If you are in a place where counterfeit electronics are common, buy your USB
stick from an international supermarket chain, which should have a more
reliable supply chain.

USB 3.0 can be up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0. USB 2.0 has a maximum read
speed of around 50 MB/s on USB sticks, while USB 3.0 has a maximum read speed
of around 500 MB/s.

Most quality USB sticks nowadays have read speeds of at least 100 MB/s and
are faster when used on USB 3.0 ports. Some USB sticks advertised for USB 3.0
have even greater speeds.

You can test the write speed of your different USB sticks by comparing the
time it takes to [[clone Tails|install/clone/pc]], for example.

If you want to store personal files and configuration in an encrypted [[Persistent Storage|doc/persistent_storage]], we recommend that you buy 2 USB sticks, ideally 3:

1 USB stick to be your **primary Tails**.

1 USB stick of the same size to be your **backup Tails**, if you use the Persistent Storage.

We recommend that you [[create a backup Tails|doc/persistent_storage/backup]]
by cloning your primary Tails, including its Persistent Storage.

1 USB stick to do [[manual upgrades|doc/upgrade]] on a few occasions when automatic upgrades are not available.

This USB stick can be of a smaller size and worse quality.

See [[configuring a Tor bridge|tor#bridge]] below.

When *Tor Connection* fails to connect to Tor using public relays and default bridges, select **Configure a Tor Bridge** from the error screen.

[[!img bridge.png class="screenshot" alt="Tor Connection: Configure a Tor bridge"]]

The standard shutdown procedure is slower, but prevents damage to your Persistent Storage and data loss.

Select **Power Off**.

A **Power Off** confirmation dialog appears.

If an application needs to be closed or an open document needs to be saved
before shutting down, the dialog includes some details.

Select the **Power Off** button to confirm.

Even without confirming or saving the open documents, Tails will shut down
after 60 seconds.

<h2 id="emergency">Emergency shutdown</h2>