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"DON'T PUSH ME" on by samuelperry
Pros: I am still looking
Cons: Pushing Uninvited Software on My Computer
Summary: Today I purchased the Cruzer 2.0 GB and was excited to try it out. Having had a number of different flash drives (even cruzers), I wanted to try this one.
As soon as it was inserted, it immediately began installing "U3" software onto my computer without so much as even asking if I wanted it. Well, I didn't but could not stop it. I then deleted all of the software from the Cruzer and tried again. The little demon was automatically reloaded with the original software and activated it on my computer again.
One thing I hate is software being put on my computer without my permission. I then began the war with trying to get it off of the cruzer and off of my computer but couldn't do it. I am quite experienced with computers and programming but with my experience I still was unable to "kill" the little demon and make it act like a normal flash drive - which is what I thought I was buying.
Tomorrow this little devil returns to Best Buy!
Why a rating of 1? Because there are tons of flash drives out there that work perfectly well without violating your computer. Therefore, this device is of no value to me.Updated
This is my second review of this product but the update is necessary. After getting quite angry at this little device, (see my review just below this one), I contacted SanDisk. They informed me that a software upgrade is available for download which lets you delete the U3 software from your system and the USB flash drive. Now I can permanently disable the software that activates immediately when the drive is inserted.
Now for the pros. I have noticed that the Cruzer downloads and uploads much much much faster than a 2GB LEXAR. I returned the Lexar today and am still holding the Cruzer. Before killing the U3 software I will now explore it. I believe that the reason it was impossible to delete prior to the software "fix" SanDisk released, is because the U3 resides in some type of ROM in the Cruzer.
I still say SanDisk should ask before installing and/or running programs on my computer. Even though I am now finding this device to be quicker that other flash drives I have used (although still way behind hard drives), I still did not like the auto-install experience and my rating stays down at 4.Updated
This is my second review of this product but the update is necessary. After getting quite angry at this little device, (see my review just below this one), I contacted SanDisk. They informed me that a software upgrade is available for download which lets you delete the U3 software from your system and the USB flash drive. Now I can permanently disable the software that activates immediately when the drive is inserted.
Now for the pros. I have noticed that the Cruzer downloads and uploads much much much faster than a 2GB LEXAR. I returned the Lexar today and am still holding the Cruzer. Before killing the U3 software I will now explore it. I believe that the reason it was impossible to delete prior to the software "fix" SanDisk released, is because the U3 resides in some type of ROM in the Cruzer.
I still say SanDisk should ask before installing and/or running programs on my computer. Even though I am now finding this device to be quicker that other flash drives I have used (although still way behind hard drives), I still did not like the auto-install experience and my rating stays down at 4. -
"This drive is NOT that slow...you can make it fast" on by dumplings726
Pros: Very compact, nice design imo, lanyard
Cons: I didnt like U3 but some might
Summary: I just wanted a decent USB drive for a reasonable price so i got this drive. At first I was somewhat annoyed not because of the U3 partition but because of the agonizingly slow write speed (read speed is lightning quick). I was about to return it but I was lazy and instead tried tweaking it a bit. I removed U3 with the uninstaller that sandisk has online and then formated it to FAT (not FAT32 since the limitations of FAT dont affect this drive). I tried NTFS but FAT was much faster.
I clocked around 8-9Mb/s with single file writing and around 3-5Mb/s for folders with MANY small files. XP is very slow in writing many small files because by default it doesnt have a writing cache (which is good if you just want to pull out your USB drive instead of using "safely remove hardware"). The read speed was still extremely fast, I didnt clock but I'm guessing around 15Mb/s or faster? I'm pretty satisfied because I just moved a 900Mb file from my desktop at work to my computer at home in less than 2 min.
I haven't tried other options but I've looked around. I bet the ones that say 15mb/s write speed are probably faster but I don't really want to spend that kind of money for something thats meant to be inexpensive. I mean I'd rather buy a disk drive than flash memory if I needed that kind of performance.Updated
the link in case anyone was wondering
http://sandisk.com/Retail/Default.aspx?CatID=1415Updated
in case anyone was having trouble finding it
http://sandisk.com/Retail/Default.aspx?CatID=1415 -
"Good for the price, but with a few quirks" on by asalufa
Pros: Retractable connection, great price
Cons: A bit slow, U3 software automatically installs, Windows 98 not supported
Summary: I bought this flash drive (1 gig) after using a 128 mg one for ~2 years. The Cruzer, as mentioned by some of the other reviewers, DOES automatically install the U3 software, but I had no problem removing it (If it helps, I used the interface installed on the computer itself rather than working through the flash drive directly).
It is a little on the slow side, but I'm using USB 1.1, so I'm not terribly suprised by that, and for $25 (on sale at Best Buy), I'm not complaining, either!
The only real beef I have with it is that it does NOT work on my back-up machine, which runs Windows98. I was very disappointed to find (through some internet searching, since the product website didn't tell me this) that SanDisk does not make any drivers to interface this product with windows98 at all, even though the package said it did. Turns out that they only make drivers to interface through models starting with Z4, and this is a Z6. I've rated the Cruzer micro based on how it works on my Windows XP machine, but it would be much lower if I only had Windows 98. -
"The Perfect College Companion!" on by Brando16
Pros: Price, Size, Retractable USB capability make it easy to transport along with your car keys. U3 Software is Great!
Cons: Performance speed is lacking - U3 gets in the way with Kodak Photo Booths.
Summary: The Sandisk Cruzer Micro is an excellent USB Flash Drive for use at School or on Campus. The size of the Flash Drive doesn't get in the way with the other keys, and fits snugly in the pocket. The USB connector is also retractable, removing the need for caps (or losing them) while also protecting the connector from wear since its enclosed in the case.
The Flash Drive also features U3 (no clue what it stands for...), a fancy system that allows you to install applications on the Flash Drive. Tech junkies will like the ability to carry programs like FireFox, FileZilla, and Trillian in the Flash Drive for use on any other XP Systems they come across (including public computers). Really cool.
If your pretty computer inept, you will be happy to know that U3 system can be uninstalled by selecting an option on the U3 menu.
As noted by CNet, the Flash Drive is slow. I personally don't notice the lack of speed, but I'm sure CNet is right. However, if you plan on only carrying documents, e-mails (and even U3 applications), the Flash Drive will be able to handle it without a problem. If you plan on carrying full-fledged games and MPEG video files, this may not be the item for you.
Another downside to the Cruzer Micro is its U3 interference with other kiosks. Kodak Picture Centers, located throughout the U.S, allow you to bring in your Memory Cards/CDs/Flash Drives in and copy the pictures over to print them on Kodak Paper. As of Aug. 2006, though, the U3 system prevents the Kiosks from copying your pictures sucessfully. REMOVING the U3 system, in theory, should fix this problem (though I haven't done it because I don't know how to reinstall U3, furthermore because I have another 1GB Flash Drive I can use instead).
I strongly recommend this product to any PC user who needs a way to transfer files to/from school. It does the job handily, and makes life more convient for FireFox lovers. -
"Cheap is the most important part" on by abrahamcaleb
Pros: Cheap, relatively swift
Cons: U3 software is horrible, felt unstable at times
Summary: The U3 software that automatically installs is by far the worst part, as it takes time, resources, and is fairly intrusive for a device as, a computer science student, I may use three to four times a day on two to three different computers. When I finally tracked down the legitimate software to remove it, the experience improved. The speed felt as quick as anything I've used before, and the retractable usb port is sturdy under use. However, in the day of hypercompetitiveness between vendors in what is essentially a commodity item (e.g. no speed or cost/capacity advantage) the work of having to deal with it, I consider unacceptable.
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