On 2026-06-04, David Wright <[email protected]> wrote: > 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).
I meant to point out that her experience with an external USB drive is applicable to a USB stick. There is no appreciable difference for her use case. > Cheers, > David. > >
