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Data Backup Key Drives

Key drives are one of the most exciting new inventions in the world of data backup. Floppy disks have essentially become obsolete, replaced by CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, but now a new force has come on to the data backup market. Key drives are tiny external drives which are only the size of a key-chain. Many in fact actually are key chains, and you can carry them in your pocket wherever you go.

The smallest holds several times more than a traditional 3 and half inch floppy disk, and larger ones can hold as much data as a CD-ROM or even more. Considering the size and power of these drives, it is no wonder that they are becoming a powerful force in the data backup market.

How Exactly Does a Key Drive Work for my Data Backup?

A key drive is a tiny drive which connects to your computer via a USB connection. On most newer operating systems, USB will be automatically recognized by your computer and you will not even have to install any device drivers for instant plug and play capability. This is very powerful and far easier to operating than having to go through the business of installing a new drive in order to burn CD-Rs or DVD-Rs for your data backup.

The key drive requires no external power source, and is only on when it is actually plugged into your machine. It is very versatile, and will not experience the problems with scratches or warping that is common with CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMS and floppy disks. This means that not only is your data safe from harm done to your computer, but having a backup key drive will have far less chance of failing on you than the old CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs and floppy disks. This is how you can carry them around on your key-chain or in your pocket and there will still be no damage to them.

How do I Get a Key Drive for my Data Backup?

There are many companies offering data backup key drives. The best way to find out more about particular key drives is to go to your local computer store and ask them what key drives they have available. All key drives will be similar in size and quality, and it will be up to you to decide which you think is best. Smaller key drives generally hold about 16 megabytes of storage, but there are key drives that can hold far more data, meaning that you have all the more data backup on a single device.

Prices are generally between $20 and $30 for smaller drives, and can cost up to hundreds of dollars for larger ones which contain a gigabyte or more of data storage space. However, as is always the case with new technology these prices will continue to drop as they become more and more common. However, they are very useful and there is no reason not to start using a key drive now for your data backup.

Walter Stevens is a contributor at Free-backup.info -- the home of the best online backup software -- Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/key-drives-and-data-backup.html