Maximizing USB Flash Drive

USB flash drives are typically used to store data. However, there are other things you can do with this pocket-sized drives. Here are things you can do with a USB flash drive, in addition to storing data.

Run The Portable Application

In addition to storing data, you can run the portable application from USB flash drives. OpenOffice, which is a complete office suite includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and databases, available as portable applications. Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are also available as portable applications. When you combine the office suite with the ability to surf the web and check e-mail, you've brought the most important applications wherever you go, right in your pocket.
If that's not enough, you can install other applications on a USB flash drive from PortableApps.com. You can even install the entire suite of applications that are already packed, including audio players, games, antivirus utilities, and a practical menu system.


Booting the Operating System

If you want to do more than just run the application, you may want to try to boot the operating system from a USB Flash Drive. You can boot Windows or Linux from a USB flash drive, but the process is not an exact science, and you might be experiencing technical adventure. Fortunately, there are some guidelines you can follow.

Go to Wireless network

If you have a wireless network, you can use Windows Connect Now (WCS) in Windows 7/Vista to save the wireless network configuration into a USB flash drive. You can then use the drive for connecting other computers or devices that are compatible with WCN (such as routers or printers) to your wireless network. To learn more about the features of Windows Connect Now, see Help and Support, which can be accessed from the Start menu.