When we open an xml file from (or save to) a USB Flash Memory key (using SplitSecond), the file is not copied into My Documents – Split Second – Alpine and Snowboard directory (like it automatically does when using a floppy disk). I have been using Explore to transfer files. Does anyone know if there is a preference change that can be made in SplitSecond to use the USB Key like a floppy disk? Thanks.

Geoff would have to confirm but I have never seen such an option. I would guess that you will have to manually copy from the USB (like you are doing) or open and then save as and open again to be working from the fixed hard drive. Because of this and other reasons RA's I work with will use floppy's instead of sticks. Forget the USB stick and get yourself onto a wireless network and share the data! With Real Time results getting connected is getting more and more popular. Even if you are not on the same network you can still email the race/results file. If not... stick with the floppy's. External drives are $40 from online vendors.

I ran into this last year and talked to Geoff about it over the summer. The problem lies in the fact that depending on your computer, the flash drive will get assigned the next available letter drive. It could be E, or F, or even G. An onboard floppy is always A. It is easy to build the autosave feature into software when the source file is always in the save drive - A. Not so easy when the drive is variable. This issue is going to come up more often. It is almost impossible to find a laptop with a floppy drive anymore. Just as Serial Ports have become extinct, so have Floppies. A wireless network is not a workable solution for many timing situations. At least in Ski Racing where the timing shack could be just about anywhere. It takes a bit of figuring out, but the proceedure you mentioned is the correct one when using flash drives. (At least I haven't found another solution) Our RA's computers are all sans floppy and I have to do this for every race. I have learned to double check the file in Explorer before leaving the race computers because I have missed a couple of times in the past.

Just go to Amazon.com, grab a usb external floppy drive, and the problem is solved. As an RA without a floppy, I ran into waaaayyyy too many problems with incompatible USB drives/OS's and gave it up. Besides, the new external floppies with the USB 2.0 are so fast writing to the disk, that SST doesn't even have time to open the "Finished" window.