When backing up data, you need to be careful about how you save it. USB drives can be great for safely backing up a paper or presentation, but the data can be lost - and your computer's existing information can also be affected.

For Windows users in particular, it's common practice to click "Safely Remove Hardware" in the System Tray before physically removing the flash drive.

"In theory, it's to ensure that Windows isn't busy reading from or writing to the drive when you remove it, something that could result in corrupted data or even a damaged drive," explains writer and technology expert, Rick Broida, in a recent article in PC World. "As it turns out, however, you can safely sidestep Safely Remove Hardware with little to no loss of performance. In fact, this option may already be enabled on your system, and you just didn't know it. Yep, you may have been wasting extra clicks all this time."

According to Broida, you can streamline your process by simply changing some of your computer's existing settings. First, plug the flash drive in, wait for it to load and open the Device Manager. The name of your USB should pop up, and you can right click it and hit the "Properties" option. A new window will open, and if you select the "Policies" tab, you'll see an option for "Quick Removal." Once you select that, you are all set to plug in and remove your USB drive with zero hassles.

If you are further concerned about saving your data more effeciently, you should also consider cloud computing and storage options. For more information, contact us at PortableOne today.