flash drive must haves?

[RoscoPColtrane]

Going to be purchasing a 4 gig corsair flash drive as soon as i can remember my log in to newegg!

i'm a network tech and was wondering what all utiliteis people put on their drives to help out? can you just install most programs to them? Im thinking about putty and whatnot like that.

Thanks

also what else do you recommend for it? doesn't have to be techy related as i will have pretty good space on here! anything cool?

thanks again!

[YeOldeStonecat]

I carry most of the things I'll use when troubleshooting/repairing someones PC..when it comes to viruses/worms/malware. Actual programs I"ll use for network tech...I have installed on my laptop itself...such as Putty, port scanners, Wireshark (formerly Ethereal), network discovery programs like Dude.

But PC troubleshooting utilities...often a hosed PC cannot connect to the internet..or has a hard time doing it. So having these removal tools handy on a USB drive..just plug it in..and install away.

TCP/Winsock repair utility
http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/WinSoc ... xpfix.html

CCleaner
http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/CCleaner/ccleaner.html

Superantispyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/

Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Spybot ... pybot.html

Sysinternals suite

Several freebie antivirus programs such as Kapersky AVS, Avira, AVG, AVG AS.

Also programs I install when deploying new rigs....such as the latest Java, Quicktime, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Macromedia stuff

Latest firmware and VPN clients for most of the routers that I use for clients.

Some utilities such as Eusing Registry Cleaner, Dial-A-Fix, UltraVNC,

[RoscoPColtrane]

thanks man! That should keep me busy for a while.

[RoscoPColtrane]

oh yeah, the drive i wanted is sold out, either gonna have to wait or just get the 2 gigger. Don't know if i need a full 4 gig or not...

[mnosteele52]

Go for the 4GB, believe me, you will need it, you will fill it up fast. I have a LONG list of software I keep on my 4GB, all the stuff I use all the time. Here's what I have:

Active Virus Shield
Ad Aware
Adobe Acrobat 8
Analog X Tools
Angry IP Scan
Autopatcher Vista
Autopatcher XP
AVG Antispyware
CableNut
CD BurnerXP Pro 3
Cobian Backup 8
Comodo Firewall
CPUZ
CrapCleaner
Driver Cleaner Pro
Drivers - Long list of most used one's
DVD Fab Platinum
Emule
Erunt
Everest
Firmware - most popular router firmwares
Firefox - with a lot extensions
HijackThis
HotSpot Shield
IE Fixes - tools to repair IE
IE Pro
IE Spyad
Itunes
Izarc Zip
Java Sun
Jv16 Powertools
KAV 6
KIS 6
KAV 6 Updates (you can install them from here)
Kazaa Lite Resurrection
K-lite mega codec pack
Limewire
McAfee Removal tools - to remove McAfee products
Open office
Opera
Perfect Disk 8
Picasa
Power DVD
Slysoft CD/DVD Burning Programs
SpamBayes
SpyBot
SpySweeper
SpywareBlaster
Superantispyware
Symantec Removal Tools - to remove Symantec products
Sysinternals Programs
Trillian
TuneUp Utilities 2007
Tweak VI Basic - Vista tweaker
UltraVNC
Unlocker
Winamp
XP Antispy
X Setup
Your Uninstaller

That's my list, long. but a lot of good software I use on a daily basis.

[RoscoPColtrane]

which drive do you have? I was aiming for the corsair one (it has good reviews) and i know they make quality stuff. Some reviewers were even claiming they washed it with their clothes and it still works after it dried!

however it is out of stock through newegg and i don't want to wait too long. Are all drives created equal or should i hold of for a 'quality' one?

Thanks

[YARDofSTUF]

Wow mnosteele long list!

Acrobat reader 8 - Foxit reader, smaller size, faster opening

Emule - EMULE no wonder you need so much spyware scanners LOL

Limewire - repeat emule message LOL

Thats a crazy list.

[YeOldeStonecat]

which drive do you have?

I have a bunch of Crucial Gizmo drives..we order lots of RAM through them...every now and then they have crazy deals where their Gizmo drives are dirt cheap with some RAM installs. I haven't had one die on me yet either..and they're always getting tossed around the floor of my Jeep, banged up in the bottom of my laptop case, dropped, stepped on, caps hardly ever on them, etc.

[mnosteele52]

Emule and Limewire don't have any spyware and a lot of clients have kids who are going to use P2P no matter what you do, so i figure I might as well install the one's with no spyware.

My latest jump drive is a micro cruzer, I removed the software that came with it so it's just a blank drive.

[YARDofSTUF]

oh ya cuz the emule and limewire networks are great. lol


I actually think torrents seem to be better at this.

[Andrzej]

my 2 c
IMVHO the both above lists are exelent.
OTOH see below
|...
| PortableApps Suite™ is a collection of portable apps including
| a web browser, email client, office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client,
| antivirus, sudoku game, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably.
| Just drop it on your portable device and you're ready to go.
| http://portableapps.com/suite
| ...

BTW agree Foxit prg is much beter

also :
Autoruns
dirList.bat
edoxor
JDirPrinter
metapad
metapath
Passpack
shutdown
TCPOptymizer
usb_format

[holokaustos]

| PortableApps Suite™ is a collection of portable apps including
| a web browser, email client, office suite, calendar/scheduler, instant messaging client,
| antivirus, sudoku game, backup utility and integrated menu, all preconfigured to work portably.
| Just drop it on your portable device and you're ready to go.
| http://portableapps.com/suite

Excellent link! Thanks for the tip.

I just got a 1GB Sandisk Micro Cruzer and I'm already wishing I had gone for the 4GB...

[agustintorre]

Sorry to interrupt but, I'm gonna purchase my own flash drive 2 and was wondering what you guys think about this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820233027

Thanks and sorry again!!

[RoscoPColtrane]

thats the one i was going for, however if you notice its out of stock....


Think im just gonna go with the 2 giger!

[agustintorre]

thats the one i was going for, however if you notice its out of stock....


Think im just gonna go with the 2 giger!

o lol, I tink im just oder it and wait 4 it.
Cant take so long cant it?

[RoscoPColtrane]

o lol, I tink im just oder it and wait 4 it.
Cant take so long cant it?

heads up, they are availible now! bad news is i found another drive that is getting better reviews and is faster. Its the OCZ rally2, gonna go with it whenever its availble...

[YARDofSTUF]

Lets see, stuff I have on my Flash drive:

BIOS tools - cmos viewer, winBIOS, DMI system bios info

Certification test related amterial

Random drivers

Adaware
ccleaner
hijackthis
pestpatrol
spybot
spywareblaster
windows defender
system internals suite

PuTTy programs
Netstumbler
UltraVNC
TCP Optimizer
Linksys firmware and tftp flash tool

A63 tweaker
AMD Optimizer
Bootvis
CD check
CPU-Z
DCOMbobulator
HDTach
Memtest(the windows app)
moveonboot
regscrubXP
Sisoft Sandra
Startup list
Super Pi
Systool
URLcalc
UXTheme multi patcher, 32bit and 64bit
Win Audit

Unknow Devices finder(simple and good for older stuff)
WinRar

XP cmd files - imagecfg, MSD, oformat, sysprep

XP Themes

XP Power toys

XP updates - SP2, aec.sys patch, loopback patch, autorun autofix

bootable floppy image
Endian firewall image
CD BurnerXP
DosBox
Foxit Reader
Gaim
makebootdisk
UBCD win ver, dos ver
Folding app
Open Office

Probably add some from what I've seen here.

[jeremyboycool]

http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

I have found this useful on my flashdrive and fun.

[RoscoPColtrane]

thought id give everyone an update, i finally picked a drive out and recieved it via newegg. Its the OCZ Rally 2 w/ 2 Gigs storage (faster than the 4 gigger!) They claim this is the fastest drive on the market and i think they are right. ive used alot before and this thing tears the others apart! i was transfering some files (350 meggers) and i swear it was danged near as fast as going HDD to HDD on my computer! granted my HDD's aren't that great but it still is nice to see a drive working this fast.

Going to benchmark it sometime and give you full results!

Highly recommend this drive, its tiny and would be easy to fit multiple drives on one system at once. Like i said its fast as heck. PLUS its a lifetime warantee! love seeing that on equipment!

[CableDude]

How much $?

[YARDofSTUF]

I've heard of bad reviews with teh OCZ drives getting data corruption issues.

heres some overkill: http://www.everythingusb.com/corsair_fl ... 12178.html


I think the corsair voyager GT ones are the fastest.

[RoscoPColtrane]

I've heard of bad reviews with teh OCZ drives getting data corruption issues.

heres some overkill: http://www.everythingusb.com/corsair_fl ... 12178.html


I think the corsair voyager GT ones are the fastest.

i was reading that the bigger OCZ were getting corrupt data, the ones over 4 gig seemed to be the problem ones from what i read.

I paid 29.99 for mine and it had an 8 dollar rebate (main in...yick!) they are now 23.99?!

[RoscoPColtrane]

any encryption solutions out there? I would like to lock out my drive in case i misplace it or something. Would be nice to have on the fly encryption where i enter a password once and it unlocks the whole drive.....any ideas?

If worse came to worse i guessi could just have a folder to encrypt only my sensitive files.

Oh yeah one thing i noticed, my drive will only format to fat or fat32, no ntfs.....

first downside so far...

[YeOldeStonecat]

any encryption solutions out there?

The higher end USB drives will come with the drive...often having something in the name of the drive that relates to "secure"..the cheapo models don't. You can find some free encryption software out there at places like Snapfiles and Sourceforge...Source had one called TrueEncrpt or TrueCrypt

[RoscoPColtrane]

will look into those, been finding all kinds of them out there just wanted to see if anyone had any personal experience with one!

Thanks agina

[mnosteele52]

Personally I don't like the software that comes installed on the drives, I remove it and use it as a basic USB drive, much easier that way. Besides, I don't keep any personal information on it.

[loop2kil]

Well whatever you do, don't ever get the one from Buy.com that's Free after rebate...it died-ed.

Stuff i use:
aida32
cpuz
driver cleaner
ghost
hijackthis
pagedfrg
powerdefragmenter
Real VNC
regscrubxp
rockxp
winrar
winsock fix
aolcleaner
adaware
spybot
comodo firewall
iview
msconfig.exe for those win2k machines
nod32 trial
outlookbackup
quicktiealt
regdefrag
windows defender
IE 7
wmp11
firefox
UBCD
EvID4226Patch - to add more concurrent connections to Winxp
visual route
ccleaner
open office
F@H client to infect them all with my seed.
driver_wizard - great for finding drivers of unknown devices
usually latest nvidia, ati drivers