Slow USB Transfer Rate -- How to Improve



The introduction of universal serial bus or USB ports has really given lots of opportunities for users in maximizing the experience and enjoyment of using the computers. Entertainment and portability – I guess those words best describe the total experience we can have from using the USB ports of our computers. 


USB Transfer Rate Slow -- Reasons

One of the best things the USB ports give us is the easiness in transferring data from the computer to an external source or hard drive, in particular the flash drives.  However, utmost care must be taken into consideration since transferring data from the one source to another through the USB port can be quite vulnerable to data corruption especially if the transfer process is terminated accidentally. 

Lots of us find the USB transfer rate slow and it does kill us especially if we are in a hurry. Do you know the reasons why sometimes the USB transfer rate is slow like it is going to take less than an hour to transfer a 100MB file? Here are the reasons and factors you need to consider on why you experience slow data transfer rates through the USB ports.

The size of the data being transferred. 
The first thing to consider when transferring data from the computer to a USB flash drive is the size of the file being transferred. Normally, a 500 kilobyte image file can be transferred quickly as compared to a 500 megabyte movie file. 


The version of the USB port used.  
The latest version of the USB ports these days is the USB 3.0, capable of transferring data for 4800 megabits per second. Currently, most of the devices are in version 2.0 (480 megabits per second), which is pretty standard and quicker than the 1.0 version, which is capable of transferring 12 megabits per second only. Make it sure that you update the driver of this USB ports for faster transfer rates.

The data transfer rate capacity of the external hard drive or flash drive used.
Every external USB hard drive has different data transfer rate capacity even if they have the same storage. The data transfer rate of various USB external drives are programmed in their integrated circuits. Meaning, Kingston Data Traveler can have different transfer rate as compared to those which are built by Samsung. 


The available memory of the USB flash drive.
If the available space of your USB flash drive is low, the transfer of the data will surely be slow because there will not enough space to accommodate the processing. 


The RAM and CPU capacity of the computer used.
Of course, the specs of the computer you are using when transferring data is the biggest factor of all. When your RAM is capable of processing 2GB, the faster will be transferring of data. 


Number of programs running simultaneously.
The more the programs are running when you transfer your data to a USB flash drive, the slower the process will complete. Well, if there are many programs running at the same time, the RAM and CPU will be busy accommodating all your request. 


The connectivity of the external source to the computer. Are USB hubs used?
Hubs can affect the transfer of data from the USB port greatly. It is because there isn’t direct connection, the process takes time because it goes from one device then to another. 




Viruses and Corrupt PC registry.
Viruses and corruption in the PC registry are other factors to consider. There are many viruses that are CPU usage eater and then it runs programs without your knowing, thus you are experiencing USB data transfer rate slow. You need to be aware that viruses can also delete your data from the USB flash drive without you noticing it.


USB Transfer Rate Slow – How to Make it Fast?

Avoid running too many programs when transferring files.

Avoid using USB hubs. Make a direct connection to avoid corruption.

Update your antivirus regularly.

Run a reliable PC registry cleaner.

Choose USB flash drives that have higher data transfer rate.

Remember the above tips and fix USB transfer rate slow issues.

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