A hard drive is a long-term storage device on a computer. This device stores all the files, as well as the applications you use, such as the operating system you use to access and run all other programs. Learn how to use a USB flash drive as additional storage space, as well as how to install another operating system (eg Ubuntu, as described in this article) on that drive as an alternative to Windows.
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Method 1 of 3: Saving Files on the Fast Drive of a Windows Computer
Step 1. Connect the drive to the USB port
If you haven't installed an existing fast drive to your computer before, you may need to have it installed. The drive may also need to be formatted. Windows will walk you through the formatting process, but keep in mind that this process will delete any files already stored on your device.
Step 2. Open the “Start” menu and click “Computer”
You will see the USB drive in the list of available drives as “Portable Device”. Make a note of the drive letter that Windows automatically assigned (the drive may be labeled as “E:” or “F:”) and double-click the drive to open it.
Step 3. Save the file to the fast drive
As long as the drive is connected to your computer, you can keep the files as they would when you added them to a regular hard drive.
- To move files from one folder, open the folder so that you can click and drag the files you want to your quick drive. A copy of the file will be added to the fast drive.
- You can save new files to a fast drive using the “Save” dialog window in most Windows programs. When saving the file to a drive, select the drive letter that you previously noted.
- To manage files on a fast drive, use the Windows interface to create new folders and move files just as you would manage files on a computer fast drive.
Method 2 of 3: Saving Files on Fast Drive of Mac Computer
Step 1. Connect the drive to the USB port
If you haven't installed an existing fast drive to your computer before, you may need to have it installed. Once done, the USB icon will be displayed on the home screen.
- You may be asked to format the drive so that it can be used on the computer. If you see a message indicating that the USB flash drive needs to be formatted, keep in mind that the formatting process will delete all files already on the drive.
- If you're using a Mac desktop computer, it's a good idea to connect your fast drive to a USB port on the back of your computer, and not a port on your keyboard.
Step 2. Double-click the icon that appears on the desktop
Click and drag the file into the window that opens to copy it to your fast drive. You can also save a new file from the program using the “Save” dialog window by clicking on the USB icon and selecting “Save”.
Step 3. Open or delete files from the fast drive
As long as the drive is connected to your computer, you can open, save, delete, and manage files just like you would a normal hard drive.
As long as the fast drive is connected to your computer, you can save files just as you would if you saved files to your computer's hard drive. When saving files through the application, select the fast drive from the left side of the window/screen
Method 3 of 3: Running Ubuntu from Fast Drive on PC
Step 1. Enter BIOS
You need to act fast because you only have a few seconds to access the BIOS once the computer starts up. Restart (or restart) the computer and look for a message with a prompt such as “Press F2 to enter setup” or “Setup=F1”. The message and the specific keys that need to be pressed will be different for each type of computer. Press the key according to the instructions to access the BIOS.
Step 2. Set the BIOS to load the computer from the USB drive
BIOS menus differ from computer to computer, but try to find an option that says “Boot” and select an option using keyboard commands.
Step 3. Set loading priority to CD first, then removable device
This way, you can load and install the operating system from the CD, and then load it onto the fast drive.
Step 4. Remove the hard drive before you install the operating system (OS) on the fast drive
By removing the hard drive, the original operating system of the computer will not be affected. In addition, this process also prevents boot errors from grub (Ubuntu operating system loader) when the USB drive is not available/connected to the computer.
Step 5. Insert the Ubuntu CD into the CD-ROM drive
Make sure the fast drive is connected, then restart the computer.
Step 6. Follow the instructions in the installation window to install Ubuntu
Select the USB flash drive as the installation location for the new operating system.
Step 7. Restart the computer and access the BIOS again
The computer may restart automatically, depending on the computer in use. Re-access the BIOS and set the loading order as follows: 1) removable device drive, 2) CD, and 3) hard drive (hard disk or HDD). If you see an option to load the computer via a USB drive (boot from USB) as is available on most computers with Intel chips, change the option to “on” or “yes”.
Step 8. Reconnect the hard drive
Disconnect the computer power cable and reinstall the hard drive cables.
Step 9. Turn on the computer
To load Ubuntu, make sure the USB drive is connected. If you want to use the original operating system on a hard drive (in other words, not the version of Ubuntu you just installed to a USB drive), remove the USB drive before starting the computer. When the USB drive is removed, the computer will load from the CD first. If there is no loadable CD on the CD-ROM drive, the computer will load from the hard drive as usual.
