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Matt Laboff

Administator for GetUSB.info GetUSB.info started in 2004 with the concept of providing USB information for everything USB related. At the time, USB was gaining momentum and every day new products, articles and news became published. Today, the site is focused on bringing technical information, tricks and hacks to USB related products. The site does publish off topic information as well, to keep the variety up. Please visit the footer area of any page if you or your company is interested in article or product placement via purchased advertising.

Clean Windows Registry of USB Drives

Here is a great tool for cleaning Windows Registry of USB drive entries. The program runs in the Windows console and removes all devices that are not currently connected.

To clean up the Windows registry of a USB flash drive, or other USB devices can make your system boot faster and run faster.

For example, each time you connect a USB printer to a different USB port on your PC there are registry entries made which associate the device with the drivers. Windows is trying to be smart and log this information so the next time you connect the device, Windows will know exactly what to do. Meaning when you connect the printer a second time, you don’t see the balloon from Windows saying “Installing Brother driver” or something, it’s just connected and ready to go.

But, for example, lets say you connect your Nikon camera to your PC and you use a different USB port each time, now you have a bunch of registry entries that can make your PC boot slower, run slower or possible give you trouble with that external device.

With all this said, if you are having trouble with a USB drive, or a USB camera, printer or scanner, the first thing you’ll probably want to do is run this Windows registry cleaner utility. Good chance it will solve your problems.

Download Now

System Requirements:
WinXP / Vista / Win7
Writes settings to:
Does not write files to host computer
Dependencies:
Administrator rights
License:
Freeware
How to extract:
Download the ZIP package and extract to a folder of your choice. Launch drivecleanup.exe either in the ‘Win32’ folder or ‘x64’ folder.

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Flash Memory Puts Mars Curiosity into Safe Mode

As with any good project, there should always be a back up plan.  The Curiosity for Mars is no different.  The system has a B-Side computer in the event the A-Side computer went down…well guess what, it went down. There is a theory that cosmic rays affected some of the flash memory on Curiosity causing the A-Side computer to shut down and reboot into Safe Mode. JPL is currently backup up the A-Side data to the B-Side computer and should reboot by weeks end.  Configuration and data transfer can take a while, then of course the verification process of everything done right. JPL states:
“The hardware that we fly is radiation tolerant, but there’s a limit to how hardened it can be, you can still get high-energy particles that can cause the memory to be corrupted. It certainly is a possibility and that’s what we’re looking into.”
For updates please visit the NASA website. Continue Reading

IronKey Workspace Windows 8 PC on a Stick

ComputerWorld did a nice write up about the IronKey Workspace product for Windows 8 operating system. Read the full article here.
“IronKey storage devices have also been validated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to meet the stringent Level 3 criteria of FIPS 140-2. Combined with the cloud -based IronKey Enterprise Management Service, data security can be managed and audited from anywhere in the world. The IronKey Workspace flash drive, however, is not FIPS-certified.”
The IronKey will boot from any PC or Mac computer.  Boots in about 35 seconds but has an initial configuration time of about 4 minutes. Continue Reading

USB Flash Drive Power Monitor

Smartronix has a USB power monitor and it’s ideal for those who want to regulate what power is coming from a USB device.  Most notably would be the ability to test power from a suspect defective drive or gadget.  With so many useless USB toys made in cheap factories over seas, one can get a product which plays havoc with your system.  Most problems always come from power. Granted the power meter probably takes more juice then any USB power gadget your testing, but again, this is designed for the hobbyist or guy troubleshooting some gear. This is also a good device to test products which claim to fall into the USB-IF specification for a USB device, something like this USB power meter could help prove your case against an overseas supplier who’s not fessing up to their poor quality work.  (can you tell we’ve ran into this problem on multiple occasions !) Too bad it doesn’t measure calories, otherwise we’d find out just how hard that USB humping dog is really working. Smartronix webstore, vai Gadgeteer. Features:
  • USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 compatible
  • Large, easy to read LCD
  • Folding Stand
  • Auto Power-Down
  • Peak Hold
  • Measures current in either direction (Host>Device or Device>Host
  • Batteries and USB Cable included
Specifications:
  • Maximum Voltage Reading +/- 19.99 Volts
  • Voltage Reading Accuracy: +/- 0.1 volt from -10V to 10V; 5% from 10.01V to 19.99V; 5% from -10.01V to -19.99V
  • Maximum Current Reading +/- 1999 mA
  • Current Reading Accuracy: +/- 2mA from -500mA to 500mA; 5% from 501mA to 1999mA; 5% from -501mA to -1999mA
  • USB Type B upstream Jack
  • USB type A downstream Jack
Continue Reading

USB Cable Lets You Control Smartphone Screen Through PC

The DN-84254 is a microUSB cable which mirrors your smartphone screen on your PC.  The sync software allows you to click around on the PC screen and control your phone. So what’s it good for, imagine this:   If an app would require you to input letters or characters, you can simply do so by using the PC’s keyboard. Several key shortcut buttons on top of the program also allow you to conveniently make the device do specific commands, or access certain areas instantly. So, aside from being able to record screen activity directly on your PC (for gaming and reviews and the likes), you can also intuitively control the smartphone within the PC’s environment as if it was just a simple Android emulating program or similar. For me, this cable is worth Continue Reading

Tech Hack: Alesis IO Dock with USB Hub

The Alesis IO Dock is a great product for iPad musicians – this small hack makes it even greater. It overcomes one limitation of the IO Dock: You can’t simply hook it to a USB hub. So I decided to build in an additional hub – which allows me to hook up additional class-compliant interfaces like my M-Audio Axiom master keyboard, and power them via the hub. Yes, it works. No, it hasn’t been thoroughly tested yet. So try at your own risk. Full Tutorial (nice) Continue Reading

GameStick – USB Gaming Console Soon to be…

Gamestick is creating a set-top gaming console for the Android space.  The GameStick is true to it’s name where the data sits on a USB flash drive and the flash drive fits inside the hand held console. The GameStick is targeted at $79 and plays the same games as other Android platforms.  Of the 700,000 Android games about 200 have been targeted by GameStick to be developed and fully supported for the GameStick environment. The console sports an Amlogic 8726-MX processor, with 8GB of flash memory and 1GB of DDR3 RAM. It supports Bluetooth 4.0, and also comes with the standard 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. The console ships with Jelly Bean. PlayJam, the developers, state they have a working prototype, and is 90% of the way toward getting the final pre-production sample. If you Continue Reading

3D Printed Web Camera Controller

Instructables member TLevis posted a cool tutorial on making a webcam controller from a 3D printer.  Since 3D printers are all the rage right now, lets spread the word.  It’s a cool design, but overlooks the ability to move the camera up and down…as it only rotates left and right. Read up on the tutorial via Instructables. Continue Reading

CF Duplicator by Nexcopy, Press Release

PRESS RELEASE:

CF Duplicator, Nexcopy LAKE FOREST, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nexcopy Inc., a leading manufacturer in USB Duplicator solutions, announces their all new CF Duplicator system for data loading to Compact Flash cards.

New CF Duplicator Features

  • CF Duplicator with all new design
  • Deep CF sockets with guides for easy insert and removal
  • CF Duplicator available in 15, 30 and 45 target systems
  • Powerful duplicator software with many advanced features
  • Unique data may be copied to each card

Nexcopy is announcing the all new design of our CF Duplicator solutions. These robust and reliable CF duplicator systems are available in 15 socket, 30 socket and 45 socket configurations.

The new CF Duplicators by Nexcopy are designed with functionality and ergonomics in mind. With top loading CF sockets in combination with deep rail guides to easily insert and remove CF media the new system will virtually eliminate bent pins from high volume duplication of CF media.

“Coupling the power of Nexcopy’s Drive Manager software and the new CF duplicator design our system can handle any configuration requirement by contract manufacturers or fulfillment houses,” reports Greg Morris, President of Nexcopy. “The system is PC based and provides tools such as duplication from IMG files, unique data streaming to each socket, network connectivity and rich Graphical User Interface for performance feedback and log reporting.”

Why CompactFlash Cards Are Still in Use

CompactFlash (CF) cards are primarily used for storing digital data in a wide range of devices, especially those that require high-capacity and high-performance storage solutions. While their popularity has somewhat waned with the emergence of other storage formats like SD cards and SSDs, CF cards are still utilized in various applications, including:

Video Cameras and Camcorders: CF cards are commonly used in professional video cameras and camcorders for recording high-quality video footage. Their fast data transfer rates and reliability make them ideal for capturing high-definition video in demanding production environments.

Embedded Systems and Industrial Applications: CF cards are frequently used in embedded systems, industrial computers, and electronic devices that require rugged and reliable storage solutions. Their durability, high storage capacities, and resistance to shock, vibration, and extreme temperatures make them suitable for use in harsh operating environments.

Data Storage and Transfer: CF cards are also used for general-purpose data storage and transfer in various devices, including computers, laptops, digital audio recorders, and handheld devices.

Gaming Consoles and Arcade Machines: CF cards have been used in some gaming consoles, arcade machines, and gaming peripherals for storing game data, firmware updates, and other content.

Medical Devices and Equipment: CF cards are sometimes used in medical devices and equipment, such as medical imaging devices, patient monitoring systems, and diagnostic equipment.

Data Recovery and Forensics: CF cards are also used in data recovery and forensic applications for recovering or analyzing digital evidence.

All CF duplicators by Nexcopy can copy from an archive IMG file, from a physical master device and include binary bit-by-bit verification functions. These systems are ideal for bootable CF cards. The new CF Duplicators by Nexcopy Incorporated are available for immediate purchase with a starting price of $1,299 US dollars.

Source: Business Wire.

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Disposible Paper USB Flash Drive

Despite every effort for the world to go paperless, there is always one more idea or product to use it. Today we hear about IntelliPaper USB drives. This is a new technology where the parent company, IntelliPaper, is trying to raise funds for it’s manufacturing. The idea is putting a controller chip embedded between several pieces of paper. From there, USB contacts are created to transmit the electical current of the four pins required to make USB work. Granted, this wont be an 8GB flash drive, but you can autorun a website, store some basic information or embed music for an audible greeting card. The ideas do seem limitless when you watch the video off the start-up webpage at Indiegogo. Continue Reading

LaCie Porsche Design SSD USB 3.0 Hard Drive

Slim is in…hasn’t that been the motto of runway models for the past 20 years.  I guess you can say the same for tech gadgets, laptops and of course storage peripherals. LaCie introduces the Porsche Designed ultra slim 120GB SSD hard drive. The $149.99 Slim Drive P9223 by LaCie, powered by none other than USB 3.0, follows the same minimalist design set by Porsche Design. It has a thickness of a mere 11mm; this makes it a great compliment to a 17mm slim MacBook. It’s chassis is made of solid aluminum which doubles as a heat sink for fast dissipation of any heat build up from the NAND chips. The LaCie Porsche SSD can top a transfer speed of 400/MBs.  But it’s not a walk in the park to get that data transfer rate.  You need to have a computer which supports the USB Attached SCSI [UAS] protocol.  This is a protocol which overcomes the aging bulk-only transport method which has been around since USB 1.0. Source:  EverythingUSB. Continue Reading

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