Posts Tagged → usb
Portable Apps
I do love the fact that I can use of many of my favourite apps from a USB memory stick (such as Audacity, Firefox, Filezilla etc). Portable versions of many popular open source and freeware apps are available for download at portableapps.com.
All this can happen without installing anything on the local (windows) PC. In fact, usually no trace is left at all. This is especially useful for IT professionals who find themselves using/troubleshooting a variety of PCs during the working day.
My tip for this is to make sure that you use a fast enough USB device. I frequently find myself waiting (too long) on Portable Firefox starting up from a slow USB memory stick. I find that I get very good performance from apps installed on my ipod. And when you’ve got an 80gb Classic, there’s always space to spare… and it saves you carrying around more than one device… ok, so you need a cable – I nearly forgot about that small (but vital) detail.
Boot multiple linux distros from USB stick
One of my most used tools is a live Linux distribution booted from a USB drive. I’ve been a fan of pendrivelinux.com for a while which gives tutorials for getting various distributions up and running on a USB drive.
Amongst other things, running a live pen drive installation allows me to run various diagnostic and recovery tools on a PC (which may be unable to boot into Windows). Also, using a USB stick means that you can update the distribution without wasting a CD-R (although many old machines can’t boot directly from a USB device).
This latest article caught my eye, as it’s a way to install multiple distributions on the one (large) USB stick. Admittedly, I haven’t had a chance to road test it yet but it looks very promising.
Boot Multiple ISO from USB (MultiBoot USB) | USB Pen Drive Linux