Five Uses For A USB Stick You Didn't Know About

Five Uses For A USB Stick You Didnt Know About
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Five Uses For A USB Stick You Didnt Know About

(http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/five-uses-for-a-usb-stickyou-didnt-know-about/)
September 10, 2012
By Chris Hoffman (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/author/choffman/)
Weve all used USB sticks to transport files between

computers and back up our files (http://www.makeuseof.com
/tag/download-stuff-backup-restore-guide/) , but there are
other cool things you can do with a USB stick. You can
use one to lock and unlock your computer just like in
the movies (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-hilariousvideos-show-tv-movies-failing-understand-technology/) . You
can also use a USB flash drive to quickly connect to a
wireless network on all your PCs, increase your
computers performance, or even run a web server
directly from the USB stick itself.
Windows XP users can also check out Microsofts useful
USB Flash Drive Manager application, although its been
discontinued and does not function on newer versions of Windows.
Lock & Unlock Your Computer

Do you want to lock and unlock your computer with a physical device, like they do in the movies? Use
the free PREDATOR (http://www.predator-usb.com/predator/en/index.php) application, which turns a USB
flash drive into an access control device a key for your computer. When you leave your PC, unplug the
USB stick and your computer will be locked. When you return, plug it back in and your computer will be
unlocked. Its like using the Lock function in Windows, but you dont have to type your password when
you return.
When you unplug your USB flash drive, your open windows will minimize and your screen will go dark
plug it back in and your screen will turn back on.
Quickly Connect To Wireless Networks

Windows includes a feature that can save your current wireless networks name, password, and other
information to a USB stick. You can then use the USB stick to quickly connect to your Wi-Fi network
(http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/wireless-feng-shui-optimize-house-wifi-reception/) on other computers without
typing the password (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-common-tactics-hack-passwords/) over and over again.
In fact, you can even use this USB stick to quickly connect an Xbox 360 (http://www.makeuseof.com
/tags/xbox-360/) to your Wi-Fi network just select the Windows Connect Now option while setting up a
wireless network on your Xbox.
To save your Wi-Fi settings to a USB flash drive, click the wireless icon in your system tray, right-click
your current wireless network, and select Properties.
On the Connection tab, click the Copy this network profile to a USB flash drive link.
Click the Next button and Windows will copy the settings for the configured network to your USB stick.
Connect the USB stick to another computer, and then double-click the setupSNK.exe file on it to install
your network profile on the computer.
Increase Performance With ReadyBoost

If you have a slow hard disk drive in your computer, ReadyBoost (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-tips-tospeed-up-your-windows-vista-pc/) can help speed things up. When you enable ReadyBoost for a drive, it
acts as a hard drive cache, caching frequently used files. If its faster to read from the USB stick instead
of your hard drive, Windows will read files from the cache on your flash drive instead. You wont see
much of a performance boost if you have a 7200+ RPM drive if you have a solid-state drive
(http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/solidstate-drives-work-makeuseof-explains/) , Windows wont let you use
ReadyBoost because the cache will be slower than your SSD.
To enable ReadyBoost, right-click a USB stick in Windows Explorer, select Properties, and use the
options on the ReadyBoost tab. Windows will only let you enable ReadyBoost if your USB stick is fast
enough, so you might see these options grayed out for some devices. ReadyBoost also requires a flash
drive with at least 256 MB of free space.
Install A Portable Web Server

If youre a web developer, you can install Server2Go (http://www.server2go-web.de/) on your flash drive
and turn it into a portable web server. Server2Go includes a complete WAMPP server stack
(http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-set-up-your-own-wampserver/) thats Windows, Apache, MySQL,
PHP, and Perl. You can plug the Flash drive into any Windows computer and quickly launch your web
server no installation required. Having a complete web server package in your pocket can be ideal for
demonstrations at meetings and many other purposes youre only limited by your imagination.
Server2Go is a completely free download.
Use Microsofts USB Flash Drive Manager

If youre still using Windows XP, check out Microsofts USB Flash Drive Manager
(http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20034) application unfortunately, it doesnt work
with Windows Vista, Windows 7 (http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/download-the-ultimate-windows-7-guide) ,
and other newer versions of Windows. (Youll also need this version of the .NET Framework
(http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26) installed to run it.)
USB Flash Drive Manager focuses on managing flash drives you can back up images of flash drives to
your computer, restore them, easily copy files to and from your hard drive, and label your USB stick. It
brings together many common flash drive functions located in Windows (along with some that arent
included elsewhere in Windows, like easy backup and restore) in one window very convenient for
less-experienced users.
You can also install a wide variety of portable applications which you can run off your USB stick
without installing them. Check out our list of the best portable apps (http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/bestportable-apps) to get started!
What are some of the cool things youve done with a flash drive? Leave a comment and let us know!
Image Credit: USB Flash Memory Close-Up via Shutterstock (http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?searchterm=usb+flash&search_group=&lang=en&
search_source=search_form#id=55645711)
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More articles about:
alternative use (http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/alternative-uses/)

usb drives (http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/usb-drives/)
66 Comments (#comments)
Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is a tech blogger and all-around technology addict living in Vancouver, BC. Connect
with him on Google+ (https://plus.google.com/107865379603964146316?rel=author) or Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/chrisbhoffman) . + (https://plus.google.com/107865379603964146316)
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Joel Lee
September 11, 2012
Using a USB like a key to lock/unlock sounds really cool. I think itd quickly lose the sense of
novelty, though. Id give it a shot if I had a spare flash drive.
Reply (http://domain.com/tag/five-uses-for-a-usb-stick-you-didnt-know-about
/?replytocom=1208259#respond)
Lets Explain
September 12, 2012
Chris, your info on readyboost is a little under-researched.

I run 10,000RPM disks in a RAID 0 configuration. My read/write speeds can easily pass
200/120gb/s. To some, this would be considered ridiculous.
Readyboost is still VERY useful even with my less common setup.
Spinning disk drives are still very useful for reading data accessed in sequence.
Solid state drives excel in just about all other ways though.
You should use BOTH whenever possible. OS on SSD, cache (pagefile/swap) on the
HDD. Why? Because it extends the life of your SSD, and improves performance, as long
as you use readyboost.
Yes, you do lessen the flash drives mean-time-to-fail, but a 4gb flash drive is a whole lot
cheaper than a SSD. One which may house your OS and important data.
If youre still reading, good, youre going to learn something.
Readyboost only swaps your small, randomly placed cached files. Which solid state
(flash) memory is much faster at reading than a disk drive.
Your large sequenced data is left for the disk to handle, which it handles well.
Ibrahim Nadir (http://www.facebook.com/insatiable.paths)

September 11, 2012
excellent info man!

Alex Downs
September 11, 2012
Love finding new uses for flashdrives

UbuntuGuy
September 11, 2012
I carry Ubuntu Live on a 8GB USB drive which is on my keychain. I can boot just about any late
model computer and boot into a full Ubuntu OS with all of my settings/programs/documents/etc
already there. Who needs to carry around a laptop when I have one on my keychain. Good tool to
rescuce data from a virus infected Windows pc.
Richard Borkovec (http://www.facebook.com/rborkovec)

September 11, 2012
I love having my Ubuntu live image anywhere I go. It certainly helps too when peoples
computers have gone wonky.
GrrGrrr (http://twitter.com/GrrGrrr)
September 11, 2012
could you please tell how much space is required to have ubantu live?
UbuntuGuy
September 11, 2012
2GB minimum but I would go with at least a 4GB stick

Instructions are here http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-ownUbuntu-LiveUSB/ (http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-your-own-UbuntuLiveUSB/)
Hiren Patel (http://www.facebook.com/aapkadeewana)

September 12, 2012
Me too
I also Have Ubuntu Installed in My 8GB USB Drive.
Sometimes help me When Windows Boot Fail.
Robert Laffey (http://www.facebook.com/doc2k)
September 11, 2012
Some really useful ideas. keep them coming

Roystan Ang (http://www.facebook.com/roystanang)

September 11, 2012
What if you lost your USB drive after your PC is locked?

Jason Reid
September 11, 2012
According the Predators website one can still unlock his or her computer.
FAQ: How to unlock a session using the password ?
Follow these instructions:
Click anywhere on the screen with the left mouse button, then press 3 times the Enter
key, which will bring up a dialog for entering the password, and a countdown.
You have 3 tries and 20 seconds to type the password. After this time, the alarm will be
triggered.
If you have not managed to enter the correct password after 3 attempts, the session will
be locked for 5 minutes and you wont be allowed to retry during this delay.
Note: entering a password, whatever its outcome, is recorded in the log. By reading it,
youll know if someone tried to unlock your computer.
Nabil A Swileh
September 11, 2012
Thanks
Rathish
September 11, 2012
Excellent article ..was,nt aware of any of the 5! Thanks for contributing!

salvador hernandez
September 11, 2012
Great info that may come in handy.

nikhil agarwal
September 11, 2012
One more thing, you can also install Operating System on USB drive (at least linux) and use it on
any computer with your personalized settings
Mark McKenna (http://www.facebook.com/corriglionni)

September 11, 2012
What about some unknown uses for us Mac users? Can you instal MAMP on a flash drive? That
would be handy.
xbalesx (http://twitter.com/xbalesx)
September 11, 2012
Thanks for the infogoing to try out one suggestion on an older laptop of mine. I will report
back here how it helped with the speed. In a week I am converting it over to Linuxhere we go.
Jason Williams (http://www.facebook.com/jason.williams.5243817)

September 11, 2012
very interesting, the Predator lock the pc ideal may be useful in my company.
Michael Jan Moratalla (http://www.facebook.com/adelhied)

September 11, 2012
I really thought that you can use your flash drive as a key, something like to open your pc, now I
have a proof to prove that theory of mine thx for the info!
Ramesh
September 11, 2012
already started with preadator looks cool

Ahmed Khalil (http://www.facebook.com/ahmed.f.khalil.75)

September 11, 2012
Very nice i like it. specially using the USB as a key for the PC but my question what will happen
if the USB damaged for some reason, is their any back door to unlock the PC?
Paul Girardin (http://www.facebook.com/Quantum.Dragon)

September 11, 2012
Thanks for sharing!

Interesting ideas!
Muhammad Hadi Nasir (http://www.facebook.com/adythebass)

September 11, 2012
Just now I know more about Flash Drive.

Juan Carlos Espinosa Agudelo
September 11, 2012
Question:
Is there also software like PREDATOR that allows the usage of a password(maybe even multiple
passwords), in case the USB gets damaged/lost?
GayashanNA (http://twitter.com/GayashanNA)
September 11, 2012
One of the best articles. Thank you for all the new information!
jake
September 11, 2012
I use mine for carrying around setup files like antivirus and anti rootkits, I use them during and
after cleaning up viruses for friends and family. All my recommended apps are in there. I great
use for a USB Stick that I havent done before is for a dead drop.
Usman Mubashir (http://www.facebook.com/Usman.the.Great)

September 11, 2012
now this was awesome

Nabil A Swileh
September 11, 2012
Thanks for the great tips.

I have question about the 1st tip: Lock & Unlock Your Computer,
what if the flash thumb got damaged or corrupted files, how to unlock the windows then?!
Vanja Gorgiev (http://profile.live.com/cid-3c561da6b5e3442e/)

September 11, 2012
so much cool options, i never had an idea that the old usb stick could be so useful
druv vb
September 11, 2012
Nice article. Tried Predator back in 2010, but having to keep it plugged in, while using the PC
was boring for me
My USB flash drive houses the Puppy Linux OS, together with TRK.
I also keep lots of tools and softwares to troubleshoot PCs.
My last thing would be flash drive with a physical lock for write access.
But for now am moving from flash drive to flash cards (in a card reader) that gives me physical
lock for write access. This way I can protect my data from being overwritten by nasty malwares /
viruses.
Igor Rizvi?
September 11, 2012
Iv jsut made this quick wirelless connection to my girlfriend,thanks alot! very usefull
Vipul Jain (http://www.facebook.com/vipul619)
September 11, 2012
that lock thing is new & impressive i must add!

Vampie C.
September 11, 2012
Nice idea to carry a webserver in your pocket.

Thanks
Humza Aamir
Predator seems a very cool thing to have
September 11, 2012
. Though the conventional methods are more
practical.
Noman Fayez (http://www.facebook.com/noman.fayez)

September 11, 2012
3 new uses learn today but one of them going to be obsolute.

James
September 11, 2012
Well, a nearly similar issue i would like to be discussed more here . is how can I make my
mobile phone ( with a memory card) bootable throught USB mode.
Is it possible to load multi-operating system from the bootable mobile phone (through USB mode)
.
Thanks for your answers.
A newsletter on the use of mobile phone as a bootable device would be much appreciated.
kind regards,
James
UbuntuGuy
September 12, 2012
Im assuming its an Android You could install Ubuntu Live on it. But it might not be
useable as storage afterward on the phone itself. When you plug in your phone into your
computer it becomes a regular USB flash drive. Once Ubuntu Live (or your Live distro
of choice) is installed just boot your pc off of your tethered phone.
I was going to try it on my Android one of these days.
Kao Vang
September 11, 2012
The USB lock and unlock is cool. Reminds me of the Bluetooth application that does the same
when you have your phone on you and you get close to your PC.
Henry Ward
September 11, 2012
You wont see much of a performance boost if you have a 7200+ RPM drive
Im confused, does that mean you will only see a performance boost if your drive is slower than
7200 RPM?
Del
September 12, 2012
yes
Gilmertz Gaari (http://www.facebook.com/gilmertz.gaari.5)

September 11, 2012
Sounds very interesting.

Ill try one of these with my spare USB drive
Muhammad Ahmad (http://www.facebook.com/ahmad297)

September 11, 2012
Hi Chris, this is really very informative post. I did not know these things before except ready
boost.
Yash Desai (http://www.facebook.com/pureawesomenezz)

September 11, 2012
Predator looks really cool, but i would probably end up losing the flash drive
sl0j0n
September 11, 2012
Hello.
I used a 16GB PNY flash drive like a hdd.
I put Ubuntu on it, and when I rebooted, I choose the flash drive as the boot drive.
Im trying to learn Linux,
and it runs *way* better on the flash drive than a live CD.
Unfortunately, I tried to wipe it and install another version,
and now I cant get the drive to recover to the point of being able to reinstall
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
UbuntuGuy
September 12, 2012
Plug it into a Windows pc and it will ask you to reformat it.

sl0j0n
September 14, 2012
Yeah, no, that didnt work, either, over and over and over,
over and over and over, again.
In fact, by the time I posted about here,
Id already tried like 8 or 10 different freeware programs to partition and format
it.
I went on to try about that many more.
A *partial* list includes;
Active@ Partition Manager Free Edition.exe,
Aefdisk command-line-tool.exe,
Aomei Partition Assisstant Home Edition.exe,
EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition 9.1.1.exe,
Eassos PartitionGuru Free.exe,
Eassos Partition Recovery Free.exe,
MiniAide Magic Partition Home Edition.exe,
Paragon Partition Manager Demo.msi,
Partition-Magic-8.0.zip [an old 'standby', it wouldn't run under win7],
Partition Wizard Home Edition.exe,
Partition Wizard Home Edition.iso,
Wondershare Disk Manager Free full719.exe.
I also tried the partition and format tools in a few Linux distros,
Mint and Ubuntu spring to mind.
Finally, I solved the problem,
by downloading/burning and using the latest GParted version.
IF you have a similar problem,
do NOT hesitate to try GParted LiveCD 0.13.1.2.
Really, go ahead and dwnld now, and burn it to disk,
so youll have itwhen you need it.
Have a GREAT day, neighbors!
Edward Bellair
September 11, 2012
You tell the spammer Fred! I will be trying a few if not all of these.
ady
September 12, 2012
U can install XP from USB stick instead of a CD drive

J. Benjamin
September 12, 2012
Stay away from the server to go site, I just got hit with malware from there that made it through
both microsofts av and anti-malware programs. Luckily I have a home server that does daily
backups so I wont lose anything important.
AP
September 12, 2012
Really cool tips, but I am looking some suggestions and reviews on on antivirus and internetsecurity for USB sticks .
Totoy Badiola (http://www.facebook.com/adolfo.badiola)

September 12, 2012
You did not mention that the pendrive allows you to boot from any computer in your Linux-based
OS with your own customized settings. This would be most helpful specially when your Windows
OS crashes on you.
prince
September 12, 2012
what if the usb stick is being lost ?

Ray Randall (http://www.facebook.com/ray.randall.56)

September 12, 2012
cool stuff, didnt know about the web server so I will give it a go
Alex Perkins
September 12, 2012
Thanks for the article, I knew you could add the wireless profile to a usb stick but I wasnt sure. I
now dont have to type in the damn passcode every time someone comes over, just wasa, plug,
connect.
Ellen Odza (http://www.facebook.com/crimedoc1) September 12, 2012

Thanks for this. I may dl predator to lock my laptop. If nothing else, Ill feel like an international
spy every time I use it!
Sari Gama
September 12, 2012
This is really cool! I didnt know about any of those ideas!

9/15/2012 1:18 AM

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Five Uses For A USB Stick You Didnt Know About

Home (http://www.makeuseof.com) Cool Windows Apps & Tricks (http://www.makeuseof.com/service

Five Uses For A USB Stick You Didnt Know About

By Chris Hoffman (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/author/choffman/)

Weve all used USB sticks to transport files between

Lock & Unlock Your Computer

Quickly Connect To Wireless Networks

Increase Performance With ReadyBoost

Install A Portable Web Server

Use Microsofts USB Flash Drive Manager

Did you find this useful? Share it with others

alternative use (http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/alternative-uses/)

You may also like:

iTwin Review and

The German Privacy

Encrypt Your USB Stick

3 Awesome Tools To Add

Sync, Backup & Encrypt

September 11, 2012

September 12, 2012

Chris, your info on readyboost is a little under-researched.

Ibrahim Nadir (http://www.facebook.com/insatiable.paths)

excellent info man!

September 11, 2012

Love finding new uses for flashdrives

September 11, 2012

Richard Borkovec (http://www.facebook.com/rborkovec)

September 11, 2012

September 11, 2012

2GB minimum but I would go with at least a 4GB stick

Hiren Patel (http://www.facebook.com/aapkadeewana)

Robert Laffey (http://www.facebook.com/doc2k)

September 11, 2012

Some really useful ideas. keep them coming

Roystan Ang (http://www.facebook.com/roystanang)

What if you lost your USB drive after your PC is locked?

September 11, 2012

September 11, 2012

September 11, 2012

Excellent article ..was,nt aware of any of the 5! Thanks for contributing!

September 11, 2012

Great info that may come in handy.

September 11, 2012

Mark McKenna (http://www.facebook.com/corriglionni)

September 11, 2012

Jason Williams (http://www.facebook.com/jason.williams.5243817)

Michael Jan Moratalla (http://www.facebook.com/adelhied)

September 11, 2012

already started with preadator looks cool

Ahmed Khalil (http://www.facebook.com/ahmed.f.khalil.75)

Paul Girardin (http://www.facebook.com/Quantum.Dragon)

Thanks for sharing!

Muhammad Hadi Nasir (http://www.facebook.com/adythebass)

Just now I know more about Flash Drive.

Juan Carlos Espinosa Agudelo

September 11, 2012

September 11, 2012

September 11, 2012

Usman Mubashir (http://www.facebook.com/Usman.the.Great)

now this was awesome

September 11, 2012

Thanks for the great tips.

Vanja Gorgiev (http://profile.live.com/cid-3c561da6b5e3442e/)