Price : Too low to display
4GB Cruzer Contour
This review is from : SanDisk Cruzer Contour 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ8-4096-A75
Vista Users Read....will help with ReadyBoost setup... . At first this doesn't seem to be compatible with Vista, even the documentation with it only says it's compatible up to XP, and says absolutely nothing about ReadyBoost. After attaching this, my system would hang up after attempting to access "My Computer" or anything to do with the drive. So I tested it on my XP machine and it worked fine. So, after a couple hours of battling this, this is what worked for ME to be able to use this drive for ReadyBoost ONLY (not for storage) on Vista. If you are having similar problems and can't access the software because of hang-ups, try putting it on an XP machine (or anything without Vista), and launch the software. There is an option--in the software itself--to uninstall it...get rid of it, as it doesn't seem to be compatible with Vista at all at the date of this review (June 07). Also, for some reason, Vista didn't work well with the default FAT32 format of the drive, at least for me it didn't: it wouldn't have the ReadyBoost options sometimes, other times it would. Don't know, but I formatted it as NTFS drive and haven't had a problem since. I gave 4 stars for the hassle of having to figure all of this out, but it's fast and does the job. Hope this helps anyone else who has any troubles....again, this is what worked for me, if anything, it at least might help resolve any of your issues....
A side note about these: whenever you have an abnormal shutdown (power outage, crash, etc.), sometimes Vista won't recognize the cache on the drive after you boot back up...so you'll want to keep an eye on it after something like that happens and you'll most likely have to reassign the drive to ReadyBoost.
Vista Users Read....will help with ReadyBoost setup... . At first this doesn't seem to be compatible with Vista, even the documentation with it only says it's compatible up to XP, and says absolutely nothing about ReadyBoost. After attaching this, my system would hang up after attempting to access "My Computer" or anything to do with the drive. So I tested it on my XP machine and it worked fine. So, after a couple hours of battling this, this is what worked for ME to be able to use this drive for ReadyBoost ONLY (not for storage) on Vista. If you are having similar problems and can't access the software because of hang-ups, try putting it on an XP machine (or anything without Vista), and launch the software. There is an option--in the software itself--to uninstall it...get rid of it, as it doesn't seem to be compatible with Vista at all at the date of this review (June 07). Also, for some reason, Vista didn't work well with the default FAT32 format of the drive, at least for me it didn't: it wouldn't have the ReadyBoost options sometimes, other times it would. Don't know, but I formatted it as NTFS drive and haven't had a problem since. I gave 4 stars for the hassle of having to figure all of this out, but it's fast and does the job. Hope this helps anyone else who has any troubles....again, this is what worked for me, if anything, it at least might help resolve any of your issues....
A side note about these: whenever you have an abnormal shutdown (power outage, crash, etc.), sometimes Vista won't recognize the cache on the drive after you boot back up...so you'll want to keep an eye on it after something like that happens and you'll most likely have to reassign the drive to ReadyBoost.
SanDisk Cruzer Contour 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ8-4096-A75 Reviews
Does the job - after you get rid of U3 . My experience with the 4GB Cruzer Contour:
- as a start I uninstalled the U3 software which is - in my opinion - a useless piece of junk that you have no control over, runs even if you don't want it to run and installs a virtual drive for its operating system. U3 should be an option not preinstalled on the drive.
If you need portable applications then I would highly recommend to check out portableapps.com. Their suite is user friendly, no installation on the computer, you have total control over the software and includes lots of useful applications for free.
- speed is good, I didn't notice any significant difference compare to my Lexar Jumpdrive
- the sliding mechanism is OK but no grip on its surface thus hard (almost impossible) to open/close it with one hand
- looks good but it is wider then most regular usb drives so if you have the USB ports close to each other then you might be out of luck because it can block the access to the other port
- I really like the small "leather" case that comes with it. It provides good protection, I attached it to my key ring since I prefer to keep it in my pocket I don't like the lanyard style
- I paid $48.99 and for this price it deserves 4 stars...
Does the job - after you get rid of U3 . My experience with the 4GB Cruzer Contour:
- as a start I uninstalled the U3 software which is - in my opinion - a useless piece of junk that you have no control over, runs even if you don't want it to run and installs a virtual drive for its operating system. U3 should be an option not preinstalled on the drive.
If you need portable applications then I would highly recommend to check out portableapps.com. Their suite is user friendly, no installation on the computer, you have total control over the software and includes lots of useful applications for free.
- speed is good, I didn't notice any significant difference compare to my Lexar Jumpdrive
- the sliding mechanism is OK but no grip on its surface thus hard (almost impossible) to open/close it with one hand
- looks good but it is wider then most regular usb drives so if you have the USB ports close to each other then you might be out of luck because it can block the access to the other port
- I really like the small "leather" case that comes with it. It provides good protection, I attached it to my key ring since I prefer to keep it in my pocket I don't like the lanyard style
- I paid $48.99 and for this price it deserves 4 stars...
SanDisk Cruzer Contour 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ8-4096-A75 Opinions
Slick USB drive but annoying U3 software Mac user . This is a beautiful and slickly designed USB flash drive. I like the mechanism for sliding open and revealing the USB plug and then retracting it. Very nicely implemented, only hope the little mechanism lasts with usage. Only problem for a Mac user is that annoying U3 software that shows up as a second CD icon. You can remove it if you have a Windows PC friend however. Borrow their computer and insert your drive, then either look for the uninstaller in the CD that loads with the drive, or you can go online to the Sandisk web site, under the Downloads section and download the uninstaller. Do this first and then you can go back into the Mac and reformat the drive using Disk Utilities to be Mac formatted (only if you are using it with Macs only like me...) But otherwise a nice little drive.
Slick USB drive but annoying U3 software Mac user . This is a beautiful and slickly designed USB flash drive. I like the mechanism for sliding open and revealing the USB plug and then retracting it. Very nicely implemented, only hope the little mechanism lasts with usage. Only problem for a Mac user is that annoying U3 software that shows up as a second CD icon. You can remove it if you have a Windows PC friend however. Borrow their computer and insert your drive, then either look for the uninstaller in the CD that loads with the drive, or you can go online to the Sandisk web site, under the Downloads section and download the uninstaller. Do this first and then you can go back into the Mac and reformat the drive using Disk Utilities to be Mac formatted (only if you are using it with Macs only like me...) But otherwise a nice little drive.
failed after a year . The drive is fast.
A little clumsy, blocks the nearby USB port, but it's OK.
It failed after 14 months. Disappointed.
A little clumsy, blocks the nearby USB port, but it's OK.
It failed after 14 months. Disappointed.
Speedy and reliable . I've had this product for more than a year now.
It's a really great flash drive. It's fast and I consistently get read/write speeds very close to what is advertised. It's awesome for storing movies to watch on the go.
It's not the smallest flash drive out there, it's quite big for a 4GB flash drive.
But it is the best looking flash drive I've seen.
The glossy black top (which doesn't attract fingerprints as badly as I thought it would)and the bottom metal piece goes together very well.
The slider mechanism has excellent build quality. It still works just as well as it did when I first used it, even after countless times of sliding. I throw it around all the time, and it works beautifully after more than a year.
The small leather pouch is very convenient and durable. It protects the flash drive well.
The U3 software is pretty good. I have a few apps on it (Evernote, SIW, Opera).
It is not compatible with Mac OS and if you have the U3 set to password protect, you cannot use it at all.
You have to turn off that feature to access the drive on a mac.
I have no complaints about this product.
-update-
Recently, I was doing some yard work and forgot that this drive was in my pocket.
A lot of dirt got in it and the flash drive would barely open. I was afraid I had ruined it, but when I plugged it in, it worked flawlessly.. Can't emphasize how durable this drive is.
It's a really great flash drive. It's fast and I consistently get read/write speeds very close to what is advertised. It's awesome for storing movies to watch on the go.
It's not the smallest flash drive out there, it's quite big for a 4GB flash drive.
But it is the best looking flash drive I've seen.
The glossy black top (which doesn't attract fingerprints as badly as I thought it would)and the bottom metal piece goes together very well.
The slider mechanism has excellent build quality. It still works just as well as it did when I first used it, even after countless times of sliding. I throw it around all the time, and it works beautifully after more than a year.
The small leather pouch is very convenient and durable. It protects the flash drive well.
The U3 software is pretty good. I have a few apps on it (Evernote, SIW, Opera).
It is not compatible with Mac OS and if you have the U3 set to password protect, you cannot use it at all.
You have to turn off that feature to access the drive on a mac.
I have no complaints about this product.
-update-
Recently, I was doing some yard work and forgot that this drive was in my pocket.
A lot of dirt got in it and the flash drive would barely open. I was afraid I had ruined it, but when I plugged it in, it worked flawlessly.. Can't emphasize how durable this drive is.
Fast but not boot friendly. . First of all, I have to admit, this flash drive is one of the fastest I've ever used. Just simply sitting at your computer and moving files back and forth, you get a sense of how speedy it is. For those needing numbers, SanDisk rates their Cruzer Contour drive at 25 MB/sec read and 18 MB/sec write speeds.
The drive has been a pleasure to use in general cases, if not a bit cumbersome to pull out every time. It's when you try to get fancy that some faults become apparent with the pre-installed U3 software and SanDisk's fimrware.
One of the first things I noticed was the design of the Cruzer Contour. It's a big unit compared to others, so you won't be hanging it off your keychain anytime soon. You wouldn't be able to anyway because the drive itself doesn't have any holes for a key ring to go through anyways. Instead, SanDisk included a pouch with the drive which has a clip so you can attach it to things.
The Contour also doesn't have a cap for you to lose. It relies on a neat mechanism where pulling back on the drive case reveals the USB plug, then pushing it forward fully exposes the end. Pushing the case forward and then back conceals the USB tip and it gets closed off by a little hinge door. This improves pocketability greatly and sort of explains it's size.
The drive comes pre-installed with SanDisk's U3 portable software. Some of the software is pretty useful, including McAfee's Anti-virus. The U3 application loader can be a bit annoying sometimes as it loads itself up automatically and sometimes I've noticed that it may crash (depending on the system it's run on). If you're not inclined to use the included software, removing U3 is easy enough, if you know where to find the directions. And if you want the software back later, you can go to the U3 site and download the installation files. Or, if you so choose, you can load free, open-source applications from places like PortableApps.
A big point to note about the drive is that it is not useable as a bootable flash drive. (Or at least after a great many attempts, I couldn't manage to get my system to boot from it.) SanDisk warns that some of their drives can not be used this way, therefore, if you plan on loading Linux or placing a bootable Windows repair set on this drive, you might want to look elsewhere.
Overall, the SanDisk Cruzer Contour is a nice drive to carry and transfer data. It's fast and the hardware seems stable. The unit is a little big, but manages to include a useful mechanism to protect the drive and not rely on caps. The included portable software may or may not be to your tastes, but it's easy to remove and/or replace. Just don't buy this drive if you plan on carrying your favorite Linux distro and hoping to use it to boot up on various computers. Otherwise, it's a good buy, especially if you can get it for $20 and under.
The drive has been a pleasure to use in general cases, if not a bit cumbersome to pull out every time. It's when you try to get fancy that some faults become apparent with the pre-installed U3 software and SanDisk's fimrware.
One of the first things I noticed was the design of the Cruzer Contour. It's a big unit compared to others, so you won't be hanging it off your keychain anytime soon. You wouldn't be able to anyway because the drive itself doesn't have any holes for a key ring to go through anyways. Instead, SanDisk included a pouch with the drive which has a clip so you can attach it to things.
The Contour also doesn't have a cap for you to lose. It relies on a neat mechanism where pulling back on the drive case reveals the USB plug, then pushing it forward fully exposes the end. Pushing the case forward and then back conceals the USB tip and it gets closed off by a little hinge door. This improves pocketability greatly and sort of explains it's size.
The drive comes pre-installed with SanDisk's U3 portable software. Some of the software is pretty useful, including McAfee's Anti-virus. The U3 application loader can be a bit annoying sometimes as it loads itself up automatically and sometimes I've noticed that it may crash (depending on the system it's run on). If you're not inclined to use the included software, removing U3 is easy enough, if you know where to find the directions. And if you want the software back later, you can go to the U3 site and download the installation files. Or, if you so choose, you can load free, open-source applications from places like PortableApps.
A big point to note about the drive is that it is not useable as a bootable flash drive. (Or at least after a great many attempts, I couldn't manage to get my system to boot from it.) SanDisk warns that some of their drives can not be used this way, therefore, if you plan on loading Linux or placing a bootable Windows repair set on this drive, you might want to look elsewhere.
Overall, the SanDisk Cruzer Contour is a nice drive to carry and transfer data. It's fast and the hardware seems stable. The unit is a little big, but manages to include a useful mechanism to protect the drive and not rely on caps. The included portable software may or may not be to your tastes, but it's easy to remove and/or replace. Just don't buy this drive if you plan on carrying your favorite Linux distro and hoping to use it to boot up on various computers. Otherwise, it's a good buy, especially if you can get it for $20 and under.
Purty Good So Far . The SanDisk Cruzer Contour 4GB has treated me well so far. I use it for ReadyBoost in Windows Vista. I can't tell if it has actually increased performance and speed much, but it can't hurt as a supplement for my 2GB of RAM, considering how memory-intensive Vista is and considering that the Cruzer Contour is one of the fastest USB flash drives you can buy (esp. the random access times).
Unlike other users, I have not encountered any problems with the U3 software, but I have not tested it extensively (N.B. you can't really use the drive to store files or do much else with it if ReadyBoost mode is using the lion's share of the drive; that probably includes installing new games or utilities that are part of the U3 system). I would recommend updating the U3 software also, if you're using Vista (mine came with U3 ver. 1.4, which I updated to 1.6 with the download from U3's website).
I would note lastly that the physical design could be better. SanDisk's other USB drives (e.g. Titanium) are supposed to withstand a truck driving over them or whatever. The slide-out design on the Contour doesn't always work as intended, and although the bottom is metal, the top is a flimsy type of plastic. Also, not the smallest USB drive in the world (although not that large either - adjacent USB ports were not blocked). Make everything smaller, SanDisk! I demand nanodrives!
Unlike other users, I have not encountered any problems with the U3 software, but I have not tested it extensively (N.B. you can't really use the drive to store files or do much else with it if ReadyBoost mode is using the lion's share of the drive; that probably includes installing new games or utilities that are part of the U3 system). I would recommend updating the U3 software also, if you're using Vista (mine came with U3 ver. 1.4, which I updated to 1.6 with the download from U3's website).
I would note lastly that the physical design could be better. SanDisk's other USB drives (e.g. Titanium) are supposed to withstand a truck driving over them or whatever. The slide-out design on the Contour doesn't always work as intended, and although the bottom is metal, the top is a flimsy type of plastic. Also, not the smallest USB drive in the world (although not that large either - adjacent USB ports were not blocked). Make everything smaller, SanDisk! I demand nanodrives!
Vista users READ THIS! . This flash drive has worked very well for me so far (i got it today), at first its hard to open, but once u get used t oit its fine. some things i like about it:
It looks GREAT! has a nice capcity, but the U3 and readyboost doesnt work with vista, wat i did was delete EVERYTHING on the drive when u FIRST get it. then i re-formatted it with the default Fat32 type. and it works fine now! i only rated four starz u=instead if five because of the hassle to do this all. :) but overall VERY good flash drive! by it! =]
It looks GREAT! has a nice capcity, but the U3 and readyboost doesnt work with vista, wat i did was delete EVERYTHING on the drive when u FIRST get it. then i re-formatted it with the default Fat32 type. and it works fine now! i only rated four starz u=instead if five because of the hassle to do this all. :) but overall VERY good flash drive! by it! =]
Cons Review
Great drive.. HORRIBLE design! . I carry a lot of these drives around because I am constantly on the go and I run several businesses. I have another SanDisk that slides the usb key which works perfectly and is very easy to use. I don't know if I got a bum key but this one STINKS! The problem is every time I go to insert it into the usb port it pushes the darn thing back into its case! I can spend 10 minutes trying to get it just right so it finally inserts. My wife got a great deal on the drive and was so excited so I don't have the heart to tell her its flawed. I should soon though because I see they do have a 4gb in the other model. This design is pointless to me because the other one works just as well and isn't that fancy.
Bottom line, SanDisk makes quality stuff but this design is not worth it.
Bottom line, SanDisk makes quality stuff but this design is not worth it.
Bloatware keeps it from working in VISTA!! . Others had a problem with the retracting mechanism... I've used mine a lot, and lent it to ppl and haven't had a problem. Others find the gravity blade retraction mechanism unique (read downright kewl) and the metal flap over the business end is unique.
I don't like the extraneous junk the drive came with. In fact I had to uninstall the U3 utility (in XP) before it would work on my 2 vista machines. -They claim newer U3 versions work with Vista, but what a waste of time. Reformatting with NTFS wasn't enough. Gave the stick a bad review because of bloatware.
I don't like the extraneous junk the drive came with. In fact I had to uninstall the U3 utility (in XP) before it would work on my 2 vista machines. -They claim newer U3 versions work with Vista, but what a waste of time. Reformatting with NTFS wasn't enough. Gave the stick a bad review because of bloatware.
Product Image
Feature SanDisk Cruzer Contour 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ8-4096-A75
- Stylish Black Glossy Finish
- Unique slider USB connector. No more lost caps
- High Performance: 25 MB/sec read, 18 MB/sec write speeds
- U3 Smart enabled. Carry and launch your personal applications and settings on any PC
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Product Details
EAN : 0100000010945UPC : 100000010945
MPN : SDCZ8-4096-A75
Brand : SanDisk
Color : Black
Weight : 1 pounds
Height : 2 inches
Length : 7 inches
Width : 5 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Department : Memory & Blank Media
Manufacturer : SanDisk
Model : SDCZ8-4096-A75
Publisher : SanDisk
SKU : DHSDCZ84096A75
Studio : SanDisk
Where To Buy
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