best solution, though, which is what I’ll describe below. [...]
Yes, encrypt, encrypt and oh yea encrypt. In my mind this is one of the most important things you should do when you take a USB drive anywhere. You also make sure that the encryption software you use is high quality as well. For me it’s StompSoft’s Portable Vault (http://www.stompsoft.com/portable-vault.html) though there are others that are also effective. What else, oh lanyards are dumb but nothing should discourage you from attaching these drives to your keys. I haven’t lost a single drive since I started doing that.
[...] On the plus, my resume was on there, so maybe someone will call me up and offer me a job, based on my clever ability to leave USB memory sticks around in public areas. Next [...]
Use PGP/GPG. It is cross-platform, relatively easy to use, and definitely secure encryption-wise.
I hate keeping stuff in pockets, they usually wind up rupturing the pockets. I’m trying out a utility bag at the minute I’m sick of transferring my stuff from my jacket to my coat. There are so many important items in that little bag I don’t tend to forget it anymore. I used to leave it in my car or at home.
I lost my USB drive in the local public library yesterday (Junior Area) and since coming today again, have not found it. I would recommend you put a text file on it with your address.
I wanna find more info about this, anybody could?