Run Anything From A USB STICK
USB sticks are cheap and convenient. Keep one in your pocket, and you can carry your files, photos, and favourite music, to access on any machine. But if that’s all you’re doing with it, you’re missing out. They can also be used to run programs that don’t need to be installed on a hard drive or SSD. Known as portable software, these programs cover a wide range of tasks, from getting you online to fixing a broken computer.
In this feature, we’ll highlight the best portable software, help you put together an essential PC repair kit, and show you the benefits of running a browser from a stick. We’ll even explain how you can set up a portable operating system – including Windows, Linux and Chrome OS – so that whichever computer you’re using, it will work just the way you like it.
You don’t need a large stick to get started. In most cases, 8GB will be sufficient, but prices are now so low that, if you’re buying new, we’d recommend something larger. At the time of writing, you can pick up a 32GB SanDisk stick for just £6.79 (www.snipca.com/41614).
When installing an operating system on a USB stick, you need to unpack it and make the stick bootable at the same time. We’ll be using free software Rufus to do this for each system, so before going any further visit www.snipca.com/41508 scroll to the Downloads section, and click the link for the most recent version (3.18 at the time of writing).
Save the file to your Downloads folder. Click ‘Yes’ each time you launch it to tell Windows you’re happy for it to make changes to your computer. It will also warn you that the data on your USB stick will be destroyed, so make sure you’ve backed up anything you need to keep.
RUN WINDOWS 10 & 11 FROM A USB STICK
What you need: 8GB stick; Microsoft account
Why you should run Windows from a USB stick
Installing Windows on a USB stick lets you set it up just how you want it, then access it on any computer, wherever you are. By installing your preferred programs on the same stick – alongside your files – you’ll always be able to access your data and settings, whatever format you’re using. You do this using Windows To Go – the portable version of Windows that boots from a USB stick. Although it’s no longer
