What are some benefits of a Thumb Drive?
- Backing up to places like Dropbox
- Viewing on your computer
- Editing on your computer
- Storing on your hard drive
- Uploading to online video platforms, like YouTube or Vimeo
- Sharing with friends and family
- You can make DVDs from them
Will all of my digital files fit onto 1 Thumb Drive?
In short, yes it will all fit.
Our system ingeniously calculates the USB Thumb Drive size your order needs based on the number of items you're sending in. Each thumb drive is made custom for each order to ensure everything fits. In the rare case that your items don't fit on one thumb drive, we'll put the rest on a second thumb drive, free of charge!
How do I access all of my files?
Using your thumb drive is as simple as plug and play!
- Go ahead, and insert your thumb drive into your computer’s USB port. It may seem small, but it fits all standard USB drives.
- Once inserted, you should see a new port icon appear on your desktop. Click on it and check out the format options of your newly digitized files –videos are .mp4s, audio files are .wavs and photos are .jpgs.
- Next, you can save your files. Thumb drives are super handy, but you probably don’t want to always have to plug one in to access your files. In that case, you can drag your files to your computer’s desktop and save them there for quick and easy access.
- If you’re a bit of a neat freak, you can even organize your files by right clicking on them to create folders by year, event, people, etc.
- In order to view your files, you can left click the files twice in order to pull them up. All your videos are converted to .mp4s, making them ready to use with today’s most popular video viewing and editing software.
From there you can enjoy your converted memories!
Can I play my Thumb Drive on my TV?
Our thumb drives are formatted specifically for computers, so while it is possible that the thumb drive we create will work in your smart TV, we cannot guarantee that it will. In fact, sometimes plugging your thumb drive into your smart TV will cause it to be reformatted, thereby removing all the digital files we created from the drive itself.
That said, you are welcome to duplicate the thumb drive we create for you onto a thumb drive that you know will be compatible with your television. We recommend checking the manufacturer's user guide for your TV to determine what type of thumb drive will be compatible.
If you are wanting to watch your precious memories on your TV, we would recommend selecting the DVD option as well! Those go directly in your DVD player and work perfectly on the big screen.
How do I back up the digital files on my USB Thumb Drive?
Creating a backup of your precious recorded moments is a great insurance policy in case anything happens to your original USB thumb drive.
We recommend storing copies of your digital files in two or more places. You can even keep copies on a second computer, if available. The more backups you have, the better, but two or three should be fine for most.
Backing up your recorded moments is easy! Simply follow the instructions below:
Option 1: Back up your USB thumb drive files on a computer
- Plug in your USB thumb drive to a computer.
- These files will appear, either on your desktop or in the Finder or File Explorer.
- Create a new folder for these files on your computer. The best place to keep them is in an easy place to find — the Desktop, Documents, or Movies folder are usually best.
- Drag the content from your USB thumb drive into the folder you just created.
- The files will appear in the folder as they're transferred.
Option 2: Back up your USB thumb drive files on a hard drive
- Follow the steps in option 1 to save your files on a computer.
- Plug in the external hard drive where you'd like to back up your files.
- Create a new folder on your hard drive for these files.
- Drag the content from your USB thumb drive into the folder you just created.
- The files will appear in the folder as they're transferred.
Option 3: Back up your USB thumb drive files on the cloud
- Follow the steps noted in option 1 to save your files on a computer.
- Pick a Cloud provider.
- Set up an account if you don't already have one.
- Follow the prompts within the cloud provider to add files.
Now these files will live safely on your computer, hard drive or cloud depending on which option(s) you picked!
How do I troubleshoot my USB Thumb Drive?
There are a couple things you can do to make sure your USB thumb drive works for years to come:
- Ensure USB Compatibility
Our USB thumb drives are designed to work on most computers made in the last 10 years. USB thumb drives are formatted as exFAT with an MBR partition map. If you are using your USB thumb drive with a device other than a computer, be sure to check the manual for your device to ensure compatibility.
Our USB's are compatible with Apple computers running Mac OS 10.6.5 and newer, Windows computers running Windows XP and newer, Xbox 1 and PS4. - Back up your files
The first thing you should do upon receiving your USB thumb drive is to back it up in some way, whether that is to your computer, another drive, or the cloud, you can’t go wrong. For detailed instructions to do this, see the section above! - Safely store your USB Thumb Drive
Keep your USB thumb drive in a location that is safe and easy to remember. While a USB thumb drive is a convenient way to store your digital files, it’s also small and easy to lose, if not stored properly.
My USB Thumb Drive keeps asking to be formatted every time I plug it in. What should I do?
We can help with that! First, do not format your USB thumb drive. This will erase the contents of the drive.
Second, check your computer's operating system to make sure your computer is compatible with our USB thumb drives. Our USB thumb drives are formatted as exFAT with a MBR partition map. This format serves as many customers and devices as possible.
Minimum Operating System Requirements:
- Mac: Mac OSX 10.6.5 and newer
- PC: Windows XP and newer
If you are not using a computer, consult your device manual to determine compatibility.
If none of these options solve your issue, please reach out to us! We are happy to take further steps to ensure this issue is resolved for you!
How can I use my Thumb Drive?
Checkout this instructional video below!