On Thu 04 Jun 2026 at 14:46:12 (-0000), CGS wrote: > On 2026-06-04, Bob McGowan <[email protected]> wrote: > > On 6/3/26 06:22 PM, Karen Lewellen wrote: > >> A slight dance step to the left question from the previous thread. > >> ...makes humble confession. > >> I have never needed to buy a USB stick before. External USB drive, > >> yes. stick no. > >> However, after a challenging install of rockbox to my IPod classic, > >> all of its contents now exist in a zip archive. > >> I want to safely move this zip file onto something else, with the goal > >> of having the USB stick easily seen, think files directory, if that > >> makes sense. > >> So, is it best to live the stick unformated? > >> Seemed the prior thread had a member meeting with challenges by > >> formatting in advance. > >> For greatest flexibility in a Linux, or Unix environment? > > > > The USB stick will probably come preformatted, based on the experience > > I've had. Usually some MS format, such as NTFS or FAT32. > > > > This lets it be a "generic" format that can be read by Windows, Mac OS > > or Linux systems. > > > > You can, of course, reformat and rebuild the file system to meet any > > specific needs you may have, but generally leaving the stick as is > > should work. > > Is there an appreciable difference between an external USB drive and a > thumb drive?
You might notice the difference if you mislay the cable (or, when appropriate, have no access to a power outlet). Cheers, David.
