I just bought a 2TB USB thumb drive. A beautiful, sleek little thing, barely the size of my thumb, and yet, it holds everything—or so I thought.
It was supposed to be the solution to a long-standing problem: my ever-growing archive of creative clutter. Years of writing drafts, character notes, photos, videos, podcast episodes, sound files, and blog posts—some finished, some abandoned—scattered across my laptop, eating up space and slowing everything down.
With this drive, I imagined a fresh start. Just plug it in, copy everything across to it, and boom—space reclaimed, brain decluttered, laptop reborn.
But there’s a problem.
Not all the files made it over.
At first, I didn’t notice. The transfers seemed to complete without error messages or warnings. It wasn’t until I went back and checked—file by file, folder by folder—that I saw the gaps. Whole video files, audio masters, gone. Or rather, never made the jump.
Apparently, it’s got something to do with the exFAT system. Even though it’s supposed to support large files, this drive throws a fit with anything hefty. I tried reformatting it to NTFS, thinking that might solve the issue—but the drive just spits it out and refuses to work. exFAT is the only thing it accepts.
I’m stuck. I can’t trust it to archive my work safely, and I can’t return it because I’ve already half-filled it with small files.
Is there a workaround? Some way to actually use all 2TB like a normal external drive? Or is this just another case of tech promising the world and delivering a paperweight? Any advice would be a lifesaver.
-Michael. (Author of SEETHINGS, downloadable and free for a limited time.)
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It’s always good to have a second option. All devices fail, even if they don’t come off the rack without errors. We can’t rely on them, or the cloud, or a second computer. Having at least two backups helps, and check them each time the data is downloaded to the device. Every time. Replace the digital devices for backup at least every second year. Dust, heat, moisture, time – they all have an effect, and even a ‘clean’ room can have minor contamination that does harm over time.
Twice in my life I’ve lost everything. Once to fire, once to a move that brought me an empty container (they left the mower, but thieves emptied the container while it was on the train). Oh, and a third time, when the off-site, weather-proof site collapsed into a sinkhole.
On second thoughts, maybe three separate devices: an older computer that isn’t used for anything else, and two different digital storage methods.
I’d also suggest not using the backup process – copy across by folder and date the backup folder you put them in – and then double-check the contents.
the devastation of losing everything is a tough road.
Hi Cage,
Sorry to hear of those losses. That’s incredible. I’ve not lost a digital file yet; however, I noticed my earliest digital data CDs are losing their reflective coatings and have started copying them before they become unreadable. It’s safe to say the DVDs will soon go the same way and every disk I burned in the past will become unusable in the future.
Today, I keep two mechanical 2TB HDDs (that aren’t moved or bumped) for master storage and an old laptop for managing those retired files. While I’m using newer files, cloud, laptop and USB thumbs give me security.
You’re right. Too many files in just one location is a recipe for trouble. I wonder how many people cook that way. -Michael
A lot. Most people believe their computer is safe, their usb devices are safe, their home is safe. None of this is so. Fire, flood, mishaps, even minor accidents, let alone thieves, etc. Nothing is safe. Have a back up for the backup.
I even send emails to myself to have a ‘sent’ file and a ‘rec’d’ file!