You should know that downloading copyrighted movies, TV shows, or music without paying for them is illegal. Download files I suggest, any other file for that matter, at your own risk!
When I started this project labeling was one of the first problems I came across. The PNY Mini flash drives I've started with are too small for a label. But, the way the 6 compartment flash drive case I have works perfect for my idea. I'll show you the steps I took to make the labeling work. If anyone else have a better idea let me know. I've also read a few other ideas I will share but the one I came up with seems to work just fine for me.
First, start with a new Microsoft Works Word Processor.
Go to "Table" and click on "Insert Table".
The measurements I used work perfect for my needs.
(EDIT: The measurements in the photo below are incorrect. Number of columns is 2, row height is 1", column width is 3". Sorry for the mix up.)
After cutting along the lines place the individual slips behind the flash drive in each individual slot.
The other ideas I've heard for labeling is using fingernail polish to color code them. Also, there is the sharpie option. Just writing on the flash drive itself with a sharpie. I like my method better just in case I ever want to change what is on the flash drives. You can try either one or come up with your own. If you have a better method for labeling your flash drives let me know.
As I said in my introduction I download any movie or TV show I want to watch, assuming it is available for download. It's simple, fast at times, and cheap if downloaded the legal way. There are plenty of sites to purchase digital copies of your favorite movies and TV shows. A couple off the top of my head are Amazon and iTunes. But a quick Google search will give you more sites to choose from.
If you take the illegal route it's still easy and the added bonus it's free. When doing this there are a few trusted sites to search for torrents, plenty of BitTorrent Clients, and on the downside a risk of viruses. But the chance of viruses are a lot lower if you pay attention to the files you are downloading. When visiting a site like ISOHunt reading the comment will let you know if it's a safe file to download. When searching for a BitTorrent client to download your torrents I would strongly suggest uTorrent, it has a simple user friendly design. But there are others out there, a quick Google search will find one to suit your needs.
If you plan on converting your DVDs to a digital file then I honestly don't know the best way to do this. But, I've read through some instructions found online and have noticed you need to download other programs to do the converting. It sounds like a lot of work but if you don't want to pay for the movie again to download it or break the law than this is the only other option. eHow has these instructions available for you to convert your DVDs. If you have gone through this process maybe you could provide some feedback for others on how it worked for you.
All the links in this, and future post, will be made available in the sidebar under "Useful Links".
My Current List of Flash Drives I Own:
4GB PNY Mini Flash Drive
16GB PNY Mini Flash Drive
I just started this project last week and plan to buy two various sizes every pay day unless I can find them cheaper somewhere else. I don't know if one brand is better than another one but these two have been working just fine. I know there are plenty of brands out there but the only difference I can tell between them is the case of the flash drive. I like the swivel over the cap because the cap is easy to lose, with the swivel you take away the cap. I have no brand loyalty and will probably end up buying multiple brands through out this project.
Other Flash Drive Accessories I Own:
Case Logic 6 Compartment Flash Drive Case
4 Port Targus USB Hub
The case is helpful for holding all of those drives in one place. It also has enough space to hold my USB hub. I bought the simple black one but they have different colors and designs available. Inside it has three mesh pockets on each side of the case. It's pretty straight forward and only cost me about $6 at walmart. The 4 port USB hub is a simple device that will allow you to add more ports to connect your flash drive or any other USB device you may use.
I came up with this idea when I found out that my Xbox 360 and DVD player could read flash drives. Since I have my 360 I rarely actually use my DVD player but it's there for when my 360 is down(which currently is the case). I also take part in what some call piracy. Even though I own roughly 30 DVDs I haven't actually bought one in about two years. I also own an external hard drive which has 250 GB. I've taken up so much space on that thing with movies and TV shows I have downloaded I came up with this idea to transfer these shows and movies to various brands and sizes of USB flash drives. This my blog to describe the steps I've gone through and will be going through in the next few months while I do this process. This blog is for those who have the same questions about some of the stuff I have encountered or will encounter along the way. Questions like "where are the best prices on flash drives?" or "What's the biggest flash drive my 360 or DVD player can read?". Hopefully I can help and maybe some of you can help as well. Also, I will be posting links to the torrents of these movies and shows I've downloaded to make it easy for you to find the torrents you need.
