A Note Of Caution: Sorry, You Can't Plug That in Here
As usage of portable USB drives rises, so does caution about their use. Many workplaces and public-access computers no longer allow USB devices to be connected as a security measure, or only allow read-only access (and don't allow non-approved applications to run). It can be frustrating, especially if the data you brought with you is encrypted and you need to run an application to get access to it.
As a general rule of thumb, if you don't think you can log into a given system as an administrator, chances are you won't be able to do the vast majority of things you might expect to do with applications or data on a USB drive. Be prepared to fall back to a data-only or read-only setup if you think you're going to be going back and forth between home and other machines that are heavily locked down.
Be Productive -- Without Installing Anything
Most of us are accustomed to the idea that a productivity application -- a program on the order of Word or Outlook in terms of size and complexity -- has to be installed on a PC to be usable. It isn't something you can take with you.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, many common free/open-source productivity applications are available in portable versions. They can be run directly from a USB drive -- with both the application and user data stored on the drive -- and will never need to be installed anywhere to work properly.
  The PortableApps Suite is an all-in-one starter kit of applications that fit on a USB drive. (Click image to enlarge.) |
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