Everyone now has a personal USB stick and, even those who never use it, will surely find some old ones at home, bought and then left in the drawers. The classic USB stick, the one where you save documents and personal files to make them portable, is certainly less used today than in the past: a bit because even a mobile phone can now be used as a USB stick, but above all because today thanks to the cloud it is more necessary to use physical media to move data from one computer to another.
All Cloud storage services allow you to use files stored online from any computer, tablet or smartphone.
What can we do then with the old USB stick ">
To go into detail about what is suggested in the video we see that among the most creative ways to use a USB stick, old or new, there are:
1) Run portable programs by creating a collection of favorite software to always keep at hand any computer you use.
In this regard, you can consult the list of the best portable programs for USB flash drives or download the all-inclusive package of Portable Apps which also provides a practical launcher organized in categories.
I remember that programs are called "portable" or portable when they do not require installation and are made only by an executable that can be launched on a computer without leaving a trace.
This means that it is possible to use a friend's pc with their programs stored on the USB stick, without installing anything on the computer.
2) Create an emergency Flash Drive with which to start the computer in case the PC does not start anymore or if viruses and malware make it unusable.
In an emergency, you can boot your USB stick computer and load an alternative operating system that contains recovery, repair and backup tools.
In this regard, we recall, among the many possibilities already seen:
- Create a Linux Live USB stick to use on any computer
- Microsoft Boot CD or USB recovery after a virus on Windows
- Antivirus scan on computer startup with Rescue Disks on USB stick
- Emergency boot CD.
3) Turn the USB flash drive into a laptop ignition key .
We have already talked about this original and creative use in the past when we introduced the free Predator program that allows you to lock your computer if the owner's USB pen is not inserted.
4) A very useful way to take advantage of your USB stick that has not been used for some time is to improve Windows performance .
In Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 there is a feature called Readyboost to make Windows run faster with a USB stick or SD card
5) Work on the development of a website using a program like Server2Go that allows you to manage complete sites from any computer .
This is obviously a program for professional webmasters.
