Most people have stopped using USB drives for data storage, opting instead for cloud services like Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive. Still, these devices make a handy backup for situations like public presentations where you cannot access your cloud drive from someone else’s computer. If your USB flash drive is a U3 smart drive, you can choose from thousands of U3 smart applications to install and run from the U3 Launchpad. Many U3 drives ship with portable apps like Firefox, RoboForm2Go, Evernote, and McAfee Antivirus. The free, open-source PortableApps suite includes an integrated menu and backup utility as well as a Firefox browser, Thunderbird email client, Sunbird calendar/task, Pidgin instant messaging, Sumatra PDF reader, KeePass password manager, OpenOffice, CoolPlayer+ audio player, and some games. Download portable apps directly from the software providers’ websites or from directories like USB Pen Drive Apps. Your USB flash drive repair kit should include utilities like the these:
CCleaner: Windows optimization and privacy tool. AppCrashView: Display details of crashed applications so you can troubleshoot them. AVG Rescue CD for USB Sticks: Portable antivirus, antispyware, and system recovery. WirelessNetView: Monitor and detect wireless networks around you.
The amount of space Microsoft recommends setting aside for ReadyBoost is one to three times the amount of memory on the computer. So if you have 1 GB of RAM on your computer, use 1 GB to 3 GB on the flash drive for ReadyBoost.
