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What's on Your USB Pen Drive?

Posted by Cliff on from the taking-it-with-you dept.

gmhowell asks: "With the popularity of USB pen drives, I've thought it time to join the crowd and get one. But I'm curious as to what is so important that you should always have a copy. Clearly PuTTY or your favorite SSH client is important. Perhaps with some keys. But what else? A copy of your browser cookies? MP3s? Pictures? What other software is smart enough to run from a portable medium without need for an installation? (Yup, MAME and z26 seem like likely candidates)."

5 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Password Safe by acousticiris · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I used to use Password Safe at work so that I could have randomized passwords and a system to retrieve them from, but it was very inconvenient because I wouldn't have the changes I made at home.
    I now store my password safe database on my pen drive and just plug it into a USB slot when I need it--since I'm one of those geeks with a keychain equivalent to George's Wallet (Seinfeld)--it's always with me wherever I am.
    I also store various utilities that I use from day-to-day, and made it bootable so that I can boot from it on ailing workstations when I need to.

    --
    "God is dead!" - Nietzsche
    "Nietzsche is dead!" - God
  2. quicken backup, etc... by Dukebytes · · Score: 4, Informative
    I backup quicken on it because it is a LOT quicker than floppy. And of course its great for transfer of personal files, email, avi, mp3 etc... between work/home/friends.

    I love it - I bought a 128MB and it is just about perfect. I carry it around like a pocket knife :)

    I got my dad to buy one to backup his files while hes on the road. And I just had to have one after setting his up for him and such. If you DONT have one - go get one, really...

    Duke

    --

    FreeBSD: Nothing runs like a daemon with a pitch fork.
  3. Re:what I'd do by zulux · · Score: 4, Funny

    Please. Try _bookmarks_. Definitely.

    [MODE=MSFT]

    For my portable eXPerience, I like to keep My Favorites in My USB Drive. This gives me access to My Websites, at any of My Computers. When I plug in My USB Drive - it even shows up as an icon in Microsoft Windows Explorer - Built with Spyglass Technology in under a second.

    It's truly My Favorite. Even My Dog agrees with me, because I won't feed him if he doesen't.

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  4. Nothing! It's just a geek toy by AdamBa · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I got my stylin' Thumbdrive Touch (with 21st-century-compliant biometric touchpad) just to look bitchin' on my keychain. I didn't store anything on it, what kind of propellor-head would actually do that?

    Of course then the cover (the plastic part with the hole that you use to put it on a keyring, which probably costs about 40 cents wholesale) broke and now I can't even find the damn thing.

    - adam

  5. PLEASE remember... by mcgroarty · · Score: 5, Insightful
    If you're walking around with ssh keys on your keychain, please remember to use strong password encryption on the key. The person who finds your keyfob may not be a stranger to your net habits.

    If you've got a key you tend to use from only one place (i.e. work->home), consider prefixing the authorized_hosts line with a from="some.hostname.com" as well. This will prevent the key being used from a different IP by someone who "borrows" your keychain.