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| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 2.0 inches | | Product Width: | 0.75 inches | | Product Height: | 0.3 inches | | Package Length: | 6.2 inches | | Package Width: | 4.4 inches | | Package Height: | 0.5 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 92 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 92 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
 To anyone who is annoyed by the lame U3 additions Nov 01, 2006
By Guy Carmeli
There is a quick and easy way to turn your disk back to a simple mountable drive. For Mac users, it will eliminate the additional folders and the annoying "Untitled" CD image popping every time you connect; For the PC users, it will eliminate the whole applications suite and control panel loading when connecting.
All you have to do is download the "U3 Launchpad Removal Tool" from the downloads section on SanDisk's site, and run it - it is quick and easy. Mac users note that this is a Windows app, so you'll need to do this from a PC.
Once you're done, the drive reverts back to a clean and simple disk-on-key. Note that the removal utility initializes the drive back to FAT16 (probably for compatibility reasons) but you can then go ahead and change it to FAT32 or any other format you like.
Enjoy
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Like it but don't love it... Aug 03, 2006
By Beanaford
Starting grad school last year, i found that owning a USB key is as important as inhaling a cup of coffee in the morning. Without it, i'm disoriented and work definitely goes slower...
At the start, i had a 128kb key of a different brand and some of my friends had Cruzer Micros. I liked them instantly because of their tiny size and the option to add color savers so that they didn't get mixed up. This year, i decided it was seriously time to upgrade so i got the 1GB micro retractable cruzer. My thoughts? Mixed...
The size of this new cruzer is comparably small, maybe not AS small but still tiny compared to the rest, which is great. The 1GB space is also pretty great (esp after having a 128kb a year ago), and its not too expensive at all. The case design however leaves something to be desired, and the U3 program...? well first things first.
The old cruzer's case is silver with a seemingly sturdy design and a cap to top em off. This one, black with no cap but a retractable design seems a little flimsier than the last which isn't comforting when your important files are stored on it. But the retractable design is sweet because no worries of a lost cap. HOWEVER, the flaw in the retract-design is that there isn't ANYTHING that covers the usb port when its not in use. I assumed, before buying it online, that when you retracted into the not-in-use position, a small cover would flip from the inside and cover the opening so that dust, small particles, water or whatever couldn't get in easily. Not so. When retracted, the USB port is still visible and open to the elements. Not something i'm happy about since the point of a cap/cover is to protect from stuff, and the point of retraction is to not have to worry about the cap or cover. So really, the key point of retractable covers is missed.
Now onto the contentious U3 program. Do i love it or hate it? Neither - i don't really care about it. BUT, here's the thing, this USB key doesn't just go into my computer, it goes into other ones as well - and THOSE people HATE the program. In giving my micro to someone else to grab one of their files, it takes a minute longer than it should because it starts loading up the U3 program. People who don't own a micro freak out because this foreign thing is telling them they need to restart their computer for this new program (which they didn't ask for) which is trying to load up for the first time. Not a crowd pleaser.
So because a simple file transfer takes longer and because not everyone wants the U3 program loaded automatically onto their computer, i figured it'd be better just to uninstall it. Easy? Just as the above reviews said, not so much. So, i did a google search and found the official uninstall website: http://www.u3.com/uninstall/. Since then, this puppy has been ready to go the second i pop it into anyone's computer without any programs popping up demanding to be downloaded.
All in all, i don't like the U3 program but that site about got rid of it in a quick minute. I like the 1GB of space on a very small-sized USB key, but my new cruzer micro 'key' won't hang off a keychain anymore because its way too easy for the elements to enter the port thanks to the retractable-but-not-replacing-a-cap design of late.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Software defeats purpose of flash drives. Nov 22, 2006
By L. F. Martins
After having an experience with slow startup speeds (and actually freezing a computer) with the 1GB Cruzer Micro with U3, I feel compelled to write this negative review. The mere existence of a software layer to access the flash drive defeats the main purpose of existence of flash drives: a fast and higlhly compatible interface. Any hidrance to this convenience makes the device a liability. I work at an educational institution wher I am responsibel for organizing presentation sessions in which speakers often bring their presentations in a flash drive. As a matter of policy, we will not allow speakers to plug in to our computers devices that run any kind of software in the background.
12 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Not as bad as others say... Nov 22, 2006
By D. Lynch
"repetitious"
I was clicking onto this item with the intent to buy another (I already own one) when I saw people's often bad reviews of it and decided I'd leave my two cents so that prospective buyers can have a varied set of opinions.
First off: Most people complain about the included "U3 Software". Yes, it is slow to start up, but that is really the only downside. Don't get me wrong: the U3 business is completely useless except for one feature - the safe eject. Sure, it's nice to be able to rip your flash drive out of the computer and go, but on more than one occasion I've ended up with a corrupt file. The U3 system basically forces you to click "eject" in its menu before you can pull out the flash drive without the system scolding you. But this also assures that you won't have a corrupt file later on.
Many people are saying that the U3 system makes your computer vulnerable to trojan virus attacks and even that the U3 system itself contains viruses - this is completely unfounded. I don't even know how people come up with this stuff. The U3 system found in this flash drive is simply an added program that assures your files are kept organized and safe. Sure, it's entirely unnecessary, but it is in no way as bad a thing as some people make it sound.
Others say that you cannot use the drive until the U3 system launchpad has started up (which, admittedly, can take upwards of a minute or two). Again, this is untrue. Very often I will insert the drive into my USB port and click into "My Computer", select the flash drive icon, and begin transferring files even before the U3 system begins - it has never slowed me down.
Also, I've read people complaining about how the drive does not actually contain a full gigabyte of storage space. To this, all I have to say is that NO storage device, flash drive, hard drive, or otherwise, will have the full amount stated. There is ALWAYS some space taken for formatting, unless otherwise advertised. For example: My new 120GB hardrive actually only holds 108GB. This is simply common knowledge of computers. This flash drive is no different.
I've owned my SanDisk Cruzer Micro for four or five months now and have not once had a single error, corrupt file, or other nasty stuff. And, as a graphic design student, I use my flash drives several times a day - still, never an issue.
And on a side note, to those users on a Macintosh running OS-X 10.4, the OS completely ignores the U3 software and uses the drive perfectly. AND it can go back and forth from Mac to Windows perfectly without any conflicts.
Also, many people are complaining about the retractable USB head and having it breaking or loosening. Again, I don't know what these people are doing, but it's not true. I use mine every day and even play with it (fiddling with the push tab) all the time and it still feels as tight as the day I bought it.
As long as I'm on the topic of the drive's physical nature, I feel I might mention that the item's description of being "so compact that it doesn't block or interfere with other nearby USB ports", meaning that it isn't so wide that it inhibits anything being plugged in next to it, isn't exactly true. I've used this drive on several computers, both PC and Mac, and on systems with nearby USB ports, this drive does indeed shove other device plugs aside. Not enough to make you have to unplug something, but enough that the USB plug to something like a mouse will be slightly skewed to the side. In my experience, this in no way affects the connectability of the other device, but is still a minor annoyance.
To recap: don't listen to the bad reviews unless you've had trouble with SanDisk products in the past. I never have, and probably never will. This is a fine drive, and although the U3 software isn't practical and really is quite unneeded, it certainly isn't the nightmare others make it out to be. And as long as you take care of your drive (and even if you don't), it isn't going to just break and quit working on you. This drive is great for Windows PCs and/or OSX Macs.
I came here to buy another one, and that's what I'm going now to do.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Beware of the U3 Bloatware that comes on the drive! Dec 04, 2006
By B. Jahn
I just bought the Sandisk Cruzer 1GB drive. Since I have only used it for about an hour, I have not had the hardware problems that some of the reviewers have mentioned. Problem is, it came with "U3" software, which auto-installed on my computer. As is outlined elsewhere on these posts, this adds a layer of software that I certainly DO NOT want involved in my flash drive usage. I went to the Sandisk web site, followed the directions to uninstall the U3, and the uninstall errored out!! Every time!!
[...]I now have an empty 1GB flash drive. Too bad it took me over an hour of grief to get to that point.
Beware!
See all 92 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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