Windows doesn’t boot and all you’re seeing is a black screen after turning on the computer with the power button.

If this sounds familiar, read on.

Given this website is dedicated to USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology, here is a USB-related tip that could explain the black screen during boot.

Check your computer to make sure a USB flash drive is not connected at the time of power up. If you have a USB drive connected, disconnect it and try again. If this resolves the issue, then you likely have a bootable USB flash drive and your BIOS is configured to boot from USB. Both of these issues can be corrected.

The simple solution is removing the flash drive. But if you want to fix the problem permanently, there are a few steps you can take.

First, you can remove the boot code from your flash drive. Unfortunately, you cannot do this with a simple format or even a full format. You will need to clean the flash drive using DiskPart. This process wipes the device of boot code so it becomes a standard mass storage device rather than a bootable device.

Do the following (note: this will remove all data because the file allocation table will be erased):

• In the Windows search bar, type cmd
• From the Command Prompt window, type diskpart
• Type list disk
• From the list, identify the USB flash drive and its disk number
• Type select disk X (replace X with the correct disk number)
• With the flash drive selected, type clean

Your flash drive is now clean of boot code. However, the USB device is not yet ready for use. When you clean the flash drive, the file allocation table is removed, so Windows will prompt you to format the drive.

Navigate to your flash drive and attempt to access it. Windows will request to format the drive. Proceed with the format and the USB drive will then be ready for normal use.

The final step, if you want to fully resolve this issue, is to update the BIOS setting so the computer does not attempt to boot from a USB mass storage device by default. This step varies by manufacturer, and you may need to research the correct key to access BIOS during startup.

In this example, the Dell keyboard command to access BIOS is pressing the F12 key as the system powers on. Once inside the BIOS, locate the boot sequence settings and ensure the USB flash drive or mass storage device is not set as the first boot option. The first boot device should be the internal HDD or SSD (C: drive). The image below shows an example.

TLC memory writes slower than MLC memory because it stores three bits of data per cell, rather than the one bit stored by SLC and the two bits stored by MLC. Writing three bits of data to a single cell requires more complex programming than writing one or two bits of data, resulting in slower write speeds and shorter endurance levels. In addition, the number of program and erase cycles that TLC memory can endure is significantly lower than SLC and MLC memory, further reducing overall write performance.

More complex programming is required because each cell can hold three bits of data (with TLC memory). Because of this trait, when new data is added to the cell, the original data must be erased, remembered, and then written back to the same cell, in addition to the new bit of data being added to the three-layer cell. The speed at which a memory block gets erased depends on the type of memory being used. Generally, Single Level Cell (SLC) memory erases the quickest, while Multi Level Cell (MLC) and Triple Level Cell (TLC) memory take longer due to their increased layers. As a side note, the size of the memory block, as well as the type of controller being used, can also affect the speed of erase operations.

The five steps when writing to memory space in TLC memory are as follows:

• Erase – The existing data in the memory cell must be erased before new data can be written.
• Program – The new data is programmed into the memory cell.
• Verify – The new data is verified to ensure it was written correctly.
• Refresh – The memory cell is refreshed to reduce the risk of data corruption due to charge leakage.
• Read – The data is read from the memory cell to confirm it was written correctly.

If additional data is to be written to another bit of the same cell in TLC memory, the existing bits must be erased first and then written back along with the new data. This overhead in processing slows down the overall speed of the device and directly affects performance.

To get a bit more information about SLC memory, please visit our original post on the topic from 2006.

Most USB specification speeds are shown in Mbps (megabits per second), but nearly all users reference data storage in MB (megabytes) or GB (gigabytes), so this post converts the Mbps rate to MB per second and presents the information in a picture graph. Scroll down to see the image.

In 1995, seven companies came together to develop USB (Universal Serial Bus). The overall goal was to create a uniform way storage devices would connect to computers. (The seven companies were: Compaq, DEC, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, and Nortel.)

• USB 1.0 was introduced in 1996.
• USB 2.0 was introduced in 2000.
• USB 3.0 was introduced in 2008, with the next generation of USB 3.0 called 3.1 introduced in 2013.
• USB 3.2 was released in 2017.
• USB 4.0 specification was released in 2019.

USB speeds shown in MB per second are shown below as a picture graph. The graph shows the MB/second in relationship to the USB version. In addition, the USB connector type is highlighted for the versions where applicable.

The adoption rate of USB specifications typically has a two-year delay from the time of specification release to products becoming widely available. The duration for those technologies to become fully saturated in the market takes even longer. For example, the USB 4.0 specification may take another four years before the majority of products available will support those transfer speeds.

The data transfer speeds of USB 4.2 will be welcome, as moving 10,000 MB/s will easily satisfy the human expectation of “is it done yet!”

Two things to consider when it comes to expectations versus reality:

1. The transfer speeds listed in these specifications (or any specification like PCI or SCSI) are always theoretical speeds. Actual, real-world speeds will be lower.
2. Although USB 4.2 sounds incredibly fast, the likelihood of files increasing in size is about as exponential as Moore’s Law. Meaning our MP4 video file of today that is 100 MB in size will be higher resolution with better sound a year or two down the road and may balloon in size to 500 MB or more.

The device market for all USB technologies in the year 2021 was valued at an estimated $35.3 billion US dollars.

The growing use of consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptop computers in developed and developing countries is primarily due to rising disposable income, population growth, and increased internet penetration. Significant technological advancements have resulted in increased adoption of these devices across many economies. According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), smartphone sales in the United States totaled 152 million units in 2020.

USB devices have emerged as a dominant interface for meeting the growing demand for fast data transfer between end devices such as laptops, smartphones, PCs, and digital cameras. As a result of increasing demand for consumer electronics and data transmission products, global USB device market players are focusing on launching new products to achieve sustainable growth and differentiate themselves from competitors, thereby contributing to overall market growth.

Micron Memory , a leader in worldwide supply of semiconductors, committed 15 billion dollars for the new construction of a manufacturing plant in Boise, Idaho.

This new plant will be the first built in over 20 years inside the United States. In addition, it will become the only operational manufacturing facility within the United States. The 15 billion dollar investment by Micron will span the next ten years with investments inside of Boise and in other states as well.

This is the first of several planned US investments by Micron following the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act. This is the largest private investment ever made in Idaho. The new manufacturing fabrication facility will be a co-location with Micron’s Research and Development (R&D) center. Being this close to the company’s headquarters will improve operational efficiency, accelerate technology deployment, and shorten time to market.

The CHIPS and Science Act is a federal law in the United States that was passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 9, 2022. The act includes billions of dollars in new funding to boost domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing in the United States. The law is divided into three sections, each with its own short title:

• Division A is the CHIPS Act of 2022
• Division B is the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act
• Division C is the Supreme Court Security Funding Act of 2022

This endeavor will generate an estimated 17,000 new American jobs, of which 2,000 will be Micron direct hires. To support Micron’s growing employee population, the company plans to open a world-class childcare facility operated by local partners at the Treasure Valley Family YMCA across from Micron’s corporate headquarters. The center will provide STEM-based programming and easy access for parents to interact with their children during the day, as well as ease the transition for those, particularly mothers, returning to the workforce.

Boise State University, which is located less than ten minutes from Micron’s headquarters, is ranked 131 in Engineering. The press release from Micron did not mention investments or support to improve the engineering school’s rank over the course of the 15 billion dollar investment. The #1 engineering school in the United States continues to be MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

IBM introduced the world’s first commercial storage system, the 305 RAMAC, in 1956. A magnetic disk was used to store data and was intended for a secondary storage system. RAMAC stands for Random Access Method of Accounting and Control and was designed for real-world accounting needs in business. The first customer was the US Navy.

The physical size of the 305 was 6 feet wide by 5 feet deep. Total storage capacity was 4.4 MB (megabytes). The weight for this storage system was just over one ton (source).

Today (2022), we can see a 1TB (terabyte) microSD card (TF card) at the small size of 15 mm x 11 mm and a weight under one gram.

The big selling point from IBM in 1956 was the ability for the 305 to store the equivalent of 64,000 punch cards on its magnetic disks. Punch cards are stiff pieces of paper which contain digital data represented by the presence (or absence) of holes in predefined positions on the card.

The IBM 350 disk system could store 5 million alphanumeric characters as six data bits, one parity bit, and one space bit, for a total of eight bits per character. It had fifty disks with a diameter of 24 inches. Under servo control, two independent access arms moved up and down to select a disk and in and out to select a recording track.

In comparison, today’s 1TB microSD card will hold about 6.5 million documents. Said another way, that is roughly equivalent to about 1,300 filing cabinets of documents.

In 1957, IBM would lease the RAMAC 305 for about $3,200 per month (roughly $33,000 in 2022 dollars). Over one thousand 305 systems were manufactured before production ceased in 1961.

Digital Storage in the Future

If we consider Moore’s Law, where storage capacity and technology in general double every 18 months, we can calculate 43 cycles of Moore’s Law between today and 65 years into the future. Doing some advanced math, we estimate the storage capacity of a microSD card, if still available, in 2087 would be 18,446,744,073,709,600,000,000,000 TB of data.

How To: Hide Files on a USB Flash Drive

This article, “How To: Hide Files on a USB Flash Drive,” explains two free methods to conceal files on a USB drive using built-in Windows features. One method is quick and basic; the other is more advanced and harder to detect.

Overview of the Two Methods

Method 1: Standard Hidden Attribute

This method is the easiest. Anyone can right-click a file or folder, go to Properties, and select the Hidden checkbox. This will hide the file unless a user has Windows configured to show hidden files.

Pros: Easy and fast
Cons: Easily bypassed

Method 2: System Hidden Attribute

This method hides a file using both the system and hidden attributes. Windows will not show these files—even if “Show hidden files and folders” is enabled—unless the user also disables “Hide protected operating system files.”

Pros: Harder to detect
Cons: Slightly more technical

How to Hide a File Using the Hidden Attribute

Right-click the file or folder ? Properties ? check the Hidden box ? click OK.

If Windows is set to not show hidden files, it disappears from File Explorer. However, it still shows in the Command Prompt:

If the user has “View hidden files and folders” enabled, the file is visible again:

How to Use the System Hidden Attribute

Let’s take it a step further and apply the system attribute in addition to the hidden flag.

Step 1: Prepare the File

Place the file (e.g., text.txt) onto the USB flash drive.

Step 2: Open Command Prompt on the USB Drive

Click in the File Explorer address bar, type cmd, and hit Enter.

Step 3: Apply the System Hidden Flags

At the prompt, type:

attrib +s +h D:\text.txt

Replace D:\ with your actual USB drive letter.

Type exit to close the prompt. Then unplug and reconnect the USB drive. The file will now be invisible—even with hidden files shown—unless the system file setting is also disabled.

Confirming the Hidden File

Open Command Prompt and type:

dir /a:h

You’ll see hidden files listed—even the system hidden ones—but they won’t appear in File Explorer.

How to Open or Restore the Hidden File

Option 1: Show Protected Files (Not Recommended)

Enable “Hide protected operating system files” in Windows Explorer. This reveals system-hidden files but also exposes critical OS files to potential deletion.

Option 2: Remove Attributes

In Command Prompt, type:

attrib -s -h D:\text.txt

Option 3: Open Without Changing Attributes

To open the file without unhiding it, use:

notepad D:\text.txt

Need Stronger File Protection?

If you require stronger security, consider a Secure Disk solution. These USB flash drives hide entire partitions until a password is entered. They’re hardware-based, making them immune to software workarounds or hacks.

For more info, check out Nexcopy’s Secure Flash Drives.

Sticky labels are not a professional solution to label flash drives. Today we look at an alternative for labeling a flash drive which suits the demands of a business and/or professional.

There is a clear difference between labeling your flash drive because of personal use and the need to label a flash drive which is sold, shipped or mailed to a paying customer.

A common method to label a flash drive is with a sticky label applied to the outside of the flash drive, or a paper merchandise tag with some notes about the contents hanging from the lanyard loop. Albeit a good method for a personal flash drive, not the most professional or durable flash drive label tag when sold as a commercial product.

It is a common requirement from a company to include more information about the contents of a flash drive than what the space of a sticky label or tag will allow. In addition, the durability of said label should withstand environmental conditions which surpass the limits of a merchandise tag. Examples include:

• Detailed instructions for how the flash drive should be used
• Software or firmware version information (longer than sticky label space)
• Medical compliance information about the contents
• Audit tracking of ownership / possession (longer than sticky label space)

From the examples above, the question becomes:

What flash drive label can be used which is professional looking while having the durability and space needed to print the information required?

The best flash drive label we have found is the plastic credit card sized label offered by Nexcopy.

The CC USB Label is a white PVC plastic product which is 85mm wide by 54mm tall and 0.75mm thick with a total weight of 4 grams. The CC USB Label is printable on both sides and includes a lanyard for connecting to a USB flash drive.

The CC USB Label accepts full color print and with a white background, each color is vibrant and great contrast for users to easily read the printed information. Using an eco-solvent printer, the ink is permanent and water proof. The information printed will last in various weather conditions and environmental conditions.

Nexcopy offers their eco-solvent LOGO-EZ printer for in-house production. Nexcopy also offers print services for those not wanting to invest in a flatbed eco-solvent printer.

The credit card size and the light weight of the card make it a perfect complement as a flash drive label. With double sided print capability, a company has a great deal of space to print the information required for their product.

From the image below, one can see the flash drive label is ideal for printed bar codes for scanning during product fulfillment, shipping and receiving. Printing a more precise image like a QR code could improve user experience, such as streamlining a product registration process or direct landing page for a how-to video for product instruction.

The plastic PVC material is ideal for printing color logos and highlighting specific information. Having the flexibility for color print lends itself to emphasizing certain bits of information the manufacturer wants the end-user to notice.

In addition, the CC USB Label allows custom branding to match the requirements from the marketing department to ensure branding compliance is matched – getting stuck with black only printed sticky labels or merchandise tags decrease the overall perceived value of the product and could fall out of compliance of a company’s marketing guidelines.

Although some of this information sounds overkill for a flash drive label, keep in mind this solution is designed for a business or professional who might be required to provide very detailed labels for the product in which the flash drive is associated with.

I want to copy protect a digital photo on a USB flash drive. The answer wasn’t as obvious as I had hoped, but I did find it.

Below is the process I used to get what I needed.

The first thing I want to emphasize is that I want to protect a digital copy of a photo rather than a physical copy of a photo.

So, how to prevent a digital photo from being copied from a USB flash drive is a difficult question to answer. My first thought is about the medium I intend to use to send a digital photo to someone.

• Do I offer a download link?
• Do I send them a digital copy on a storage device like a portable hard drive or USB flash drive?
• Do I provide them a weblink to view the file from a hosted server?

The more I considered a delivery method, the more questions I had.

My first thought was to host the photo on a private webpage. Only users with access to the page could view the photo.

This isn’t going to work. I realized that once the viewer is on the page and viewing the photo, they can save it or screen capture it. After that, they could share the digital photo with whoever they wanted. There isn’t much protection here.

My next thought was to put the digital photo in a password-protected zip file. That is a good idea. The photo can only be viewed by someone who knows the password.

Oh wait, that doesn’t work either. I end up with the same problem as the hosted webpage. Once the file is accessed, the user can do anything they want.

So it occurs to me… I keep returning to an encryption solution rather than a copy protection solution. Encryption is useful because only those with the correct password can access the photo; however, it is not the same as my ultimate goal, which is to copy protect a digital photo and prevent it from being copied.

I guess you can say encryption is a way of keeping the honest people… well, honest.

I need a way to protect my photo regardless of the recipient’s intent. I realized I needed a solution in which everyone can see the photo but no one can do anything with it. Is it even possible to find such a solution?

When I was talking with a neighbor who is an IT guy, he mentioned a concept that I’d heard of before but didn’t apply to my thinking. Rather than a digital method of sending the photo, he proposed a type of physical dongle that held the photo. He explained that without the physical device, viewing the photo is impossible.

The lightbulb went on!

There is nothing worse than a blank screen after pressing the power button on your computer. Your heart sinks, your shoulders drop, and a sense of anxiety quickly sets in.

Why now? You have emails to check, orders to process, work to finish.

It always seems like computer problems happen at the worst possible time.

A quick glance at the computer reveals a USB flash drive sticking out of a USB port. Could this be the problem? You remove the USB device and restart the computer.

A few moments later, the system boots normally. So what happened? Why will your computer not boot with a USB device plugged in?

In this scenario, the explanation is simple. When the USB device is connected, the computer attempts to boot from the flash drive instead of the internal hard drive.

At some point in the life of that USB drive, it was made bootable and boot-strap code was written to it. Because the BIOS detects boot code on the device, it assumes the USB drive contains an operating system and attempts to start from it.

This does not mean every flash drive will cause this issue. Only USB drives that were previously made bootable can interfere with startup. Most standard flash drives are not bootable by default.

The other important factor

1. Can you freeze a USB flash drive?
2. Will a USB flash drive survive the washing machine?
3. Can a USB flash drive survive getting wet?
4. How long does a USB flash drive last?
5. Why is a USB flash drive so durable?

#1 – Can you freeze a USB flash drive?

Yes. If a USB drive is frozen, it will work and will typically function immediately without the need to defrost. Nerdy details below.

#2 – Will a USB flash drive survive the washing machine?

Yes, a USB flash drive will usually survive a washing machine cycle; however, it is recommended to let the flash drive dry for 24 hours before attempting to use it. Nerdy details below.

#3 – Can a USB flash drive survive getting wet?

Yes, a USB flash drive can survive getting wet; however, it is recommended to let the flash drive dry for 24 hours before trying to use it. Nerdy details below.

#4 – How long does a USB flash drive last?

Data on a USB flash drive could last indefinitely if configured correctly and stored under proper conditions. However, the real-world answer depends on several variables: the type of NAND flash memory (SLC, MLC, or TLC) and how the device is stored over time. The technical details are below, but the practical guidance is simple: (A) write protect the device once data is finalized, and (B) avoid exposing it to extreme temperatures and harsh environments.

#5 – Why is a USB flash drive so durable?

A USB flash drive (thumb drive) uses NAND flash memory. The key characteristic of NAND memory is its ability to retain data without continuous power.

The technical (nerdy) details behind the answers above

Here is a quick recap of traditional storage memory. In simple terms, a computer uses long-term storage (historically hard drives) and short-term memory (RAM). Traditional hard drives store data magnetically on spinning platters, where positive and negative charge states represent binary ones and zeros. Because of this magnetic state, data remains intact even when power is removed.

RAM (Random Access Memory), by contrast, only holds data while power is flowing. Once power is turned off, the information in RAM disappears.

Together, long-term storage and RAM allow a computer to both save data and operate quickly.

Flash memory (NAND memory) is different. It is a non-volatile storage medium that does not require power to retain data. Flash memory is a type of electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

You can think of it like a “dam” holding electrons in place so the stored data does not change when power is removed.

Because of this characteristic, the flash memory inside USB drives is very durable. A USB flash drive can survive being left in a freezing car overnight in North Dakota, survive a trip through the washing machine, or survive getting wet in the rain.

That said, flash memory does have a finite lifespan. NAND flash has a limited number of Program/Erase (P/E) cycles before it begins to lose integrity. Each time data is written or erased, the internal structure degrades slightly. Think of it like repeated small storms weakening a dam over time. Eventually, after enough cycles, the memory can fail.

The number of P/E cycles depends heavily on the type of flash memory used (SLC, MLC, or TLC), which we covered in detail in an earlier article.

Environmental factors generally do not impact NAND flash performance as much as people assume. However, temperature does matter for long-term data retention.

Technically, degradation occurs in the oxide layers that insulate the floating gate (the “dam”). As the oxide weakens over repeated use, electrons can begin to leak, which makes stored data less reliable. The device may continue to function, but with increasing risk of data corruption.

If the device is write protected, the P/E cycle count no longer increases. If data is written early in the life of the memory and the device is then write protected, data retention can be extremely strong. Cold temperatures do not accelerate data loss, while sustained high temperatures can accelerate degradation because heat increases the likelihood of charge leakage.

A USB flash drive with activity light gives the user visual feedback the device is working.

Click here to buy a USB flash drive with activity light. While on this site, consider some other advanced functions you might need, but didn’t think of. Advanced functions such as:

• Maybe you want the USB flash drive to be read-only (write protected)
• Maybe you want the USB to act like a CD-ROM drive
• Maybe you need to copy protect files on the drive – meaning people can view the files but they cannot print them, save them, screen capture, share, etc. The files can only be viewed.

These USB flash drives use an activity light and also provide the other cool functions mentioned above. The landing website offers six different body styles and an unlimited number of body colors along with free printing / branding if required.

Many small and portable flash drives do not have an activity light and we don’t like those types of drives. They don’t give the visual feedback we want to see.

Benefits of a Blinking LED Light on a USB Flash Drive

• Data Transfer Awareness: A blinking LED lets users know data is actively being read or written. This helps prevent premature removal of the drive, which can corrupt files.
• Visual Confirmation: The light confirms that the USB device is properly connected and receiving power from the host system.
• Diagnostic Aid: If the LED never blinks or stays off, users can quickly determine there’s a connection or drive failure without launching Disk Management or File Explorer.
• Multi-Drive Management: In environments where multiple USB drives are used at once—such as duplicator stations or kiosks—a blinking light helps identify which drives are in use versus idle.
• Security Awareness: In high-security environments, a blinking light can alert users if a USB drive is unexpectedly being accessed, suggesting potential unauthorized read/write activity.

The people who write for this blog prefer a USB flash drive with an activity light. The USB manufacturers have different settings for the LED activity light. Here is a screen shot of the mass production software tool used when making a flash drive.

There are two main settings for a USB activity light:

• On or Off setting for the LED on when device is ready
• Blink or not when flash memory is being accessed (this is for either read or write)

In our experience any USB flash drive with an activity light will have both of the above settings to On. Meaning the LED will be a solid color when connected and ready, and will blink as the device is being accessed for either a read or write request.

The most common LED color of a flash drive is red. However, we have seen green and blue LED lights on occasion. Most flash drives can be customized with specific LED colors if required. Lead times and pricing might fluctuate depending on what is required.

Using the command prompt (cmd) you can quickly and easily get the USB volume serial number and the USB device serial number. There is no computer experienced needed to perform these functions, simply type a couple letters and you will get the information!

To get the USB Volume Serial Number do the following:

Insert USB flash drive into the computer

Double click the drive letter associated with the USB flash drive (remember the drive letter as you will need this in a moment)

In File Explorer type: cmd

From the command prompt type: vol d: and click Enter ( where “d” is the drive letter of the USB flash drive)

The command prompt window will return the results and look something like this:

The Volume in drive D is named “Nexcopy”

The Volume serial number is 3AAB-AA16

After we explain how to get the USB device serial number we will explain the difference between the two.

To get the USB Device Serial Number do the following: