Using a Removable Memory Device

The easiest way to take some of your files with you is to use a removable USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory device. There are many common names and brand names for these devices, but they all work in basically the same way: Plug the device into a USB port, copy information to or from it, and remove it when you've finished. Many people simply remove the device from the USB port when the file transfer is complete. Provided no data is being written to or from the device and there are no open files, you can do this without any loss of data. However, sooner or later you'll find that just as you start removing the device, some data is being written and you end up with some corrupted or deleted files. To avoid this disaster, make sure that you've closed all the files and stopped the device before you remove it.

Use the Device

Plug the device into a free USB port. If Windows Vista needs to install drivers for the device, wait for the installation to be complete.

If a window opens showing the contents of the device, use the window to manage the files on the device. If an AutoPlay dialog box appears, choose to open the folder. If the window doesn't open automatically, choose Computer from the Start menu, and double-click the drive for the device to open the window.

To copy files or folders from your computer to the device, select the items to copy, and right-click one of the selected items. On the shortcut menu that appears, point to Send To, and then click the device on the submenu.

When you've finished with the device and want to remove it, close any files or folders that are open in the device files.

Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area of the taskbar, and click the device you want to remove. Wait for confirmation that the device can be safely removed.