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The first version of the post got lost in the 'ether' - so my apologies if it turns up twice !

I have a laptop which has so far destroyed two memory sticks. My question is - are there any differences between USB devices? - do they all operate at the same voltage ? is it common for these type of media fail regularly ?- or is it that I've just been a bit "ham-fisted" when inserting them !.

Sorry if this question is a bit basic, but I don't have too much experience with PC technologies. Any tips gratefully received.

Norm

I think it may be you, but I know not abouts pc's

I thought there were only two types( sorry two connection types or is there a Industry standard, that no one complies too?) USB1 and USB 2,with USB2 being the fast one?

I had a mem stick(s) also...
1 "fried" in an E500
1 "fried" in an Evo N1050V
I use other USB plug 'n pray devs & they have been OK, except I was reading a compactflash card in a reader (not the camera), it was downloading the images & then... gone !! No images could be downloaded. Card in camera = data/images corrupt. Had to format the card to use it again.
Guess I must be unlucky too....

Will have to retract all I said.

Talking over a beer at the weekend, a number of friends have had similar blowups.

So, has this been caused by poor quality products or should we be using the remove hardware command a bit more often?

FYI,
I didn't even get as far as using the remove hardware cmd, the magic bits just escaped...

There are many problems with USB devices. There is no difference in voltage between USB1.1 and USB2.0, but you will get power problems if you add too many devices which draw power. In such cases it is better to attach a powered USB hub to the system.

There are also problems with cables, there is no visual difference between cables but some may not be certified for use with USB2.0. Usually this is not a problem with cables unless your cable length is greater than 6 feet.

Other problems are associated with devices which take a lot of bandwidth for long periods of time. These include hard disks, printers, and scanners. In general it is better to keep these devices seperate on their own dedicated port.

If you have a browse around the Internet you will find USBMAN quite useful along with many other good sites.

D'bert

I take it that means keeping the invoice so that you can order a new one ?