I've been seeing some advice online about refreshing SSD storage devices by plugging them in to recharge the electrons and prevent data loss. I have a collection of old USB flash drives ranging from 8GB to 64GB, and I'm wondering if I can do the same for them. Is it safe to plug my old USB drives into a 1 amp USB power bar, or could this risk burning them out or losing data? Also, how long should I keep them plugged in, and how often should I 'recharge' them?
3 Answers
Actually, USB flash drives don't work like batteries you can just recharge. They use NAND flash memory to store data. Plugging them into a basic 1 amp power supply won't refresh anything meaningfully. It's better to plug them into a computer, which has the necessary control to maintain data integrity. It's also a good idea to copy your data and rewrite it every few years to keep the cells active. Just leaving them powered off for years increases the chance of data corruption, especially in older drives. Backup is key here!
Just a heads-up, what you saw doesn't really apply to USB flash drives. They rely on flash memory, which isn't exactly the same as SSDs. Flash drives generally aren't as reliable as hard disks, so do not keep your only copies of important files on them!
Honestly, if you're using them regularly, you don't need to stress about recharging. Just be sure to keep backups of any important files somewhere safe, like an external hard drive or cloud storage.
Thanks for clarifying! I adjusted my terminology to avoid confusion.