Best USB drives to buy right now? Recommendations wanted!

So, I picked up a SanDisk 64 GB Ultra yesterday, and now none of the gear at my place—my TV, the DVD player, even my Xbox 360—can actually find it. It’s like the thing doesn't even exist. Meanwhile, my old thumb drives work perfectly fine without any drama. Anyone got a clue how to fix this mess?

Have you tried plugging it into a computer?

Devices like TVs or DVD players usually have limits on how much storage they can actually recognize—some might top out at 16GB, others at 32GB, and so on.

If it isn't working on a computer either, I guess you should just go straight to a warranty claim.

Yeah, it’s most likely a 32GB limit...

So here's the deal: my TV handles a 1.5TB external hard drive just fine, but this random thumb drive? Total ghost. It’s like it doesn't even exist to the TV. I was thinking there might be some kind of trick or a specific software fix to "rehab" the drive so other devices actually recognize it. My PC sees it without any drama and the transfer speeds are actually solid, so it's not like the hardware is trash. Just trying to figure out if there's a way to make it play nice with my other gear.

Look, you just have to dig around and experiment; there's no magic solution here... Try formatting it to FAT32, or maybe try exFAT instead, and see what happens.

I just picked up what’s supposed to be a 16 GB Toshiba flash drive at Walmart. I plugged it into my PC, and it immediately started acting up. First, it tells me I only have 14 GB available—which I figured was fine. But then, as I was trying to copy over some documentary films, I got hit with an error saying the destination drive is full. It’s claiming I have 5.52 GB used and only 8.91 GB of free space??

Does anyone here know if I just got scammed?

Maybe there was some proprietary Toshiba software pre-loaded on it. Right-click and check the properties to see what file system the stick is using; if it's formatted as FAT, you won't be able to handle any large files. Try formatting it to NTFS if you're running Windows 7 or 8...

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...t-file-systems

darkowl72 said:It might have some original Toshiba software pre-installed. If you right-click and check the properties, you can see which file system the drive is using. It might be formatted as FAT, which won't handle large files. Try formatting it to NTFS if you're running Windows 7 or 8...

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...t-file-systems

I'm using Windows XP Pro. I managed to copy a 5.5 GB file—a full program installation—without any issues the first time, though I hit a wall with a second one of a similar size. Then again, I moved a 1.1 GB movie onto it yesterday without a hitch, so clearly I don't have all the answers. I'll check whether it's formatted as FAT or NTFS when I get a chance.😠.

On another note, is it normal for a USB drive's capacity to be a few gigs lower than what's listed on the packaging? If not, I'm taking it back to Walmart to get my money back.

Thanks. 🙂

If you buy something from a legitimate retailer, it shouldn't be a fake. You only run into that kind of nonsense when you're ordering some knockoff from some random idiot on eBay. Besides, this thing comes with a warranty, and honestly, Toshiba sticks have always been reliable enough for me.

A retail store that actually offers a warranty has zero incentive to pull stunts like that. Especially a place like Walmart—they're actually great with returns. They'll even give you your money back on the spot without any hassle, even if you paid for it using a credit card installment plan!

I picked up a SanDisk 64 GB Ultra from Best Buy about a month or two ago (roughly $10), USB 3.0, with a 5-year warranty...

darkowl72 said:Especially at Walmart—they’re actually amazing with returns. They'll even give you your money back on the spot without any hassle, even if you paid with a credit card on an installment plan!

What about the return policy?

I filed a claim for my mouse at Best Buy today, so we'll see how that goes (I don't expect much trouble). I previously had to return an 8GB flash drive to a local electronics shop 🤣

Basically, the retailer told me they'd fix everything just to avoid giving me a brand-new replacement, and that's exactly what happened—I got a repaired unit instead. It looked like they were soldering God knows what inside, but it worked like new for a few days, maybe a week at most, before it died completely. And wouldn't you know it, it happened right after the warranty expired 🤣

Yeah, I’m speechless too. I picked up a bunch of random stuff, swiped my card, and planned on heading back tomorrow to return some kid's clothes or something—I can't even remember. All I know is the service sucked. I tried to return it, but the woman just goes "no problem" while grabbing the cash. I almost asked her, "Wait, how is that possible if I paid by credit card?" but I bit my tongue, took the money, and just walked out.

Next time, I grabbed some junk from a Home Depot, realized it was total garbage, and took it back. "No problem..." they say. So, what is it? Do you want the item back or do you want the money?

Timothy Kim60 said:I picked up a SanDisk 64 GB Ultra from Best Buy about a month or two ago—cost me maybe $10—it's USB 3.0, and comes with a 5-year warranty...

They're on sale right now, so I'm grabbing one too: http://www.bestbuy.com/memory-storage

darkowl72 said:Yeah. I was honestly speechless too. I picked up a bunch of random stuff, paid with my card, and then planned to go back the next day to return something—some kid's pants or whatever, I can't even remember... All I know is it’s totally unacceptable. I tried to return it, but the woman just goes "no problem" while grabbing the cash. I almost asked her how that works when it was a credit card transaction, but I bit my tongue, took the money, and just moved on...

The next time, it was some junk from a Home Depot; I saw it was total garbage and took it back. "No problems"... Either you want the item back or you want the money!

Those folks over in Europe. You can bet it wouldn't be this easy at a local American corporate scavenger.

electricbadger9 said:They're on sale right now, so I might grab one myself:

That's the one, though $6.75 was more expensive

I actually have an old red 8GB one at home, but the way the USB ports are designed is just idiotic. Sometimes when you try to plug it in, it just slides right into the plastic housing instead of the port. 🤦

I'm checking out this sale at Walmart tomorrow for a 32GB USB 3.0 drive for $30. If the price is right, I might grab it, but honestly, this whole 3.0 thing has me a little tripped up. From what I’ve been reading, the physical size of the port looks identical, so it’s just the 3.0 version being faster—which, I guess, isn't even my main concern. My real worry is whether I can actually plug this thing into my computer if it only has USB 2.0 ports. It feels like a total waste of money if the dimensions match but they aren't actually compatible 😁

USB sticks shouldn't be giving you any trouble. They use the same connector and they're fully compatible with the 2.0 standard. Sure, if you plug it into a port like that, it'll run slower—basically acting just like a 2.0 drive.

Another thing is that this price isn't even special. Usually, when tech gear hits big-box stores, it's actually cheaper, but that's clearly not happening here. You can find them at Best Buy for this price, or probably everywhere else for all I care, I just don't feel like hunting for them.

I don't have anything against shopping at places like this—I do it myself sometimes—but these prices for both the stick and the SD card are nothing to write home about. Oh, and for what it's worth, Transcend is a decent enough company.

Look, I mean, maybe two or three years ago—okay, maybe it’s been longer, but that’s how I remember it—I paid about the same amount of money for a 16GB drive. I actually just went to check on my old one to see what was left on it, and Windows says "Used 0 bytes, free 0 bytes," which basically means the whole thing just bit the dust and died 😲

I was mostly just curious because I know that even when things look identical on the outside, they don't always work the same way (kind of like how a CD and a DVD look similar but aren't the same thing).

Does anyone know where I can pick up one of those keychain things that "has" a USB built into it here in Cleveland?

This is basically what I'm looking for:

The links you sent are broken, but you should be able to find what you need right here:

https://www.amazon.com/usb-flash-drives...0&pageNumber=2

There's a Best Buy near Cleveland if you want to just go pick one up.

Bumping this thread a bit
Does anyone have a solid recommendation for a USB drive? I think 32 or 64 GB would be plenty. (My old Corsair Survivor finally kicked the bucket)
Mostly just for saving docs—Word, Excel, maybe some photos and stuff...
Durability is my top priority here. I don't really carry it around on the go, so size isn't a huge deal.
If there's a killer deal on something with less storage, let me know... might just grab two instead. Or maybe even an external hard drive.
Price-wise... I'm not looking to break the bank, but I don't want the cheapest junk either, since I need something that actually lasts.
I did a little digging and came across this one
Is there anything cheaper that still hits this level of quality? (Assuming less capacity, obviously)

Rachel Jones8 said:Just bumping this thread a little bit.
Does anyone have a solid recommendation for a USB drive? Somewhere in the 32GB to 64GB range should be plenty—my old Survivor seems to have finally given up the ghost.
Mainly just for storing documents (Word, Excel, etc.) and maybe a few photos here and there.
The most important thing for me is reliability and longevity. I don't really carry it around constantly, so the physical size isn't a huge deal.
If there’s a great "best buy" option with less capacity, let me know... I might just grab two instead. Or perhaps even an external hard drive.
As for price—nothing crazy expensive, but I don't want the absolute cheapest junk either, since I'm really looking for quality and durability.
I did a little digging online and came across a recommendation for this one
Is there anything more affordable that maintains that same level of quality? (Assuming we go with fewer gigs, of course).

Haha, you read my mind! I was actually just about to reply and tell you that the Corsair Survivor is the gold standard—you won't find better.😁

I ended up getting mine through this site:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YP5X1TI/...TE_SCE_3p_dp_1

It was much cheaper that way, though they sent it in a simple envelope. Actually, mine ended up getting stolen during transit—the envelope arrived totally ripped open—but luckily they were good enough to send me a replacement.