Need flash drive for Vista 64 and Linux

I am shopping for a good flash drive. I have looked at quite a bit of drives already and read tons of reviews. I have also visited pendrivereview.com. I am still not sure which one to get. I recently found out that there is quite a speed difference between one to another. My requirements are posted below. Please give me your recommendations for a flash drive that would be great for me. Thanks.

1.) Needs to be very fast(as fast as it can be in this budget category).
2.) Needs to work with Vista Business 64 and with Linux 32 and 64 bit. I have read that some drives are having problems with Vista x64 bit editions and that Microsoft does not have a solution as of yet. I would like something just plug and play with both Vista 64 and Linux 32 and Linux 64.
3.) Needs to be slim. I don't want one of those bulky drives that cover 2 USB ports.
4.) I also prefer a drive that has a smooth metal or plastic casing rather than a rubber one, but this isn't a huge deal.
5.) I would prefer a drive that has a status light on it, so that I know if there is activity.
6.) Drive needs to be reliable. I don't plan on storing files on this drive permanantly or to load Linux on it, but if I put files on it, I don't want them missing or corrupted.
7.) Needs to be inexpensive. I know that they make premium drives like the Voyager GT and such, but I don't want to pay that kind of money. I am looking to spend around $25 for a 4GB one or around $30 for an 8GB one.
8.) I would like to go for a 8GB flash drive or maybe bigger, but I read that the larger the drive the slower it is, especially for a large number of small files. I will mostly be transporting a large number of smaller files, mostly documents and pictures. I don't think I will move many Movies or music. How much faster are the 4GB drives than the 8GB ones, for this purpose? Is it worth going for the 4GB drives just for the speed increase even though it has less storage?


I have searched the forum and read various threads about flash drives. I have looked at the OCZ Rallay2(seems there are a lot of data corruption/missing complaints), Patriot Xporter XT(said to be bulky and patriot has poor CS), Corsair Voyger(Said to be a little slow and the drive is bulky) and others. Not sure which one to get, confused .

 

Try here (8GB for $18 AR):
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=878022

You mentioned it wasn't the greatest drive, but nice price.

 

I have a SanDisk Cruzer Micro 4GB (they make it in up to 16GB) and it is pretty good. Not the strongest flash drive ever, but it works perfectly and is fast. Also was a good price. It has an orange activity LED, and it's very slim. It's smooth plastic. They have a metal version too (Titanium, but more money). The USB plug retracts into the device making it very small. Again, the only fault with it is that it is not as strong/solid feeling as some of the older SanDisk drives I have from years ago.

I have used it with no problems in Vista Ultimate x64, Vista Ultimate x86, Vista Home Premium x86, XP Pro SP2, Windows 2000 Pro, Mac OS X Tiger, Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.2 to 10.5.4, and I see no reason why it would not work in Linux or any other OS for that matter.

 

Here's another:
http://www.buy.com/prod/kingston-8g...flash-drive-8-gb-usb/q/loc/101/205000444.html

 

I bought an A-DATA PD7 for my dad some time ago. Quite a good drive,i would say. Fast and reliable,good built quality and qute cheap as far as I know (at least here i Slovakia)

 

Here you go, 2 Cruzer drives for 20 or less:
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/133...0-Flash-Drive-16--4GB-Cruzer-Titanium-Plus-20

 

Thanks for the recommendations so far. So I will add the SanDisk Cruzer on my list of drives to look at.

What do you think about the speed difference between the 4Gb flash drive and the 8GB flash drives?

What do you think about the OCZ Rallay 2 drives?

 

i just bought this 4GB flash drive from newegg.com for college.

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609011

10$ with free shipping, cant go wrong with that. probably the cheapest 4GB out there. It works great and has given me pretty good transfer speeds. its very thin and has a stylish look to it. on the reviews, some people say the cap falls off a lot but i don't know what they're talking about, my fits very snug. on top of that it arrived in only 2 days.