USB Flash Drives have become a hot topic in the business community. Their compact size, relative low cost, large storage capacities, and ease of use lend them to a broad range of applications. While many flash drives end up in single user or personal use applications, a growing number are finding their way into mass distribution channels such as software distribution where many drives need to be produced with the same or slightly varying content. In order to meet that need, a Flash Drive (or "Memory Stick") Duplicator is often the best choice. Unfortunately, there are nearly as many varieties of duplicator as there are flash drives for them to copy and selecting the proper one for your needs can be a difficult operation with expensive consequences should a poor choice be made. We at NCI want our customers to make informed decisions and we want them to be happy with the selection they make - even if they choose to buy elsewhere. To that end, we have put together the following article to assist you in making the choice of which type of USB duplicator that would best suit your needs. This article is by no means all encompassing but if you have any questions which are not covered here we would be happy to assist you... just drop us an e:mail.

There are essentially four solutions available today for copying USB Flash drives. First we will take a look at the primary duplicator types and then we will cover some of the common specific features and issues you will probably need to consider in making a purchasing decision.

1.) Build it yourself.
Cost: $0 - $500 in addition to a standard PC, Mac or Linux Computer
Ideal Job Size: Small
Features/Ease of Operation: Varies

This is typically the least expensive option and it doesn't take a computer genius to get one up and running. In fact, the computer you have might be enough to handle very small jobs without any modification or additional software. Most modern PCs and Macs come with multiple USB 2.0 ports built in. If yours doesn't then you can probably add some with a cheap USB 2.0 expansion card or an inexpensive multiport USB Hub. The key feature to look for here is USB 2.0 since it allows for much greater throughput then USB 1.0 which translates to much faster duplication.

With your hardware set up, you can simply insert the flash drives into your open USB slots and then drag and drop the files you need on to them. The operating system will take care of the copies and let you know when they are done, or if there were any problems completing the copies.

This basic configuration will let you copy flash drives in low quantities, but it lacks some key features like the ability to automatically count copies completed. To add those features there are some software solutions which may work with your set-up. These programs are designed specifically to add a Duplication Interface to your home made system. Each package may have specific requirements for the operating system and hardware so it would be best to check with their producers prior setting your system up if you plan to go the route.

2.) Commercial Hardware/Software solutions.
Cost: >$1,000 in addition to a host computer
Ideal Job Size: Small
Features/Ease of Operation: Medium to High/Easy

Products in the category such as the Altec USB Stick CopyStation 7 are essentially pre-packaged "Build it Yourself" solutions which contain all the software and hardware necessary to install and attach to your computer to build a duplicator. This type of system has many benefits over option #1 above. First off, the manufacturer tests all the components and software to verify they work well together for you. This eliminates a lot of trial and error and lets you get down to the task you set out to do ... copy USB sticks. Since the components are designed to work together they can also be optimized to work as efficiently as possible, so they will typically copy faster then most do it yourself solutions. Finally, these systems tend to include professional grade duplication software with features such as full image copy, and serialization/customization that is not found in lower cost solutions. The benefits of these are discussed below in the "Features and things to look for" section.

3.) Standalone Duplicators
Cost: ~$900 +
Ideal Job Size: Medium-Large
Features/Ease of Operation: Medium/Easy

Standalone duplicators like the Spartan USB Flash Drive Duplicators have become very popular in the CD/DVD duplication fields for their ease of operation and low space requirements. The same type of standalone unit is also finding its way into the hearts of those who copy Flash Drives. These units are typically tower style PC cases with rows of USB 2.0 slots internally connected to a controller box. The entire unit is self contained and controlled through buttons on the front of the unit. In most cases, they operate by inserting your master stick into a "Master slot". This master remains in the system and is read from during each duplication cycle.

The main advantage of this type of system is its ease of operation. Most include a small LCD display to tell the operator the status of the system as it duplicates. Operation is generally as simple as insert the master, insert the blanks and push the "copy" button. It doesn't get much simpler then that.

The simplicity of operation however leads to many disadvantages. These tend to be proprietary systems, relying on custom operating systems or various flavors of Linux. If there is ever a problem with the system you will most likely be at the mercy of the manufacturer to correct it. Being fairly low volume production units, spare parts can often be expensive, hard to come by or non-existent. The limited interface (small LCD) does not allow for troubleshooting from within the machine should a duplication job not go smoothly. Finally, to offer the most ease of operation they often lack higher end features such as the ability to serialize/customize individual drives, or run mixed batches of drives of various sizes or manufacturers.

To get the most flexible solution with the most features you'll need to look into a dedicated computer based system.

4.) Dedicated Computer Based Systems
Cost: ~$2,500+
Ideal Job Size: Medium-Large
Features/Ease of Operation: High/Easy

Dedicated computer based systems such as the Altec USB Stick CopyStation 21 Ultra offer the most flexible, easiest to maintain system for copying USB sticks. These systems are essentially modified desktop PCs with all the hardware necessary to copy, verify and serialize drives. Since the platform generally relies on standard mass produced PC parts maintaining, repairing, updating and integrating into your existing infrastructure is no different then any other standard PC - including integration into your network which allows simple transfer of data for duplication jobs to the system. Additionally, the duplication software interface is displayed on a standard monitor so the informational feedback you can get during the copy process is much more informative then with a standalone unit.

Features and things to look for:

1.) Image copy. With image copy, the duplicator reads a master drive to an "Image File" which is a copy of the sectors of the flash drive stored in a single file. When that image is duplicated back to your copy drives, the end result is an exact duplicate of the original. This method tends to be faster then copying the files individually and is generally considered a more accurate copy method.

2.) Short Image copy. Image copy typically copies the entire drive regardless of the amount of content. So if you image copy a 1 GB flash drive that contains 50 MB of data, the image file will be 1 GB - the entire drive. That 1 GB is then copied to all your duplicate drives. The time it takes to copy is directly proportional to the size of the image. Short Image copy allows for the image to only contain the actual data on the drive. So, in the example above, a short image file of the same master would be 50 MB. Short image copy can significantly decrease the duplication cycle time when the drive capacity is much larger then the actual drive content.

3.) File Copy. File copy is the automated copying of specific files or groups of files to the USB Flash Drives. This tends to be a slower process then image copy since each file has to be individually located and copied. It is also considered less accurate then image copy since the drive contents are not being copied verbatim. It does however offer more flexibility in choosing files to include/exclude, particularly when used on a dedicated computer based system.

4.) Verification. Verification checks the copied drive against the original to make sure the copies match properly. In most cases, this is overkill since any errors that occur during the copy process are likely to cause the writing to fail. With a failed write, the operator would be warned by the system even before verification started. In either case, there are two common types of verification used; checksum and bitwise. Checksum verification is faster and works by the corresponding data from the master and the copy and then processing it with a special algorithm to create a "checksum" value. If the values match, then the data is the same in both the master and the copy. While considered a reliable method, it is possible to get the same checksum value without the data actually matching so it is not a foolproof check of data integrity. Bitwise verification reads and compares each corresponding bit in the master and copy. Doing so requires more time, making this method slower but it is also perfectly accurate.

5.) Serialization. This is optional on some of the higher end systems which allows each drive to copied and the "Personalized" so each drive is unique. This can include things such as special files based on individual end users, passwords, license files, etc. It operates by having the duplication software call an accessory program at the end of the duplication cycle. That program can then for example read a database and copy a licence file for the next X entries to each individual drive with each licence file containing the appropriate information for each entry in the database. Such customizing allows for quick automation and rapid production unique drives.

6.) Can the machine copy to multiple drives of varying capacity? This may seem like a no brainer, but surprisingly many standalone systems cannot do this. So if you have a 10 drive standalone and your master is 50 MB you cannot in many cases load the machine with a mix of 256 MB, 512 MB and 1 GB drives. They are all large enough, but many of these systems will require that all the target drive to be copied to be the same capacity (1 GB for example). This may not seem like a big issue, but many manufacturers of inexpensive flash drives will label drives of varying capacity as 1 GB. In that case, you may have 50 1 GB drives, but their actual formatted capacities may be more like 30 1 GB, 10 .99 GB and 10 1.01 GB. If your machine can't handle this you are in for a very frustrating (and time consuming) copy session.

7.) Can the machine copy to drives of varying vendorID and/or productID? Like #6 above this may not seem significant on the surface but it can definitely be an issue in some circumstances. Every USB drive will have a vendorID code and a productID code, but like the capacity issue above some lower quality vendors or suppliers may not have those codes consistent across your order. If your machine cannot duplicate to mixed lots then you could run into problems.

Altec Duplicators can handle both #6 and #7 properly

8.) U3 Drives. As of this writing I know of no duplicator that can properly copy U3 Drives with the Image or Short Image copy methods. You will need to use a system with file copy where you have control over which files you are copying such as a computer based system. The U3 structure requires a hidden CDFS partition on the drive. Image copy software will copy it, but the controller chips on the copied drives will not properly recognize it so the copied drives will not function correctly. Some file copy software or the copy software in standalone units may attempt to copy the CDFS partition as a file which again results in invalid copies. With a dedicated computer system and filecopy you can select the files to copy specifically from your hard drive without relying on reading from the master for each cycle. This finer control can allow you to copy files repeatedly to U3 drives without disturbing the CDFS partition.

9.) Master storage. Can the system read the master to a hard drive or other internal storage device and then make copies from that source. This ability allows you to read your master once and then remove and store it in a safe place. There are two advantages to this. The first is obvious, if your master is in the machine and not in safe storage for the duration of the duplication job then there is always the risk of damage or loss. This is amplified by the fact that every time that master is used it has to be dragged out and inserted into the duplicator for the entire job. The less obvious problem is that flash drives use NAND memory which has a finite life span which decreases with each read/write performed. That life span if very long and should not really come into play, however the more you read and write to a flash drive the more likely it is to fail. Systems that can store the master to a hard drive all you to read that master once and then store it in a safe place. Every duplication job from that point on can be carried out with the image file stored on the hard drive and the only time the original master should be necessary would be in the case of hard drive failure or if the master image were to be erased from the hard drive. Also, data transfer from a hard drive is much faster then from a flash drive so writing to a flash drive from a hard drive image is faster then from a master flash drive.

10.) Sources for quality inexpensive drives. Altec recommends using Sandisk, Lexar, or Transend media for best results. Probably good advice as we have also had very good experiences when using drives from those manufacturers. However they are a bit on the pricey side. There are many lower cost producers (particularly in the far east), but finding a reputable one that produces a quality drive can be a daunting task. We have established a Flash Drive Review database where flash drive users can look at the experiences other users have had with various manufacturers and drives. We hope this resource will help make your duplication experience as pain free as possible.