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How to View Blink USB

Published in Blink USB View 3 mins read

Viewing the videos and files stored on your Blink USB drive, particularly backup clips, is a straightforward process involving your computer.

Accessing Your Blink USB Content

To view the video clips and other data backed up by your Blink system onto a USB drive, follow these simple steps:

  1. Safely Eject: Before removing the USB drive from your Blink Sync Module (or wherever it was inserted), always ensure you safely eject it via the Blink app or the device's interface.
  2. Connect to Computer: After safely ejecting the USB drive, insert it into your computer. This can be a desktop or laptop running Windows, macOS, or Linux.
  3. Locate the Folder: Once your computer recognizes the USB drive, open its contents. You will need to locate the blink_backup folder on the USB drive.
  4. Navigate Subfolders: Inside the blink_backup folder, you will find subfolders organized by year and then month. For example, you might see folders like 2023 -> 10 for backups from October 2023.
  5. Play Clips: Within the monthly subfolders, you will find the individual video clips. Double-click any clip in the subfolder to play it using your computer's default video player (like Windows Media Player, QuickTime, VLC Media Player, etc.).

Understanding the File Structure

The files on the USB drive are organized logically to make finding specific clips easier:

  • Root of USB Drive
    • blink_backup (Main backup folder)
      • [Year] (e.g., 2023)
        • [Month] (e.g., 10 for October)
          • [Day] (e.g., 15)
            • Video files (e.g., .mp4 files)

This structure allows you to quickly navigate to backups from a specific date.

Practical Tips for Viewing

  • Ensure your computer has a standard video player installed that can handle common formats like MP4, which is often used for these types of video backups.
  • If a video doesn't play, try opening it with a different media player, such as the free and open-source VLC Media Player, which supports a wide range of formats.
  • You can copy the blink_backup folder or specific year/month folders to your computer's hard drive for easier access and long-term storage.

By following these steps, you can easily access and view the video clips stored on your Blink USB backup drive directly on your computer.

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