Does Transferring files from laptop through USB hub to flash card slow down the process?

Because I am doing a major revamping of all my files among 2 laptops, 1 desktop, 1 server drive and a PDA, I am transferring a large number of files.

I have a Rosewell USB hub and I have been plugging the PDA into the hub and the hub into the USB port on the Laptop.

I haven't transferred such a large number of files (the total amount I am doing right now is about 70 files totaling about 300 Mbs to a 1 GB flash card in the PDA) and it is taking really long, like over an hour, maybe closer to 2 hours.

I could have easily plugged the PDA directly in to the laptop. I was not squeezed for USB ports at the moment.

Does the fact that I am transferring everything through a USB hub slow things down?

Also the hub is being powered through a USB connection to the laptop -- but it comes with its own AC adapter if I choose to use that. Would that speed things up?

 

For moving the stuff to the PDA I would avoid a hub, and it might not charge when on a hib.

But for the computers I would use Ethernet.
I move around 50GB regularly between my desktop and laptop.

 

The PDA does charge through the hub so that is not a problem. And the files did transfer -- it finally just finished. But in the future when I have large files to transfer I will be sure to plug whatever I am transferring to into the USB.

My desktop is in my office and I work half the time at home on my main laptop. I don't want to lug it into the office all the time so I rather just put everything on a flash drive and sync. It also makes it easier when i need a document if I am in someone else's office.

SO the ethernet is a great suggestion if I linked up computer to computer but in this case, it is not the optimal thing for me to do.

 

Western Digital passport might be in your near future

 

I just ordered a Kingston 32 GB Flash Drive. I am hoping that will be enough. But I will check into the Passport.

I was interested in the Express Cards.

 

They hub may/may not slow it down.

It depends on the quality of the hub.

I had to get one because those 2.5" drives that require power from usb just dont seem to run so well all the time from usb power on the computer. A powered hub fixed that.

However for some reason my computer loves to say my hub is in usb1.0 mode and not usb2.0 mode and it does slow things down.

I have had other hubs in the past though that did not slow it down at all.

 

Yes, always use a powered hub. Even with desktop machines as a 'host' it pays to get the potential 500ma power drain per port off of the back of the computer power supply.

As for the actual data transfer, is there any chance that you could set up a temp 100 meg network. Alternatively, a $30- usb-pata-sata adapter cable would let you take the hard drives out of the older machines and hook them up as externals on the new machine.

There are way too many ways for a USB connection to downgrade itself to 12 mbps to bother with.