Answer my dumb USB question (please)

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

So, I just bought a 320 Gb LaCie external drive, and included in the box was--I kid you not--a one foot USB cord! As the distance between my desktop where I will place the drive and the back of my computer exceeds one foot, the cord is useless (although not as useless as the induhvidual who decided to provide such a cord with the drive!) 

I have a USB cord with the same connectors at either end left over from my old Zip Drive. Can I use it? The Zip Drive was USB powered, the new hard drive is not. Does it make any difference? Are all USB cords the same (assuming they have the same connectors/plugs at the ends)??

[longears]

Yep.

[Mozart]

Hahah  You got a footlong. yeah its just a usb cable, only god knows why they dont make digital cameras all use the same thing.

[BachQ]

So, I just bought a 320 Gb LaCie external drive, and included in the box was--I kid you not--a one foot USB cord!

Class action lawsuit .........

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Actually the USB that came with the LaCie has a little plastic cylindrical thingy (about an inch long) covering the cord near the end that plugs into the drive. What is that? Does this make any difference?

[Mozart]

I think its a firewire cable. My external has the option of using firewire of usb.

[DavidW]

I think its a firewire cable. My external has the option of using firewire of usb.

A firewire is not cylindrical though.  It's shaped almost rectangular, but then one of the short sides juts out into a trapezoid.  If you're not looking at the connector, it would appear to be simply rectangular.

It's probably just for a dc power supply.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

It's not firewire.

[mahlertitan]

how much is it?

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

You mean how much was the drive? It was about $170 CAN.

[SonicMan46]

I have a USB cord with the same connectors at either end left over from my old Zip Drive. Can I use it? .....

Remember there are two USB standards, USB 1.1 (older w/ max speed of 12 Mbp/s) vs. USB 2.0 (480 Mbp/s) - the connectors are identical & both can deliver 'power' if needed; however, you need to check to see if the old Zip drive cable was made for an USB 1.1 drive or the newer standard, i.e. the cables might be an issue - if the older Zip drive supported the USB 2.0 standard, then you should be fine!    P.S. Check HERE for USB details.