Home / server / Questions / 109878
Accepted
Paul
Asked: 2010-02-05 20:20:13 +0800 CST

Recommend a USB Flash copier (Software or Hardware based) for Keep-it-simple-stupid bitwise copy

  • 772

Intro

I'm looking around for a no-frills USB flash media copier that is brain-dead simple and copies a source to a destination, bit for bit, when the drives are approximately the same size.

Untrained people will be using it to copy drives that include both windows and linux data and bootable, multiple partitions.

Requirements:

  • brain dead simple, no training required
  • mostly bit-for-bit copy of a source USB flash drive to a destination USB flash drive including multiple paritions, hidden files, MBRs/bootable bits
  • reasonable handling of slight manufacturing variations among manufacturers of the same "size" drive. That is, a destination that is only 1.999Gb should still succeed if the partitions on the source drive are not full.
  • USB 2.0, reasonably fast, like 2Gb in 5-10 minutes
  • no menus or options to copy single files or directories or ability to turn those options off or have them hidden in an advanced tab

Nice to Have:

Ideally two usb slots, a copy button, and (optionally) a progress indicator. - Ideally, handheld form factor. Shuttle-PC sized might be ok. - Ideally, under US$300 or so.

Fail:

  • Software based: Linux dd if=/dev/sdx of=/dev/sdy is simple but not brain-dead simple because it involves knowledge and trust to identify the partition names and requires root access to a PC. Windows drag and drop copy does not do bit for bit
  • Memorex and some no-names had a handheld usb1.1 device but it was too slow, had options for file names and directories that people could screw up.
  • A number of manufacturers make 1:many devices PC-based USB copiers that cost $500 or more and may or may not do bit-for-bit copy.

Does such a copier exist?

Looked around in google for a while. Maybe I want too much.

Does anyone know of a device that has met these or similar requirements?

Does anyone know of a Linux LiveCD product that can do this or can be nudged into doing this kind of function?

Thanks in advance

Paul

usb-flash-drive

3 Answers

  1. You've partly answered your own question here.. I'd have to question some of your requirements. Why do you care if they have 'root', if you treat this box as an appliance? Run it as a kiosk, with a simple UI (text-based, even) that says:

    1. "Insert source USB stick"
      • It then autodetects this stick
    2. "Insert target USB stick(s), and press GO"
      • Once user presses GO, it copies.
      • If source stick is removed, goto step 1
    3. Go to step 2

    Once you get it going, back it up, and just let it go. Use a cheap miniitx/shuttle/system you have laying around, as long as you have USB 2.0 you're good.

    • 1

  2. And why not use names with dd ? It's easy : dd if=/dev/disk/by-label/USBDISKPRO of=/dev/disk/by-label/BACKUP ?

    It works on all modern linux distributions...

    • 1
  3. Best Answer

    While its not exactly meant for this, specifically, the usb disk imager that ubuntu uses, least on windows, does this - you'll need to pick 'read' as opposed to write to back up, naturally, but its as simple and painless as it gets. Haven't tried the linux equivilent yet, so no idea about that

    • 1