Removable media devices in the IUB STCs
The Indiana University Bloomington Student Technology Centers (STCs) offer a wide variety of removable media options. However, in order to offer the broadest possible selection in most STC locations while facilitating a timely transition to newer storage technologies, some technologies are available only in Macintosh STCs and some only in Windows STCs.
On this page:
USB flash drives
All Windows and Macintosh workstations are equipped with front- or keyboard-mounted USB ports. The accessibility of these ports makes it easy to transport and access your data using USB flash drives. You can purchase these solid-state devices in a wide range of capacities and at prices comparable to or below those of most other reusable removable media. Because these services are ubiquitous throughout the STCs and because USB flash drives are highly reliable, they present the best choice for casual storage and transportation of data files.
Floppy drives
UITS has phased out floppy disk drives in Windows STCs and Residential Technology Centers (RTCs) in favor of more cost-effective alternatives. Floppy disk drives are now available only in selected data transfer stations utilizing media readers. See Floppy disk drives phased out of Windows STCs.
Media readers
The Iomega 7-1 media reader is a multipurpose device that provides access to a variety of removable media storage options, including:
- Floppy
- CompactFlash (CF), type I and II
- Microdrive (fits in CF type II slot)
- Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro
- MultiMedia Card (MMC)
- Secure Digital Card (SD)
- Smart Media Card
These devices are available on all scanner stations in the STCs, including the following locations:
| Media | Windows STCs | Macintosh STCs |
|---|---|---|
| Iomega 7-1 media reader | Selected workstations in these Extended Services Locations (ask consultant
for assistance):
Education 2011 Information Commons (IC) All workstations at: Business 101 Music 160 Selected workstations at: Briscoe 147 Evermann 121 Indiana Memorial Union 089 Wright 003 |
Selected workstations in these Extended Services Locations (ask consultant
for assistance):
Lindley Hall 026 Student Building 222 Selected workstations at: Fine Arts 137, 215 HPER 155 Music 360 Radio-TV 250 |
CD drives
Because of their high capacity and low cost, compact discs (CDs) have been the mass-storage media of choice for both Windows and Macintosh STCs for many years. With a useful storage life of up to twenty years or longer, and a capacity of 650-700MB, CD media include:
- CD-ROM (read-only, pre-recorded; includes music and software CDs)
- CD-R (write-once, suitable for long-term storage of file backups)
- CD-RW (rewritable, suitable for transferring files between systems)
Note: Federal and state laws prohibit the illegal duplication of copyrighted materials. UITS will not support the use of duplicated CDs or any other technology for copyright infringement. For more, see About copyright infringement in STCs.
Duplicating Services performs CD duplication for campus departments; call 812-855-9337.
Note: All recordable CD media types can be recorded in all DVD drives in the STCs.
DVD drives
Cosmetically indistinguishable from CDs, DVDs offer up to 4.7GB of data storage on one side of a disk. Media types include:
- DVD-ROM (read-only, pre-recorded, including movies and operating systems software)
- DVD-R (write-once, suitable for long-term storage of large backups)
- DVD+/-RW (competing re-writable standards, suitable for transferring large files between systems)
- DVD+/-R DL (competing dual-layer, write-once standards for high-volume storage, up to 8.5GB)
The Macintosh STCs offer the widest availability of DVD recording tools, including iDVD software from Apple, allowing creation of DVDs up to an hour in length. iDVD uses video in several formats, including QuickTime and multiplexed (also called muxed) MPEG. Apple also offers DVD Studio Pro to record DVD video, but this application is not yet available in the STCs. You can record DVD data using the Toast Titanium software on the workstations. For more, see Apple's iDVD page.
To bring your video files to the STC workstation, you can download the video file from an online source, create it on the workstation, or import your video file from an external source (such as a DV camcorder or one of the analog VCRs connected to the multimedia computer).
| Media | Windows STCs | Macintosh STCs |
|---|---|---|
| DVD-ROM
CD-ROM CD-RW CD-R |
All workstations at all sites | All workstations at all sites |
| DVD-RW
DVD+RW DVD-R |
Ashton-Griggs 101
Ballantine Hall 107, 108, 115, 118 Business 415, 417 Collins-Smith 008 Education 2011, 2025 Evermann 121 Fine Arts 215 Forest 243 Foster-Martin 010 Geology 226 Gresham 102A Information Commons 103, 106, 107, 109, 114, 115 (multimedia) Library 402, 503 Lindley Hall 023, 025, 026 McNutt 001B Music 160, 360 Read 4001 SPEA 150, 151 Student Building 221 Swain East 045 Wright 003 Wylie 125 |
Ballantine Hall 115
Education 2011 Fine Arts 137, 215 HPER 155 Information Commons 101, 111, 115, 201 Jordan Hall 224 Lindley Hall 026, 030 Music Library 360, 373 Psychology 120 Student Building 222 Radio/TV 250 |
| DVD+R DL | Not available | Ballantine Hall 115
Education 2011 Fine Arts 137, 215 HPER 155 Information Commons 101, 111, 115, 201 Jordan Hall 224 Lindley Hall 026, 030 Music Library 360, 373 Psychology 120 Student Building 222 Radio/TV 250 |
| DVD-R DL | Not Available | Ballantine Hall 115
Education 2011 Psychology 120 Jordan Hall 224 Information Commons 101, 111, 118, 201 |
During regular business hours, the Teaching & Learning Technologies Centers (TLTC) in Ballantine Hall 307 and Library 305 also have removable media equipment available for faculty use (appointment only; call 812-855-7829). For more about TLTC services, equipment, and hours, see the TLTC web page.
For more about the UITS Student Technology Centers, including site locations, hours, printing practices, and available software and hardware, see:
