History of portable storage devices – An interesting topic and starts earlier then you probably think.  Starting in 1928 the punch card is what started it all.  Like the punch music you probably remember on your grandmothers piano where the piano played automatically from the punch roll.

• 1928 – Punch Card Storage: One of the earliest forms of portable data storage, punch cards used holes in paper to represent data and instructions for computers.
• 1956 – Magnetic Disk Storage (IBM 305 RAMAC): Introduced the first hard disk drive, capable of storing 5 MB of data using rotating magnetic platters.
• 1963 – Magnetic Tape Cartridges: Offered portable data storage for mainframes, allowing larger amounts of information to be transported between systems.
• 1971 – Floppy Disk: A flexible magnetic disk developed by IBM, making it easier to store and transfer data on personal computers.
• 1984 – CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory): Allowed digital data to be stored on optical discs, improving durability and storage capacity over floppies.
• 1990 – PCMCIA Flash Memory Cards: Early flash memory cards, primarily used in laptops and industrial equipment, paved the way for solid-state storage devices.
• 1994 – CompactFlash (CF) Cards: Used in digital cameras and handheld devices, offering small, removable flash-based storage.
• 2000 – USB Flash Drive: A major breakthrough in portable storage, offering rewritable, durable, and high-capacity data storage via USB interface.
• 2005 – SD and microSD Cards: Became the standard flash storage format for cameras, smartphones, and embedded systems due to their small size and reliability.
• Today – High-Capacity Flash Storage: Modern USB drives and SSDs now offer terabytes of solid-state storage, with fast read/write speeds and advanced encryption capabilities, replacing most earlier portable storage technologies.

History of Portable Storage (Infograph) An infographic by the team at History of Portable Storage (Infograph)

The above InfoGraph was provided by Nexcopy Company and highlights the current options and services available for Protecting IP on USB, often referred to as USB Copy Protection. The concept behind this USB copy protection solution is the ability to share digital files on a flash drive with others while restricting their ability to duplicate or distribute that information without authorization.

With the above solution, a user can protect multiple file types, including popular multimedia formats such as PDF, MP3, QuickTime, MP4, M4V, HTML, Flash, and other supported files. This post is not intended as advertising but rather as an informational overview of products and services for protecting IP on USB flash drives currently available in the market today.

CopySecure USB Drive – Key Features Explained

1. Compatible with Mac and Windows

The protected content on a CopySecure drive can be viewed on both Mac and Windows computers using included MacViewer and PCViewer apps—ensuring full cross-platform support.

2. No Administrator Rights Required for Playback

Recipients do not need admin privileges to run the viewer application. The encrypted files can be accessed directly from the drive without installing software.

3. No Installation Required on the Host Computer

Viewers launch and run directly from the flash drive itself—there’s no software setup required on the user’s system.

4. Content Runs 100% from the Flash Drive

All playback—including decryption—happens locally. There’s no internet connectivity, cloud authentication, or external servers involved.

5. Immune to Deletion or Modification

CopySecure drives are hardware write-protected—data cannot be deleted, overwritten, formatted, or modified at the controller level on the device.

6. Hardware + Software Encryption Layered Protection

This solution is not just encryption, but a combined hardware/software DRM system:

• Files are encrypted (e.g., DES encryption).
• A custom viewer governs access (disabling print, copy, paste, screen capture, save).
• The license is embedded to the physical drive—no recurring subscription needed.

Additional Advanced Capabilities

Dual-Partition Drive Format

You can partition the drive into:

• A read-only protected partition containing encrypted DRM content.
• An optional standard (read?write) partition for supplemental files or updates—not protected. Ideal for combining marketing collateral or user manuals alongside protected IP content.

Supported File Types

CopySecure drives support a wide range of content formats:

• Documents: PDF, TXT, XML, CSS
• Web pages: HTM / HTML / HTML5
• Images and animations: JPG, GIF, PNG, SWF
• Audio: MP3, WAV
• Video: MP4 (H.264 up to 1080p), WMV, MOV, M4V

Time?Expiration / DRM Features

You can optionally configure content to expire at a set date or time, useful for timed access to training materials, courses, or contracts.

How It Works – Process Overview

For the Content Owner:

1. Order licensed CopySecure USB media from Nexcopy with DRM license embedded.
2. On a Windows PC, install the CopySecure Wizard software. Use it to encrypt and load content onto the drive; the tool also installs PCViewer and MacViewer on the drive.
3. Lock the drive—making the protected partition permanently read-only at the hardware level.

For the End-User:

1. Insert the flash drive and open the appropriate viewer (MacViewer or PCViewer).
2. Run protected files directly from the drive — no installation or extra setup.
3. The viewer prevents actions like save-as, print, screen capture, or copying text. Files appear normal but cannot be extracted or replicated outside the viewer environment.

Caveats & Practical Considerations

• Screen capture protection is imperfect: On Windows, capturing screens can occasionally succeed before the viewer detects and deletes the screenshot; on Mac, users may deny viewer permissions, making capture possible.
• Viewer updates may be required: If future operating system changes break viewer compatibility, you can update the viewer on the drive using the “Update Copy Secure” option within the Nexcopy software—but content remains locked and cannot be changed or added afterward.