It's Not a Fashion Statement - It's My New Novel
Or - Getting on the USB Bus
Not that long ago, a new fashion craze swept the world. Everyone was wearing strange plastic and metal fobs around their necks, on key rings and bracelets. Behold the status symbol of the techno-fashionista: The USB Drive (not BUS driver - as my spellchecker would have it).
For those who care, it stands for Universal Serial Bus (see - the spell checker was right). Forgetting the geek-speak, the USB port is simply a method of connecting an outside device to your PC. This could be a camera, iPOD, phone or a disk drive for storing files.
Every computer bought in the last few years will have at least one USB port. They used to be at the back, until someone realised we don't want to crawl on the floor behind our PC to back up our files.
When you plug something in to your USB port, windows should spot it. The first time, the PC may want to install some sort of the driver for the BUS - sorry USB device. Just follow the instructions. If you're connecting a phone or camera, you may need the CD that came with the device.
If it’s a memory stick - or drive - open the My Computer icon. The USB drive will be listed as a 'removable storage' device - and given a letter to identify it separate from your hard drive (C: ) and so on. You may have several ports - each given a different letter.
Open the drive with a double click (windows may do this automatically). You can now copy any file onto it. Depending on how big it is (and that depends on how much money you spend), one drive can hold a lot of novels.
To remove the USB device, you should click on a green arrow icon on the bottom right on your Windows taskbar. If you put the mouse over it, it will offer you the tip 'safely remove hardware'. Just like the bus wheels, your USB drive is spinning. Don't jump off till you stop it. And never forget that the USB drive has moving parts just like the Bus, and an accident or break down can leave you stranded.