USB Drive

December 24, 2004 1:28 AM

So I just got a 512MB USB key drive as an early christmas present, and I'm looking for interesting things to put on it (other than, you know, files). I know about Portable Firefox and Portable Thunderbird, but is there anything else I should check out?
posted by kaefer to technology (11 answers total)

Poke around at TinyApps and look for files marked with a green cloverleaf icon. Those are programs that require no installation, don't write to the registry, and don't write or modify files ourside of their own directory.
posted by nikzhowz at 2:49 AM on December 24, 2004

Why not go all out and put a bootable operating system on it? You can install a full-featured Linux OS with about 200 megs... such as SLAX. Ars Technica can tell you how... also DamnSmallLinux only takes up 50 Mb but still has basic functionality :)
posted by adzm at 3:06 AM on December 24, 2004

A mere 4 days ago ...

Not that I blame you for asking. Just got one today and am enjoying the heck out of it. Wondering how I got by without it.
posted by RavinDave at 4:07 AM on December 24, 2004

I also just got a 512 meg key drive. Here's my dumb question -- If I install linux on it, can I still use it to transfer files using windows... or does linux end up gobbling up the whole thing? It seems kinda crazy to partition a usb drive like that...
posted by ph00dz at 6:30 AM on December 24, 2004

I don't know whether you're into fun, but if so, N is a great little game. It's what you'd get if Lode Runner were done in flash, starred a ninja, and had an interesting physics engine.

No install needed, if I remember right, so it's super portable.

Also, my friends always crack up when I show them the Dismount games. Everyone wants a turn throwing the guy down the stairs or slamming him into the wall. This is assuming you like your friends.
posted by Luther Blissett at 8:09 AM on December 24, 2004

In response to ph00dz, it really depends... Windows will not recognize ext2 (linux's default file system), yet linux can recognize all Microsoft's file systems. So, there are flavours of Linux that will run on a Microsoft supported file system, like FAT32 or NTFS, and these will be writable through windows. However, vice versa will not work without special software for reading ext2 file systems.
posted by adzm at 9:02 AM on December 24, 2004

Engadget asked the same question to its readers, some weeks ago. Some good suggestions there.
posted by seawallrunner at 10:22 AM on December 24, 2004

Crap. I was going to suggest Tiny Apps also, but it seems some has beaten me to the punch.

It really depends on what you're going to be doing with it. Multipurpose general kind of thing? Or tech centric?
posted by jackofsaxons at 10:31 AM on December 24, 2004

Since TinyApps looks like a useful set of utils, I'm just going to hijack this thread and ask:

Does anyone know of a Windows utility that can cancel out the mouse-grabbing tendancies of a game? I've got a game I play that locks the cursor to the primary screen, but I'll like to move the mouse off the left onto a second screen to reference material while I'm playing.
posted by krisjohn at 5:12 PM on December 24, 2004

I have a VNC client on mine so I can connect to my desktop from anywhere if need be. I run TightVNC. If you're security conscious you can look up how to run VNC through an encrypted ssh tunnel.

Check out this fatwallet thread to see what others are doing with theirs.
posted by skallas at 7:50 PM on December 24, 2004

It's very likely a useless thing to do, but I scanned every piece of ID that I own, and stuck them on my thumbdrive that I keep in my wallet. Yes, wallet - hence why it'd be useless. the passport could conceivably be useful, though. Oh yeah, it's 43mmx12mmx2mm)

I also keep a winzip and a pdf password cracker as well as a copy of winzip, winrar, acrobat (reader), and last but definitely not least - the PCGamer copy of Xcom: UFO Defense (aka UFO: Enemy Unknown) with xcomutil so it'll run under XP.

I also have a couple of nifty pictures that I can "accidentally" brighten up my day when I'm using the drive (usually to transfer data from one computer for analysis on another).
posted by PurplePorpoise at 8:36 PM on December 25, 2004