PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Running mp3 and rtf or tif files every night from a USB drive instead of a hard drive. OK or not?

I know we have some computer gurus here, and I am not one of them.

I am a multi-instrumentalist/vocalist who knows how to use the computers, but not all the 'nuts and bolts'.

Here is my situation:

When gigging, I use two ThinkPad computers:

• The first one plays 192k MP3 backing tracks on Windows Media Player that I make at home
• The second one displays either rtf or tif files. They are either lyrics or a head chart. We have well over 600 songs and I haven't memorized them all. I can use the built-in MS apps but I like IrfanView.

I also keep identical data on a USB flash drive. I belong to the Department of Redundancy Department.

I could do both tasks on the same computer, but having two up and running with identical mp3, rtf, and tif data on them, gives me the insurance that if one craps out, the show goes on.

Since 2002, I've had two incidences. The first time, the CMOS battery died and I didn't know I could still boot the computer. The second time, the hard drive started making a mechanical noise.

In both cases, I moved the USB cable to the other computer, and the show went on with no delay.

My stage ThinkPad computers are old, one is XP and the other is Win7. They are a bit slow, but work fine. However, we have been playing in really dark places and I'd like a back-lit keyboard. Plus, newer computers are much lighter.

We're gigging 18 or so days per month, all one-nighters. I've been making backing tracks for newly learned songs in my studio, saving the data on a USB flash drive, and loading the data on both computers on the gig.

Sometimes when time is short, it's a bit of a PITA to transfer the files to both computers. We leave an extra half-hour for setup, but if a cable craps out, or some other troubleshooting problem arises, time to load data gets short.

So here is my idea. Why not always run the files off the flash drive instead of the HD?

I could make my tracks and lyrics sheets at home, copy to 3 flash drives, and on the gig, instead of running them from the computer's HD, run them directly from the flash drive?

My question to the gurus is this: Are there any problems with running from a flash drive all night, every night? If so, what are the negatives?

Thanks,
Notes ♫

I've had more failures of flash drives than any other storage.

...Deb

For reasons of both speed of data throughput, and media reliability, I would use a portable SSD drive instead. Something like this: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-t7-1tb-external-usb-3-2-gen-2-portable-ssd-with-hardware-encryption-titan-gray/6408299.p?skuId=6408299

I use two desktop PCs, one which is my main machine and the other one which is in my teaching room.
I prepare the lessons on the main PC, recording straight to USB Flash drives, which I can then plug straight into the teaching PC.
I've been using this transfer method for ten years without a single problem.

Speed shouldn't be a problem when playing MP3s, even on a PC running XP and USB2. My main PC will play a SEQ file of fifteen audio tracks from a USB3 Flash drive without a glitch - it may do more, but I haven't tried it!

My advice is not to buy the cheapest drive, but go for a quality product and to back up, but you do that anyway.

ROG

I have to ask and try to not sound like a condescending smartazz, but why thumbdrives? What fails (eventually) on thumbdrives is the contacts from all the inserting and removing. Put an SSD in the case (or have it done) and learn how to network them together and share them over a network instead of physically copying with "Sneakernet" (An old term referring to wearing sneakers so you can run back and forth from computer to computer all around a big office building physically copying things).

As far as redundancy, well, there you have a point. Unless you have two exactly identically equipped computers, you will always have a slight hole in your game. Meaning if you put an SSD in one computer, put one in the other too so both computers are exactly the same.

Depending on computer power, and if you have old Thinkpads this could be a concern, I would just use 2 external monitors on one laptop. Run your tracks on one screen and your lyrics on the other. Why do I suggest that? Let's say for sake of saying that Thinkpad left goes dead due to a power glitch in the venue's circuitry. If both laptops are running, it's likely both would get hit with the same spike or dropout, you may lose both at the same time and the show is over. If you are using one with 2 monitors, and the second is not even plugged in, you save one of them. Just swing some cables over to Thinkpad right. And a couple of 27" monitors will help your eyes that are slightly older than mine. If I did lyrics on a screen it would have to be at least 32 point type. I mean, I have 27" monitors for a reason.



And the part that sounds snarky, without intending it to be, comes now. You said

You have cars, right? Why? Won't covered wagons WORK just as well? If the prime concern is just that it works rather than it working WELL...

You intimate often (if not outright say) how well off you are financially, with your international month long vacations, cruises, all the gear, over 200 gigs per year, etc. Maybe it's time to dig up one of those coffee cans from the sand in your yard and invest some of that 200+ gig per year money on good, new laptops? For under $2000 (What is that, 3 or 4-ish gigs pay?) this concern can all be a memory. Fly me down for a weekend and I'll teach you ALL about peer to peer networking that will allow you to share files without thumb drives directly on to SSDs. I'll even supply a Linksys router! (Just do it in March when it isn't 2000 degrees in the shade.) New laptops are tools for your job so it is investing, not frivolous spending. Vacations (in my mind) are frivolous spending.

My definition of frivolous spending is right here. Some nostalgia band tour came through here. Tickets were $225. Someone asked me if I wanted to go. My reply was "$225 is half of a mortgage payment. I'd rather make that half a mortgage payment than spend that money on 3 hours of what will be such a passing memory that will be over as soon as the car ride home. And when I make that payment I won't have to have a bunch of drunken morons who don't know how to behave in public all around me. I'll pass." I may or may not have included "The only band I would pay $225 to see is a Beatles reunion, and even that, only if it included the 2 dead ones."

But to answer your original question about running from a thumb drive all night, not an issue at all. Just "why".

For a neat change, we just got 'insights and incites' from Eddie (well, who would've thought ).

But there are some very worthwhile ideas in the information he provided. If the equipment is close to or beyond its shelf life, AND reliability is a critical requirement (it is), then do consider replacing/upgrading.

Reliability is probably the most critical requirement that you need in your working environment. You already know that, and having duplicate systems also works in your favor to ensure you have a backup.

Finally, removable USB 'thumb' drives are 'OK' to copy data from A to B, but should never be relied on for a live, real-time, mission critical situation. Don't do it, please.

Thanks for all of your opinions.

I'm definitely getting two, new, identical computers. The old ones are working just fine, and 22 years with only two minor problems is a good track record for ThinkPads.

One displays lyrics or head chart, the other runs mp3 files. Really, really light duty for a computer. The old XP computer that refuses to die does both of these jobs simultaneously, with no problem.

I don't need blazing speed, but I do need reliability. ThinkPads are reliable, plus being black and small, they are not distracting on stage. I don't want networking, office, malware, or anything else on the computers. The less I have to depend on, the better my reliability score is. After initialization, they will never go on the Internet.

We were completely out of work for 2 years due to COVID, and last February, it seems like people have been trying to make up for lost time. So since we are gigging a lot, it's time to reinvest.

I have two EV-ZLX15P powered speakers, they have been discontinued, so I bought a spare, just in case one goes down, I can still have two while the first is being repaired.

After COVID most of our gigs are outdoors. Often, that means in dimly lit situations. I have a little USB LED light on a gooseneck, but I think a backlit keyboard would be better.

Why the flash drive question?

The idea of running off flash drives is for convenience, and nothing more. It would save time dragging and dropping to the HD on two computers. I was thinking something small like a Samsung fit.

I have identical files on a flash drive anyway, which I bring to the gig, for more redundancy. I also bring a working, inexpensive computer to the gig, in case both computers die at the same time. Hopefully the line conditioner/surge protector would prevent that, but -- just in case.

Mrs. Notes and I started this duo in 1985, and have never missed a gig for any reason at all. Equipment redundancy is a way of life. I use a power conditioner, take care of the gear, and it serves me well. Two minor computer problems that didn't stop the show in 37 years, thanks to redundancy, is a good track record.

BTW, I have dozens of flash drives. I mainly use them for sneakerware to transport files from one computer to another. That's light duty, I know, and I've never had a failure ----- yet.

Thanks for your input, I'm getting a little cooler on the flash drive option.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

If it's a computer part, it's failed on me at some point since I started building all my own PCs in 1983.

I have had several flash drives fail, although I'm pretty sure each failure was related to how it was removed without properly ejecting it. I have had only one portable SSD drive fail, probably for the same reason (in other words, my fault) and I use them a lot.

I think your department of redundancy department is operating correctly and will work well for whatever you decide, but I do recommend you stay away from flash drives for everyday professional work.

Thanks again you all for your advice on this subject.

Notes ♫

Notes, they don't have to go on the INTERNET but you may want to have a LAN in your house for file sharing. I know it's just as easy to run back and forth with a thumb drive, and depending on the size and shape of your house, it's probably as easy as anything to do it that way. In my application, I write skeletons of songs on the first floor and finish them on the second flood. COULD I move files with thumb drives? Yep! But I was a network tech when I worked. As simple as it is to file share across a LAN, I'd never do it that way. Many people don't grasp that "the network" is not the internet. The internet is just one thing you can do on your network. (Not to say YOU don't know that, Notes.) Those things have become conflated to mean one thing like wifi and data have. Wifi is the wireless connection between your phone and your home router, just like the connection between a laptop and your home router. When you are out and about, that's not wifi, that's cellular data. Ands the box you get from the cable company is not really a router. It's a whole "thing" that really doesn't even matter. You want to call cell data usage wifi, sure. Call it Fred if you like.

But you are on the right path here with 2 new identical laptops. You will love yourself more if you get a SSD. In fact anymore you might even have to order a regular spinning media SATA drive as an option. I have a lot of video on my media computer that was on spinning drives. As the videos played, every 6-8 seconds was a clicking sound as the drive spit out the next segment of data. I replaced both 1TB drives with SSDs and now the playback is incredibly smooth. It wasn't cheap and a PITA to do, but the end result is worth it.

I use a similar network setup as well. My big honking studio PC is kind of the hub of my network in that most of the files stored are on it and the other laptops in the house can access the files on it. This does come in handy for working projects on multiple computers.

Thanks again for all your excellent opinions.

SSD is a definite requirement on my new computers.

My on-stage computers will have minimal software on them. I'll buy from Lenovo directly, and have them set up without bloatware. Nothing will be left on the computer that isn't essential for the OS and tasks they are required to do. That includes networking.

Besides, when I take them out of the case and bring them into my office, a flash drive is as easy as hooking up an Ethernet cable.

After I set them up, I will shut down the WiFi and they will never go on the Internet again. They will be dedicated to doing nothing by playing those 3 file types.

I could be wrong, but I feel the less the computer has to do, the more reliable it will be, and the less prone to a crash. That might by why my 2002 ThinkPad running XP still works today, and the only time it failed was when the CMOS battery died. That was a $5 replacement.

But it's slow by today's standards, the case is very scuffed up, the display is old tech - not as bright as today's tech, the spinning HD takes a while to boot up, and it doesn't have a backlit keyboard. The identical pair I used to have on stage met its death when I dropped it. It still works, but the hinge broke and it was already over 10 years old, so the part wasn't made anymore.

Hopefully the new computers will give me this much service.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

I’ve followed your story about these Thinkpads for twenty years, and it’s a great testimonial to a brand we can’t buy anymore. Your laptops preceded the era of bad capacitors and lasted longer than two laptops I had that were younger than yours.