Computers are almost entirely rid of optical drives. A DVD drive takes too much power and is too heavy. One company is working on a solution to the problem of an optical drive disappearing.
Let’s face it, DVDs and CDs tend to be too big and not long-lasting.
Disks are almost five inches in diameter and are bulky when compared to other storage mediums. Read and write speeds can be slow, but discs can store a lot more data. The optical drive is designed to be as small and light as possible, but it still cannot be used to replace the laptop’s built-in optical drive.
Modern laptops are very small and lightweight. An optical drive has more space than it needs to store practical components. To increase performance, larger batteries can be stored in the optical drive. Or it could be used for more graphic cards. Laptops are designed to provide the best performance and the most compact form factor possible.
There is no place for outdated technology like the optical drive.
However, optical discs can provide valuable features which should never be forgotten, no matter if they are DVDs or CDs. One company is working hard for those memories to be preserved and all of its features.
Nexcopy is an American company that makes feature-rich USB flash drive products. The company’s main goal is to offer an alternative to the optical disk but in the form of flash drives.
There Are Five Options Available From The Company
An optical disc’s two most popular features are the auto-run function and the read-only feature.
An optical disc’s auto-run feature is a favorite of all. It allows companies to provide software that automatically installs when the optical disk is accessed. The standard USB flash drive is not capable of running an automatic program and won’t mount on any computer system as an optical disc.
#1 Disc License
Nexcopy addressed this issue and created a product to address the auto-run problem. When connected to a host computer, the USB device which appears as a USB CD-ROM device. Any ISO file can now be uploaded to the Disc License drive. This will make the drive a CDROM device. The device can be used as an optical disc, with full auto-run functionality.
An example is that a disc duplication shop can use their ISO files, which were previously used for CD and DVD duplication, to create USB CDROM flash drives. The optical disc is not going away, but it does not mean that the concept will cease to exist.
The read-only feature is another popular characteristic of optical discs. This feature ensures that optical drives’ data are indestructible and cannot be modified.
The standard USB flash drive does not provide a read-only option. There is no universal option to make all flash drives write-protected (read-only) but this makes it hard to find the feature. Flash memory functions like a mini drive. This means that flash memory cannot be modified.
Many companies find themselves in an awkward position where optical drives are difficult to find in computers. They can’t provide optical discs because clients don’t have the technology to read the disc. These companies are exploring other options for optical media as the read-only option is just as important.
#2 Lock License
Nexcopy designed a product that addressed the USB drive read-only problem. The Lock License flash drive is a USB drive that can be read by default.
Another way to put it is that the Lock License USB functions in a different manner from other flash drives. A user cannot write or read from the USB while connected. The Lock License drive must be forced to become writable by the user.
Lock License drives offer a unique way to ensure that data on the drive is not altered or modified. Additionally, viruses cannot jump onto it because the USB is only accessible by read-only. These two factors combine to make the Lock License USB device the best solution for anyone who needs to write protection with a USB stick.
It is worth mentioning that the USB can be made writable by removing the write protection. This process is secure, but the content owner must provide write access privileges.
The Lock License drive has a subtle, beautiful aspect. Even after the device is locked and written to, if the USB stick is not connected to the computer, the default status will revert to read-only status. It is practically impossible to keep the Lock License Drive writable. This is a very secure solution for people who want to make content on a USB Flash drive permanent.
#3 USB Copy Protection
It was quite common to share videos via optical media. While there are many tools to “ripe” the disc video, most people don’t have the technical skills. The optical drive has been discontinued. What other options are available to save a video to a USB, which is both secure from copying?
As we have previously stated, a USB Flash drive can be used as a mini drive. It is, by default, a read-and-write device. It is now a question of how to share a file, audio, or video on a flash disk that cannot be copied.
Nexcopy offers USB Copy Protection with their Copy Secure Flash Drive. The flash drive provides only the ability to view the file. The flash drive is not able to save, duplicate, share, screen grab, stream, or delete the file.
Copy Secure drive works like an encrypted file. However, you do not need to know the password to view the file.
Copy protection can be done with optical media by using the DVD Copy Control Association protocol. This was a system that synchronized playback chipsets in a DVD player with encoded content on DVDs. This allowed large studios and software companies to join a security program that protected their intellectual capital. However, USB flash drives don’t have a universal security system.
Nexcopy was able to address this issue, allowing common file types like HTML, MP3, MP4, and PDF to be protected while they are being played back from a flash drive. This allows content to both to be viewed and listened to on an Apple computer as well as a Microsoft Windows machine. The copy-protected content plays back on the most popular computer operating system, though it is not available for universal playback.
As with Lock License drives, Copy Secure drives cannot be accessed (read-only) and the user can’t claim: “A file was deleted, can you get another?” Simply get a second copy of the file at no cost.
#4 Encryption Via USB
Copy Secure drives, as mentioned above, are similar to encryption but do not require a password. There is a subtle line between copy protection encryption. The idea behind encryption is to encrypt the data so that the content can be played only after a password has been set. Encryption is not good for everyone. Once a file is encrypted, the user has full access to it. This includes the ability to copy, print, share, stream, save, and even stream it.
What about sharing passwords with others? This is copy protection at its best.
The encryption solution by
Nexcopy is an excellent choice. The USB flash drive will encrypt data and then display it only after you have entered the correct password.
An example: A large corporation’s accounting department stores financial documents on a flash drive for transport between offices and homes. Although the users are trusted, protection is needed in case the USB is left unattended in a parking lot or if it is accidentally dropped. The encryption won’t allow files to be seen.
As with previous products the device is only accessible by a read-only password. It is therefore impossible to erase or format its contents. In the above example, the person who found the drive was not able to put a virus on it (perhaps to hack into the company) or return it to its owner while being innocent.
#5 Secure Disk
The ability to hide data on CD or DVD is one feature that neither CD nor DVD offers. The optical disc linearly writes data. The data writing process begins inside the disc and continues to the outside.
Notice: Mass-produced DVD media and CDs are stamped, so the above sentence refers to writable media.
Secure Disk is an ingenious little device that conceals the majority of USB memory to anyone who connects it with a computer. The Secure Disk is a little product that hides the majority of USB memory from the user.
The only partition available when the Secure Disk connection is to a Windows computer is a small 20MB part. This 20MB partition allows for read-write and can hold any type of information. However, a hidden area space is available if the user knows how it is accessible.
In the example above, we will assume that the USB is a 32GB flash disk. The 20MB partition will be hidden from the user’s view. However, the 20MB public partition disappears when a specific login.exe file with the correct password is accessed. The 32GB hidden partition is then replaced.
This 32GB partition can be read or written by any user once they have logged in. This private partition does NOT provide extra security such as encryption or copy protection. However, it can be accessed if the user knows how they log into the hidden portion of memory.
Secure Disk was created originally as a HIPAA-compliant flash drive. HIPAA compliance requires that the Secure Disk has a secure area for patient medical records, history, and information. Secure Disk meets HIPAA’s requirements. The Secure Disk has a hidden area of memory that is encrypted by a password. This makes it impossible to access without the correct password.
Secure Disk may have more uses than HIPAA records. For those who travel internationally and need sensitive data, this is a great option.
Although the Secure Disk doesn’t replace optical media technology in any way, Nexcopy is a forward-thinking business.
To make mass production of data load products efficient, many flash drives were created. Nexcopy began its business in 2004 by offering the USB200PC duplicator. This is a PC-based duplicator that copies 20 USB flash drives. There have been many products that have followed this introduction, including standalone USB devices, a USB flash printer system, and other memory data load products.