Do not use the pen drive just to store or transfer the data from one PC to other PC, there a lot of things that you can do with the PenDrive then just doing the regular usage; it can protect against viruses, automatically back-up data, launch your favourite programs off any PC without installing them, and even run a full operating system.
Pen Drive PC
Most Linux operating systems, including Ubuntu and Fedora, Ubuntu could run just like it would if you installed it on your hard drive.
The prime advantage is that you get to carry your computer with you in your pocket. Any computer you come across can instantly become your own by just plugging in your pen drive.
Currently, Windows and Mac don’t have support for this, but Microsoft will soon be launching a new version called Windows 8 On The Go.
Portable Programs
Just like portable operating systems, there are many apps that can run directly from your pen drive. There are portable versions of the Firefox and Chrome browsers, the dictionary software Wordweb and even the image editing tool IrfanView. Portable apps also offer the advantage of letting you run your favourite programs off your pen drive when you don’t have administrator privileges on your office PC to install them.
Stay Safe
Safety and privacy is the major concern for everyone. When it comes to the viruses, PneDrive is always an easy and soft target for such viruses as soon as you insert your pen drive into some infected computer, virus from that system infects your device without you knowing it. An antivirus can only help to a certain degree. The smarter option is to make your pen drive read-only so that when you plug it into a system, nothing can be written on it.
To do this, grab USB Write Protector. Once it’s on your drive, run the program and you’ll get an option to switch USB Write Protection on or off. If it’s on, nothing can be written to the pen drive. However, Write Protector doesn’t work instantly; once you switch it on, you’ll have to eject and reconnect your pen drive for it to start.
Password Protect
You can also add an extra layer of security for the data you carrying on your PenDrive by enabling the password to protect. There is a tool that can help you protect you PenDrive in an even better way, the application called Rohos Mini Drive Portable allows you to create a hidden partition within your pen drive, which is both encrypted and locked with a password. But, if you want to password protect the entire drive such that the whole drive is locked down, then a great software to do that is Cryptainer LE.
Automatic Backups
If you keep your documents on a pen drive and work directly on them then you should consider using the app called USB Flash Copy. The app runs directly from the pen drive and lets you choose which folder on your hard drive it should automatically backup files to. Additional options include settings for each file type, as well as whether to overwrite old files or keep copies of them. The cool part is that USB Flash Copy lets you create multiple profiles so that if you use two PCs (such as home and office), you can have different settings for backing up to each of them, ensuring maximum data safety.
