I've just bought USB 4G Flash drive the price seems to have fallen in line with someone predictions or theory on Computers doubling in size and halving in price every year.

Because I've been having fits with my computer for some months, and it's getting me to tear out my remaining hair, locking up with "program not responding" in many different operations, I've been advised by the Norton support to do a complete backup, have Compaq take the whole thing down to zilch and completely clean it out, whereupon Norton will help me get installed again.

Toward that end, in my innocence I bought a flash drive with only 4.0G, for 49.95. That filled up quickly (surprise! surprise!), and I gave my wife the packaging material and asked her to buy another just like it. She took it to a different Staples, and they gave her a package just like it, but with a sticker, "Enhanced for Windows", whatever that might mean. She asked, "Is it the same thing, like my husband asked for?" "Yeah, it's the same brand, same model, same capacity."

But when I compared the sales slips, what she bought cost DOUBLE what I had bought. The "enhanced" part consists, as far as I can see, of a piece of software which is functionless in my XP Pro environment. Pressures of time made me decide to use it anyway.

Surprise! I ran out of room again, and went back to my original staples. Talked to the manager, showing the two sales slips and prices. He said, "They're different. There's a skew." Whatever that might be. I pressed for what the difference was, and one of the store help, called in, said that it had software to make it compatible with Vista. I complained, and the manager said I could bring the "wrong" flash card back. I said I couldn't very well do that, because I'd filled it up, and pressures of time wouldn't allow me to do all that again, so I grudgingly am swallowing about a $50 overcharge.

I believe I will take my business to another office equipment chain.

Dave Oesterreich

I ran out of room AGAIN, and went back to my original Staples