Product Description

Cruzer Micro is an incredibly small USB Flash Drive (UFD) that connects to a computer's USB port. With capacities ranging from 512MB to 4GB, users can easily store their key documents, pictures, music and video clips on a Cruzer Micro and transfer them to another computer with a USB port. Cruzer Micro is small, portable, and smart. Small, compact size fits on any keychain. New retractable USB port eliminates the need for caps and protects your port. Cruzer Micro provides the latest in UFD technology, a U3 Smart capable flash drive. Cruzer Micro is a computer in your pocket. With U3, your programs are available at any time on any PC.

Product Details

• Color: BLACK
• Brand: SanDisk
• Model: SDCZ6-8192-A11
• Platform: Windows
• Format: CD
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 2.76" h x 1.97" w x .20" l, .22 pounds
• Hard Disk: 8GB

Features

• Up to 8GB storage capacity - that's 8,000MB
• Retractable USB connector
• Enhanced for ReadyBoost
• Brilliant amber LED
• U3 smart enabled - CruzerSync synchronization software; SignupShield password manager; SKYPE ; AVAST-U3 antivirus software

Customer Reviews

SanDisk's 8GB Cruzer Micro - Great All-Around USB Drive
SanDisk 8 GB Cruzer Micro

The Cruzer Micro is a great USB flash drive with some significant advantages. You don't have to worry about losing the cap. There is a chance of getting dust in the head, so make sure to clean it from time to time with compressed air. Kingston also makes some retractable USB models as well, but in general I still prefer SanDisk.

This guy has 2, 4 and 8 GB sizes. 8GB is kind of the minimum size I would purchase at this point, since I have a ton of smaller drives already. This guy has the smallest case out of regular USB drives out there. The only way to get smaller storage is to my a memory card or a micro drive.

The small slot and ring are not really sturdy enough to secure this drive. The Cruzer Slide, on the other hand, has a nice attachment ring. But it is much bigger than the Micro, meaning that many users will still opt for this one instead.

I make a point of obliterating the U3 software whenever I get a new drive. That way I don't have to worry about it loading itself every time I insert it. It just slows it down and I don't use those apps anyway.


Pros:
+ Great storage capacity in a brand that honors their warrantees
+ The case is small and attractive
+ The slide-back head means there is no cap to be lost
+ Nice color options for different tastes
+ Durable body and NAND memory stands up to a lot of abuse
+ Compatible with old and new Mac and PC Operating Systems (XP, Vista, OS X)
+ USB 2.0 connection is backwards compatible for older computers
+ Easy to format and enable encryption to protect your data
+ Prices are nice on a $ per gigabyte basis

Cons:
- Personally I'm not crazy about the U3 software on Sandisk USB drives
- The attachment slot is small and somewhat flimsy
- Not as easy to hook it on to things as the Cruzer Slide
- Still somewhat slow speed in copying large files, limited by USB transfer rate

Overall this is a great USB drive with good capacity. If you need something you can easy attach to key-chains and don't mind a slightly larger body, you may want to step up to the Cruzer Slide. If you want the smallest most stylish USB drive you can get, this is it.

Enjoy!

How to Disable U3 Virtual ROM Drive
0. These instructions are for Windows XP.
1. In Windows Explorer allow hidden files to be seen.
2. Delete everything in 'new' Cruzer.
-- If you click on the 'U3...(E:) drive, it will now hang.
3. Right click on 'Removable Disk (F:) and choose 'Properties'.
4. Click on the 'Hardware' Tab.
5. There will be 2 listings for 'SanDisk U3 Cruzer Micro USB Device'.
-- Type = 'Disk Drives'
-- Type = 'DVD/CD-ROM Drives'
6. Highlight the second 'DVD/CD-ROM Drives'.
7. Click the 'Properties' button. A new pop-up will appear.
8. At the bottom there is a pull-down menu titled 'Device usage'.
9. Choose 'Do not use this device (disable)'.
10. Click the 'OK' button.
11. Now the 'U3...(E:)' drive will disappear from Windows Explorer.

U3 technology to automatically load software on your PCs
I'm not a big fan of technology that tries to automatically load software on my PC, especially without asking my permission. I deleted the software Sandisk preloaded on the USB flash drive, but wait: this device mounts as *two* USB drives, and one is read-only and looks like a 5 MB CD-ROM to the OS. It has an autorun script and zipped software on it, and the only way I've found to keep it off the computer is to not use this product.

I guess Sandisk's business model is to have the bloatware makers subsidize this product. And, it's in the bloatware makers interest to have unsuspecting users loading their wares onto multiple machines.

Since this isn't clearly explained on the packaging, it seems sort of sneaky to me that they'd try to spread their software this way -- the type of thing that inspires class action lawsuits. Hence, the low rating.