Cruzer Micro is an incredibly small USB Flash Drive (UFD) that connects to a computer's USB port.
With a capacity of 256MB, users can easily store their key documents, pictures, music and videoclips on a Cruzer Micro and transfer them to another computer with a USB port.
In addition to its small form factor, Cruzer Micro can be expanded to MP3 player functionality with the Cruzer Micro MP3 Companion(not included). Users simply plug the Cruzer Micro into the Cruzer Micro MP3 Companion(not included) and they’re ready to hear all their favorite songs.
Advanced Features: - Stylish, clear overmold casing
- Brilliant blue LED
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified (backwards compatible with all USB 1.1 ports)
- USB Mass Storage Class Device
- Compatible with Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP and Mac OS 9.1.x+, OS X v10.1.2+
- Certified Windows XP and Mac OS X
1 Easy and portable
I bought this product in spite of several reviews I saw that claimed it stopped working after a month or two. I've had this small device for three months and it works as well as ever.
Because of its small size, it can fit in between the other USB devices plugged into my computer. The cap, although slightly loose, stays on in pockets. It also comes with a larger cap to prevent scratches and damage, but it seems to be nearly indestructable anyway. I've dropped it several times, but it still functions perfectly.
It comes with some encryption software pre-installed, but it's easily removed if you don't want it. Transfers are high-speed, and (with WinXP, anyway) you can configure it so you don't have to click the "safely remove hardware" icon before removing.
Overall, this thing is great! Lots of space for a great price. 5 out of 5.
2 Solutions for Tight Keychain and Loose Cap
For those of you complaining about the tight fit when using your keychain, here's what to do: take out the black neck strap that came with your Micro Cruzer. There is a small metal ring at the attachment end. Take that ring off and attach it between your Micro Cruzer loop and your main keychain. Now your drive can hang freely on your keychain.
For those of your complaining about the loose cap, I put a generous dab of rubber cement inside the cap. Leave it til its fully dry. The cap should fit very snug when reattached. Crude, but works. If it becomes loose again, repeat.
3 Totally Bummed
I requested this thumb-drive for Christmas and have been using it for only 2 months. I had used it several times over the course of those two months. I loaded my lecture presention on to the drive, and when I got to the room I was presenting in, it didn't work. Thankfully I am very anal and had 2 or 3 back-up options, so it didn't ruin my presentation.
I have tried it on 6 computers now and it still does not work (the computers do not recognize it). I am very disappointed. What a waste of a Christmas present and any data that I saved on it.
4 A GREAT Value!
I've had mine for about 6 months, now, and I love it! It's small, comes with a nice neck lanyard and the end cap stays on fairly well if you aren't too rough with it. The style is cool and the blue LED is a nice touch.
This is a wonderful product and I use mine daily to transfer papers and other documents from the office to home that are too big to e-mail and too small to put on a CD-R (which I would have to shred after I was done.)
Just take it from me and get the 512MB size....256 MB might be too small for some people like me who deal in large image files.
A top-notch product!
5 Excellent product!
I work in academia, and needed something to quickly and efficiently transport large database and document files from my office to home. I bought this product roughly a year ago, and it's been indispensible. Unless you're transporting video files, or very large datasets, there's no need to get more storage space than this, and this is an excellent value! Mine has either been in my pants pocket, or attached to a computer I've been using almost exclusively for the past year or so.
6 survived the spin cycle
I left it in the pocket of my jeans, sent it through the washer and then discovered it at the bottom of the wet clothes when I was transfering the load to the dryer. I thought it was a goner but let it sit for a couple of days to dry out.
Much to my surprise, it worked just fine when I plugged it into my laptop.
Perhaps I just got lucky, but it must be pretty well made if it can survive a spin cycle.
7 Didn't work at all
I bought this because of the price, I thought it was a bargain, but it turn out to be a loss, it just did not work, I always received the message "disk I/O error", wich means that it had a hardware failure, so I'm going to return it and buy Lexar instead.
8 Pretty great for a student on the go
If you don't have a laptop at a large University and are at the mercy of a large computer labs, this is the way to go. I can't say I've abused mine like some of the reviewers (e.g. running over it with my car, using it 5 days a week, etc.), but it certainly takes a licking. Like the others said, though, the caps are a joke. They are NOT going to stay on, unless you really want it. Mine stays on my keychain with no probs. It's a nice place to keep mega storage in a compact area -- just make sure you remember you've put it!
9 Great product and prices keep dropping
I have used the Cruzer for several months now with now problems whatsoever. It has incredible durability, very fast download/upload speeds (assuming you're using it with USB 2.0) and is a very compact size (pinkie finger). I for one actually like the blue light because it reminds me that I need to remove the Cruzer when it's not in use. The USB 2.0 format makes it super compatible with just about any modern computer and the memory size is great for basic documents, pictures and music files. I carry it on my key chain so the only annoying thing is when I need my keys but also need the Cruzer in the computer. Thus you have to remover the Cruzer via Windows which takes about 5-10 seconds after a few clicks of the mouse--very simple but slightly bothersome because of my needs. Also, it's easy to love the protective cap when the Cruzer is in use so keep track of it!
I would recommend purchasing one with more memory (512 or even 1gb) since prices are dropping and deals abound around the internet. But if you are looking for an entry level 256mb portable memory card with USB 2.0 capabilities, this is a great option.
By the way I have a Kingston Data Traveler 256mb and I like the Cruzer Mini much better because the Cruzer is so much smaller and the cap is easier to remove! I highly recommend!
10 Perfecto almacenamiento movil!!!
Peque–o, estilizado, y bien dise–ado. Dispositivo creado pensando en quienes necesitan sus archivos en el camino, pero no desean cargar con esos ridiculos drives de colores chillantes, demasiado grandes y mas caros.
Lo uso en mi laptop Toshiba, que tiene 3 puertos usb, y me permite tener conectado mi teclado, mi mouse, y sin problemas poder conectar mi drive usb, sin forzar la entrada del conector al puerto, ni desplazar los conectores adyacentes.
Decidi entre la variante mini y la micro y definitivamente es mejor la micro (por practicamente el mismo precio).
Ojala, mas adelante exista el cruzer micro de 1Gb, seguro lo tendre que comprar....
11 A great substitute for carting around a laptop
First, the cons: the cap doesn't fit very well, and the write speeds aren't as fast as they could be--if you routinely have to copy lots of big files, you'd best look elsewhere. It does what it does, however, very well. It's tiny, bombproof, and attaches easily to a keyring. (I attached mine using the quick-release mechanism that comes with the lanyard. This avoids the problem of plugging it into CPUs with a heavy set of keys pulling down on it.) Best of all, I use the Windows Briefcase utility to keep home and work files synchronized--it takes forever to load a 200 MB briefcase onto the drive, but only a few seconds to update the day's work. Then I can take it home, hit sync, and update all my files at home. Brilliant. (And when traveling somewhere where I know I'll have access to a computer, there's no need to bring my laptop through airport security. Doubly brilliant.)
12 Two major annoyances...
This would be a great usb drive except for two things:
a) You will definitely lose the cap....it just will not stay on in your pocket.
b) It has a very bright blue led light which is always on when the drive is plugged in, and flickers when the drive is being accessed. This light is just too bright! I don't want to see it while I am working on my laptop. Give me a dim red led that only goes on when the drive is being written to, and I'll be much happier.
On the plus side this drive is very small compared to other keychain drives I've seen. It's also very sturdy. I lost the cap months ago, but I still carry it on my keychain, and it still works perfectly.
One more thing...some keychain flash drives have a write protect switch. This one doesn't. Also some drives are bootable. I haven't tried to boot from this drive, but I am pretty sure it is not bootable.
When I bought this drive 512mb and 1gb drives were very expensive. Since then prices have dropped. I'd look for at least a 512. And I'd go for a 1gb if I could get one at a good price. (I don't know if the micro comes in 1 gb, but other drives do).
13 Very functional an portable at low cost
Hace ya casi un mes desde que adquir’ esta memoria para mi hermano quien la utiliza en su trabajo para transferir informaci—n entre equipos PC y Apple que no han logrado interconectar en red. Ha funcionado perfectamente con ambas plataformas (Windows XP y MacOS X). Dos aspectos destacables de este producto son su miniaturizado tama–o as’ como su s—lida construcci—n. Adem‡s estŽticamente esta muy bien dise–ada y se ilumina en un atractivo color azul cuando esta conectada. Un aspecto que no me gusto mucho es el arillo que incluye para adaptarse al llavero ya que es demasiado peque–o pero fuera de eso esta excelente. Una verdadera ganga!
14 Very unreliable
I bought my first micro cruzer 6 months ago. It worked well until the fourth month. It just stopped working one day. I sent it back to Sandisk for another one. Their customer service is great. They sent me a brand new one immediately. I opened up the new one and after about four uses, it stopped working!! I just sent back my second micro cruzer to Sanisk. They are going to send me another new one very soon. At this point, I have lost all confidence in this product, so I may just try to give this new one away with a warning and buy thumb drive that is made from a different company
15 Great little flash drive
The Cruzer Micro is a geat little flash drive. The metal casing with a thin rubbery coating feels good in the hand and is extremely sturdy. It's small size and detachable lanyard make it convenient (if somewhat dorky) to wear. It's small profile also makes it more likely than th elarger examples of usb drives to actually fit in crowded ports on your computer. The blue glow that illustrates when the drive is receiving power and flashes when the drive is being written to is useful and frankly cool. Being able to keep more than 200 floppies worth of data in a small light package around your neck is great. The only thing costing it a star is the inability of the cap to stay on, a problem it shares with many other flash drives. Price and performance makes the SanDisk Cruzer Micro a winner.
16 Good Device
Small, compact, cool-looking storage device. No problems or errors. Fast enough. Highly recommended.
17 Very Happy With It
This is my first flash drive and I got this fabulous invention about a week before my laptop went out of commission (AC not connecting to it) - about a month before finals - and its saved my @$$.
Here is what I like about it:
Size - I have found the 256 plenty big. I have 3 SPSS Data Sets on it with 1000 observations and 70+ variables each, 18 PDF files of long Journal Articles, probably about 30 Word files and have only used 35.8 MB.
Speed - Not only do files transfer very quickly, but you don't need to take the time to open a file, "save as" then pick the location. This has its own window and I just click and drag - for smaller files the transfer is instantaneous - bigger files take a few seconds. And you can even save whole folders at a time this same way. (Which is why I was able to quickly grab all my flies for my classes off of my laptop before the battery ran out).
Look - let's face it, the dang thing is cute!
Cap - I have not had any trouble with the smaller cap, but its new and I don't keep it in my pocket. It comes with a bigger cover but it did not have anyway to attach to the Micro Mini. The cover just slid on and was not secured so it could slide off very easily. I just don't use that.
Hope this helps!
18 Absolutely wonderful
Reads AND Writes fast. There was a comment earlier about the write speed, but mine seems to write very fast and I work with fairly large files. The cap doesn't seem to fit all too well though. But I highly recommend this drive.
19 Tough But Slow
So I finally decided to upgrade from my old 64MB USB 1.1 to a larger, faster flash drive. I opted for the SanDisk Cruzer Micro because of its size and durability, both of which I am very impressed with. The unit is very compact, encased in metal, and then covered in hard, clear plastic. A blue light at the end of the unit lets you know when it's being used. In my opinion, this is about as small as flash drives can get before they start becoming impractical for handling. And as far as durability goes, this unit is the most rugged I've seen. The superb construction means you can literally hurl this baby at the wall and all the damage you'll get is a dent in the wall.
However, there are drawbacks, most notably the speed. The read speed of the unit is amazingly fast, but the write speed is very slow, only a little bit faster than my old USB 1.1 drive, which is a vast disappointment. The same 249MB file that takes 55 seconds on most USB 2.0 drives to write takes a little over 5 minutes on the Cruzer Micro. Not exactly my idea of "Hi-Speed".
Also, as most people have noted, the plastic caps (both small and large) that the unit comes with do not fit very snugly and can slip off at times. I think the large cap works better than the small one, so I use that instead. Even with the large cap the unit is still very small and portable. Sometimes I even go without the cap and it works just fine that way too.
In the end, I still stuck with the Cruzer Micro despite its significant speed flaws because of, as I mentioned at the beginning, its size and durability. Sure, there are other units out there that write at lightning speeds, but I seriously don't think they can withstand the abuse I (and probably most people) dish out on their flash drives. Also, the drive looks very professional and fits in perfectly in a corporate environment. I'm still very disappointmented and the lagging write speed, which is why I had to take it down a star, but I'm not much of a speed demon and I can tolerate it. It's a trade-off for everything else that's so great about this unit. The slow speed, however, might be a bigger issue with the 512MB drives. If speed is a big issue for you, then I would recommend the Cruzer Titanium. Otherwise, nothing beats the Micro.
20 Great product (stands up under heavy use)
I'm a programmer and I use this memory stick five days a week. I've had it for about 4 months and just added one to my wish list. It gets heavy use during the week, in that I mean that I am copying files to it and from it 20+ times a day. It has a cap and lanyard, but I use the larger (but still small) holder. I've dropped it, stepped on it and toss it around freely. It has been recogonized by Windows XP on five or more different computer systems with no problems (read... the plug and play works).
It is very small, which makes it easy to use on a system that already has USB devices in use, without removing the other connectors. The blue LED is a nice change too.
I paid $75 dollars for mine and think I got a good value.
21 Not good
When I got the Sandisk memory stick it did not work and I returned it. The replacement worked for a few days and then it stopped as well. Secondly, the cover was lost in 2 days because it is so easy to pull off. I was most disappointed in this.
The best thing about it is it's size but the size cannot compensate for its non-functionality. I would not recommend this product to anyone.
22 tough little bugger
All I have to say is that I stupidly left my cruzer micro in my pocket when I did my laundry. I hadn't even gotten a chance to use it yet. I thought I'd just wasted ~ $30. As it turns out, the tough little bugger still works. The lettering didn't even wash off.
23 My first USB storage
I actually bought the SanDisk Cruzer mini (256mb) which is slightly dimensionally bigger than the micro. I love it just the same. I bought it because I saw a co-worker had it and wanted to try it out. It performs better than I thought! I have a Dell Latitude D600 (pretty new) and did not have to download any software or anything--just plugged it right in to one of the USB ports and started copying files immediately. It is great to throw in your pocket (or keep on the keychain) and take it to a client's office with PowerPoints or other documents. Much preferrable to burning a CD or taking a laptop if I can avoid it. Files that are 2 or 3Mb take just a few seconds to upload/download. Perfect!
I did have one hiccup when I tried to plug it into a "dinosaur" PC (from 1999 or 2000). It said that they needed to download a driver which we didn't have time for. I still give it 5-stars though as I haven't had any other issues.
24 TOP PERFORMER: 256MB USB Flash Drives
Among the 3 USB flash drives that I own, I use this one the most. The best feature of this drive is not the size or the capacity. The best feature is the built-in keyring at the end of the unit which enables you to attach this drive to your keychain. This is a feature that I have not seen in any other USB flash drives. This drive is so small and so durable that you can permanently leave it on your keychain to take with you everywhere you go. If a USB flash drive is not easy to carry around, then you will not carry it around; and if you're not going to carry it around, then what's the point of having one of these???
And this really is teeny-tiny. This is noticeably small than all the other flash drives that Amazon sells. Transfer speed is comparable to most other USB 2.0 drives. By the way, you WILL lose the cap at the end; just accept that fact and don't worry about it. On a different Sandisk drive that I own, I've gone without the cap for over 2 years without any problems (got my fingers crossed).
25 STOPPED WORKING AFTER 2 MONTHS!
I really liked it until it went totally dead. I left it plugged into my pc overnight & next morning it was totally dead. Can't get it to respond on any pc. I tried 3 of them. It is totally dead... Luckily, I had it backed up.
I'll keep you posted on what Sandisk does about it.
It has now been 1 month since I complained to Sandisk.
It took them about 2 weeks to send me an RMA & that only came after I called on the phone. I got no response from my online complaint. I sent it back within a day. And now it's been a month since I originally complained & still no replacement... Although my account says closed because it was an even exchange. When I can expect this exchange I do not know...
26 Not 5 stars yet
Advantages: small, rugged, fast
Disdvantages: loose connector cap, no provision to detach from key ring
This is the first USB key that will withstand my harsh pocket environment, that is until I lose the very loose cap.
I also purchased the CruzerSync software and it does the job pretty well. Would love to see a few more features and as always be very careful with the security of your data - it is as good as your password and the 128 encryption is almost meaningless.
27 A MBA student
Pros:
Small
No driver needed
Convinence
Cons:
The large cap does not fit
Cruzer Micro is working fine. I uses to take my presentation file to my school. It comes with two caps. The small one is ok. But the bigger one is too big and it seems that the cap does not fit with it. However, I uses only with the small one so no problem for me.
28 Size & Capacity are out of proportion!
As the name of the device implies, this device is truly "micro," but micro only in size. The 256MB version has more than enough capacity to store 100+ 4 megapixel pictures, a couple of CDs worth of MP3s, or plenty of Word documents, Excel spreadsheets.
I must admit that this is my first experience with USB 2.0, and I was SHOCKED at how quickly files transferred from my PC to the Cruzer Micro! Literally a handful of seconds to fill the entire device! It is significantly faster than transferring files on a network, or burning CDs. You will experience slower rates if your PC/Mac has USB 1.
I've had no problems with the drive; however, the cap doesn't feel like it fits securely, and hence the 4 stars.
Please note-- Contrary to what the reviewer below states, the drive does NOT have a virus on it. The Encrypt program, like the name suggests, can be used to encrypt data on the drive. Old anti-virus programs have an error that causes them to misidentify certain programs as infected.
29 Really small and cool, but unreliable.
I really liked Cruzer Micro When I first got it. It's very small and it comes with metal/rubber coated casing. I have already loaded some of my files onto it and used the cruzer on my campus once. Long story short; a week later it stopped working; it just kept freezing up my computer whenever I plug it in, leaving my files inaccessible. I am going to try the Titanium drive. If that does not work I will be looking for a more reliable technology; a floppy disc perhaps.
30 Virus pre-installed
My Sandisk 256 Cruzer Micro came with a program, encrypt.exe, pre-installed on it. When I try to run it my AV detected a virus, W95/CIH.A.
Yikes!!
31 SANDISK micro cruzer - tiny, cool and rugged
PROS:
tiny - memory and mouse stack together on laptop USB ports
cool - blue light when idle, so you know its there
rugged - been through the wash no problem
CONS:
tiny - gets lost in pockets! Put this baby on your key chain.
cool - blue light flashes when busy (disco anyone?)
ragged - caps don't stay on (2 supplied)
32 Nice, rugged, and tiny USB drive
I've had this unit for about three or four months now. I purchased it after killing a Cruzer Mini and three Lexar JumpDrives, upon which I hoped the design of the Micro would be a bit more durable. It is. As another reviewer noted, it's a solid metal housing with a plastic/rubber coat over it. While it isn't quite as durable as its sister product the Cruzer Titanium, I have yet to have any problems with it, and it's in my pocket every day.
It's not a speed demon, and the caps do fall off (an annoying flaw), but for backups, file transportation, etc. it's an excellent and rugged unit. This is one USB drive you can put on your keychain and not have to worry about.
33 Excellent apart from the cap
I really like this little guy, the size is amazing and the construction impressive, the same metal sheet that is the USB port turns into the housing and goes right into the keychain loop so it is very strong, this is then overmoulded so there is no chance of it falling apart. The speed is good enough for me, especially at the price. Two caps come with it, a small std type and one that fits right over it so you can use it as a keyring and keep the scratches off. HOWEVER, the caps don't stay on as a previous reviewer mentioned but it is a small thing compared to the rest of the features and something am sure I can sort with a little rubber strip.
34 Really nice persistant home directory for use with Knoppix
I just picked up one of these, and find the small size/price ratio very attractive. It may not be the fastest thing in the speed race, but it works quite nicely with my main application -- as a persistant home directory to use with my CD-based Knoppix Linux distribution (http://www.knopper.net/knoppix).
Now I can carry the latest Knoppix distro on a CD-R/W, pop it in a laptop or desktop CD drive, plug in my USB flash, and reboot. Viola! My own personal, portable Linux distro, with all my browser bookmarks, and pdf (yes, there is a Linux version of Adobe's Acrobat reader) files.
And, if you choose the option to create an image file on the flash, instead of reformatting the whole thing for Linux, you can still use it on Windows boxen for that occassional needed file transfer.
Highly recommended.
Update:
I posted the above review a bit back, but I've also found since that Sandisk's software development folks deserve extra kudos for getting this unit to work on older buggy pre-USB 1.1 VIA chipsets running Win98SE, where another brand consistently failed.
Life's too short to debug folks' bad software drivers. I'm really sold on Sandisk's software/support and quality, now.
35 Works well overall
The Cruzer Micro has worked well for me for several months. It's compact, easily portable, and works with both USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports. The read/write speed is faster than USB 1.1 flash drives, but slower than many other USB 2 flash drives (by a factor of at least two when compared to the high speed Sandisk Cruzer Titanium). One problem I've had is with the protective cap not fitting snuggly to the drive and can easily come off (happened several times already). Since the cap so small, it's easy to lose.
Overall, it is a well design flash drive. With its compact size, I end up using this a lot more often than my Cruzer Titanium.
36 The MOST for your money
After researching SEVERAL drives, this is the one I settled on. Not only was the price truly unbeatable, but the performance is great. As mentioned by others, the writing is a little slow...but as long as it gets on there its fine...who cares 20 seconds or 40 seconds... The ruggedness of it is also very helpful. Being an IT specialist, I carry it on my keyring and keep drivers and setup files on it. It's never let me down, and never cracked, even in the tightest squeezes on roofs or under desks. The blue light is kind of fun too. In short, for the memory size (256 is ALOT more than you think!), the price and the ruggedness, you will NOT get a better drive. Stop looking now...this could be the useful purchase you make - I know it was mine!!!
37 Great very small USB Drive
Bought Sandisk cruzer micro sometime back.Looks very small and rugged though slow. Slowness may be due to the fact I am using USB 1.1 not 2.0 but I can not say for sure.
I shall give excellent rating on compactness. It fits where ports are very close (where bigger drive may be an issue). I chose this over cruzer mini so that it can fit on PCs where ports and keyboard/mouse cables etc are very close and I think I am right.
I found that drive becomes warm after prolonged use but I do not see any issue there. I wish that writing may be faster even on USB 1.1
38 Great size, nice design, works well too!
Yet another entry into the increasingly crowded flash drive market, Sandisk's Cruzer Micro sets itself apart with a great form factor and nice design. It's almost half the size of my Cruzer Mini, which was run over by a car and replaced by this. Instead of a green LED, you get a nicer-looking blue one. The body is plastic like on the mini, and feels really solid.
Write speeds are decent on a USB 2 machine, and livable on a USB 1.1 machine due to the slow interface. You won't get anywhere near the theoretical 480 megabits per second (60 megabytes per second) USB 2 peak data rate due to limitations of the memory controller and memory chips themselves. In testing, I get a little over 3 megabytes/second of read/write speed on a USB 2 equipped computer, and about 600-700 kilobytes/second on a USB 1.1 machine.
The Cruzer Micro comes with about 249MB free out of the box, which is a relief coming from Memory Sticks with 70+ MB missing due to formatting and copy-protection space.
You can also use the Cruzer Micro as the memory portion of an mp3 player that Sandisk is releasing, but seeing as it isn't available anywhere yet, the jury is still out on this added feature.
Why did I dock it one star? In use on USB 2 machines, the Cruzer Micro heats up quite a bit with extended read/writes with large files. This was noticed on both a Sony VAIO laptop and a Dell Dimension Desktop. On USB 1.1 machines the Cruzer did not heat up. It wasn't quite hot, more uncomfortably warm. I always worry since heat is the enemy of many electronics, and other flash drives I've used don't heat up to quite this degree. I did an exchange, and the replacement did the same thing. My Cruzer Mini also did this, so I'm not sure what to make of it.
Aside from the small heat issue, it's a tiny flash drive that looks great and works well. With prices dropping all the time on flash drives, the convienence of transporting your files around is now very affordable. Highly recommended.
