Customer Reviews

SanDisk SDCZ2-512-A10 512 MB Cruzer Mini USB 2.0 Flash Drive (Retail Package)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Lately, I've been bringing my notebook computer to a local bookstore/cafe to do some writing. It's a cozy place but pretty noisy. The selection of music over the speakers wasn't the greatest either. I decided that I would make my own mix of MP3 music files and bring them along so I could listen to them through my headphones. Since I'm working on my notebook computer, I didn't want to run the files off of my hard drive, which would run down my battery. My solution was to load all the MP3 files on a Flash Drive - no moving parts, a much smaller drain on battery power. I purchased the SD 512 Flash drive. The following is my experience with this device:

The unit itself is a pretty small device. (See product details above for size, etc) and has a total capacity of 512mb. The actual usable memory is closer to 487mb or so. This is due to the software/operating/security program that is preloaded onto the drive. I run Windows XP on my notebook, and the SanDisk booted up immediately without any problems. You can "lock out" anyone from viewing your files by running the security program. Be careful not to quick click through the prompts as you may miss entering the password. You can also download the latest encrption software for free. According to Sandisk, the new lock/encrption program is fourteen times more secure and is a much better program.

Performance was smooth as silk. There were no drivers to install and the plug and play feature worked the very first time. I "mix" my MP3's on my desktop computer which runs Windows ME and transfer them on the Sandisk to my notebook which runs Windows XP. There were no problems in switching back and forth between systems. I've heard that you need to download drivers if you run Windows 98. I do not know how well this drive works under '98' but it seems to work great with ME or XP. I loaded and ran my MP3 files from the Sandisk and was able to play back my music files without a hitch. Since this is a flash drive, you can load practically any type of file you want on it, be it photo files, documents etc. I decided this particular drive would be used just for music files. There is a green light at the end of the drive which flashes rapidly whenever the drive is being used. Which brings me to the next point...

If you have not used one of these devices before, it is extrememly important to *disconnect the device properly* before you physically remove it. You must first click on the "remove device" icon. The operating system will disconnect and will then tell you that removal is safe. If you just *unplug the device* without proper shut down procedures, sooner or later, you will most likely either fry your unit or corrupt the data. This is not a defect with the unit, you must remove all flash devices in this manner. Those of you who are familiar with the Sony Playstation know that if you pull out the memory card before it is finished saving, you will end up with corrupt data or a damaged card. The same holds true for flash disk devices.

There have been reliability issues associated with this unit, but I am either a very lucky guy or the reports of failure are due to user error, i.e. unpluging the unit before shutting down properly. Perhaps their was a bad batch of them. I don't know. What I do know is that the unit has performed great, (so far), and I am very pleased with the performance and price. There are promotional discounts given my some vendors, so if you can snag one with a rebate, you'll be paying only a few dollars more for this 512mb over a 256mb.

As far as the music that's loaded onto my Sandisk Cruzer, I've got a good selection of trance, new age, classical and eurodance.
Just in case you wanted to know. <grin>

The SanDisk Cruzer Mini USB Flash Drive is a highly convenient, portable, economical way to store and transport your files. It's a sleek, lightweight storage device that plugs into any computer's USB port, and works with Windows systems going back to Windows 98. I haven't tested it with MacOS, but SanDisk's website says it's supported on Mac OS 9.1 and OS X 10.1.2 and later. With Windows XP, it's plug 'n' play; on Windows 98 computers, you have to download and install a driver from Sandisk's web site (look for the SDCZ2- Cruzer Mini (128MB - 1GB) driver).

This device comes with some nice extras: three different colored covers for the USB interface; a cord so you can wear it around your neck; and stickers to label the drive. The Cruzer features an activity light that glows bright green when in use; it flashes when files are being accessed. The slim design allows you to reach USB ports that are surrounded with other ports already in use. The USB drive comes with SanDisk's CruzerLock encryption software, which you can use to password-protect your files. There are also trial versions of CruzerSync, for synchronizing Outlook data between your PC and the Cruzer, and CruzerPocketCache, a utility to backup data from your hard drive.

I've used the device on Windows 98 and XP systems for over a month with mostly good results. Here are a few observations:

-In Windows XP, always use the "Safely Remove Hardware" wizard (the little green arrow in the lower right corner of the Taskbar) to stop the Cruzer before removing it. Sometimes, Windows may tell you that you cannot stop the USB drive. In these instances, try closing any programs accessing the drive; if all else fails, log out from Windows and log back in to successfully stop the device.

-On Windows 98, there is no "Safely Remove Hardware" wizard. Before unplugging the Cruzer, make sure no files on it are open and that the activity light is not blinking.

-Occasionally, the Cruzer's drive letter does not display in a "File - Open" dialog box. Don't worry; just exit the dialog box and try again.

-The flip side of the Cruzer's portability is that unless you wear it on the strap, you might lose it. Also, there's no "write protect" tab like floppy disks used to have. Keep in mind this is portable storage, not permanent storage, so always back up your files! A good idea would be to periodically burn the Cruzer's contents to a CD-R. Even if you fill up this drive, you'll still have room to spare on a 700MB CD-R.

I do recommend the SanDisk Mini Cruzer, keeping the above caveats in mind. The Cruzer's combination of performance, portability, and features make it a great bargain at this price.

I own several of these Cruzer mini's (2 of the 256 and 1 of the 512 size). They work great and are really fast (even with my "old" 1.1 USB ports). My Win XP computers (one at home, one at work) immediately recognized & installed the Cruzer Mini as soon as I plugged it in the first time.

I use them to back-up my important info on my computers. I also use one to transfer data from my work computer to my home computer every week.

Each is the size of a pack of gum and weighs only 1/4 ounce. I just carry one in my pocket.

No problem with the caps staying on.

Just be sure to always click the "remove hardware" icon in the service tray in the bottom right-hand corner of your computer screen before you unplug the Mini. This will keep it from being corrupted.

SanDisk has made a pretty good drive. We bought 25 of them for our IT dept and only had 2 failures: The first just stopped working but we suspect he unplugged it one too many times without allowing the computer to turn it off first so it got fried. The second, the small, plastic part that attaches it to the neck strap broke and the drive fell and..well..got crushed (don't ask). Otherwise it works great. Like a previous reviewer said, don't pull it out unless the GREEN LIGHT is off, don't pull on the strap too hard, and take care of it. One note though: it is like any other floppy disk prone to worms, viruses, etc. Always be wary when plugging it into someone elses system.

Nice thing though, the first one that got fried, SanDisk replaced it free of charge. That was very nice of them. No hassle, no questions tech support and RMA. That's important.

I just got this in the mail a couple of days ago, so maybe I'm wrong here...but let me just say this anyway. I think it needs hearing.

This is the greatest device to come along in a while. Not the SanDisk Cruzer specifically, but thumbdrives in general. If you're a techie at all, you need to carry one or relinquish the title.

I was very queasy about all the 1-star reviews which mostly said "I just lost everything on the drive and it's broken and in the garbage can as I write this." Not those words exactly, but you get the idea.

I bought it anyway. I know there are computer users, and then there are computer lusers. Those 1-star reviews are, honestly, written by people who have no business using a computer. They are the kind of ignoramus that does not understand what C: means and still using AOL dialup at $20/month.

Listen up! I'm not saying you have to be smart to use this, but you can't treat the thing like it's a toaster! There's a big green light on the end of this drive. No! The end WITHOUT the plug on it. The light is very bright so I know you see it! You cannot remove the thing when that light is on! It will turn off after you do a "safely remove drive". Until then, it will probably remain lit. If you remove the thing when that light is on you deserve to lose your data.

Buy this thing. You will love it. Or even better, get the 1GB model. You can never have enough hard drive in your pocket.

UPDATE: It's been about a month now I believe and what I said turns out to be right so far. The negative reviews you're seeing here are pretty much user-error. We in the computer business call that an ID-10-T error. A little computer programmer humor for you there. Haha!

well, I am a computer geek, yet I am also clumsy, hence needed something *reliable*. I have been using sandisk 128Mb USB drive for more than a year now and it is the most reliable piece of storage I have EVER seen. I even forgot it in my pants in the washer and then DRYER. It still works like a charm (but a bit cleaner :)).

I have a 512MB mini cruzer that was loaded with files. This technology sure is convenient until it decides to stop working. Be carefull. I have a classroom of 15 students and two of them have had these products fail. The reason I am leaving this review is that I just had mine fail. You will get an IO error and the drive can not be accessed. Sandisk support recommemdation? ........reformat the drive. Be sure to have back-ups of all your files because in my experience, these are not reliable products.

Total corruption in under 20 uses. Tech support wants you to buy their recovery software for $40 which "may or may not" work. I've found bad reviews for this item all over the web, and SanDisk does not address the issues.

There are people that have had a good run with these, but there is a very large unrecoverable failure rate. If you care about your data, do yourself a favor and check out another company for this type of hardware. I've had better luck with Iomega Zip drives, and that's REALLY SAYING SOMETHING.

I have had the Disk 512 MB Cruzer Mini USB Flash Drive for about 3 months and it worked out well then all of the sudden it stopped working. The computer will not acknowledge it is even connected. They also have poor tech support, stay away from this product.

I got my flash drive for Christmas (2004) and have been using it constantly for the last 3 weeks. I can't comment on SanDisk customer support as other reviewers have. I can say that I love this flash drive.

I see it not as a backup system but as a really big floppy (in terms of space).

I was spending a lot of time burning CD-Rs to copy files I was working on. The flash drive has been quite convenient, and copying my files is much faster than burning a CD (and less wasteful when copying files that are works in progress).

I have used it with Windows 2000 Pro and XP Home (back and forth). So far no problems.

(I am taking the other reviews to heart and keeping backups of my files.)