What to do with old USB sticks

[CDNSushi]

(non sequitur version)

A little while back, I put up a thread suggesting some good photo tools http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-photos-57487/ for anyone who may need some pointers... Well, today, I got inspired to write another little article that was motivated by my own needs. Perhaps someone will find this helpful. Enjoy...

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Over the past few years, with the proliferation of USB stick memory, I seem to have accumulated a tidy pile of them. Thing is, with advances in technology, I rarely use any of them anymore -- there is just no need. Every since I started using Dropbox to sync my files, and Xmarks (no, not THIS Xmarks) to sync my Firefox bookmarks, and a host of online transfer and storage tools, not to mention that I have a netbook AND a notebook AND 2 desktop PCs (among other computers)... I just don't use USB sticks anymore.

So I did a Google search on what the heck I should do with all the sticks I no longer use. The most common suggestions are very much geek-toy-ish and really offer me nothing practical. Eg.

Portable apps? Why? I don't need portable apps on my portable devices... They're already portable. And the places where I use computers that are not my own have disallowed the use of USB sticks almost wholesale. And I generally don't use PCs that aren't my own anyway, except as a last resort. And if that happens, it's a freak accident -- which means I can put up with whatever software/OS are loaded on that computer...

Recovery tools? My systems just don't go down that often to justify it.

Tech/diag tools? I just don't fix my family and friends' computers as much as I used to. Besides -- 1 USB stick aught to do it, and I've got a whole slew of them.

Alternate operating system? Other than having that "Wow! It can actually be done" proof of concept, I have no need for Linux on a stick. Seriously. I got enough headaches keeping my systems running what they have without putting freakin' Linux on a freakin' stick! It's a toy. Plain & simple. I'd play with it for a week and then it'll get shoved back in a drawer again.

There are many other permutations and combinations out there that incorporate the above suggestions, but I really wanted to dig a bit deeper to find some not-so-common (yet useful) ideas on repurposing old USB sticks. I certainly didn't have a whole ton of time to dedicate to this, so if you have any of your own suggestions you'd care to append, by all means -- please do. But in the mean time, here are a few good ones I was able to track down...

1. Speed up Windows Vista or "7". If the USB stick is "ReadyBoost" compatible, when you plug it in, Windows should give you a ReadyBoost tab when Autorun comes up. With this you are turning your USB stick into a fairly fast disk cache that can (allegedly) seriously speed up Windows's performance.

2. Physical security "key." If you have a need for added security for whatever reason, a USB stick can be made into a "key" like for your car, where you must use it in order to power up and use the computer. One (not free) way of doing it is with these guys: http://www.montpellier-informatique..../en/index.php3.

3. Fill it full of music and connect it to your car stereo with a USB-equipped head unit, or a stand-alone MP3 kit (like this one: http://gadgets.softpedia.com/news/Co...o-2803-01.html)

4. USB stick RAID array! What can I say? This is über-geekdom at its best. But I like it! http://cs.joensuu.fi/~mmeri/usbraid/

5. Store PS2 Games on it. I don't own a PS2 (or any console, I must admit) but it seems that if I wanted to have my games library portable (say for going and playing at a friend's house) this looks like a good way to do that. http://www.ehow.com/how_5981231_use-...ps2-games.html

6. Movie Library. I do have a DVD collection, but my Chinese-made DVD player actually has a USB port in the front that allows me to play video files (DiVX-encoded .avi files). I don't know how widespread such players are, but a USB stick might be a very good way to have "movie night" at a friend's house, similar to the PS2 use idea above.

7. Portable photo album. Since computers are so widespread, if your photos aren't already up on the web for friends and family to see, just having a USB stick with a simple, freeware, portable image viewer program, and a library of photos from the last family reunion or holiday to Africa could be pretty handy when visiting friends/family but without having to take the netbook/notebook with you.

8. Password/PIN manager. Ever since I've had a couple of online accounts hacked, I've started using secure passwords... But I also can't remember a dozen or so random sequences (like: F@"}h4?Go9*c#=) Personally, I use Clipperz to manage all of these, with a single, master password. But if you don't want to leave your PIN/password info lying around on your hard drive, (or heaven forbid, a piece of paper) this could get stored, safe and encrypted on a USB stick using a file dump from Clipperz or a program like KeePassX http://www.keepassx.org/.

9. Tag your children. I'm not a parent (yet)... But it seems at least some creative, geeky parents have used USB sticks loaded with vital information about their children (like contact information for the parents) in case they get lost or (heaven forbid) abducted... Good Blog entry about that here: http://www.parentdish.com/2007/03/25...-lost-parents/

10. Donate it to charity. If nothing else, some charities will take old USB sticks and use them for development projects in the Third World, or give them to someone, somewhere, who really CAN use it... Here's one suggestion: http://www.inveneo.org/

Again, if anyone has any other suggestions (that preferably do not involve portable apps or tools, or portable operating systems) please feel free to append them here.
Cheers,

Jim

[ForresterModern]

As I do nearly daily presentations for a variety of diferent groups in a variety of different conference rooms I have two choices about bringing the data or presentation I need to deliver---after developing it I can drag and drop it on what our system terms the k-drive, a public drive generally available to anybody with access to the system; or I can take my presentation on some sort of mobile media, be that a usb drive, burned to a disc, or even my own laptop (which of course then requires connectivity for yet another input source, as I may not be the only one presenting. I keep a small section of my desktop hardware resource bin (used to be called a pencil box or office organizer) with about a dozen different usb drives in one of the sections, waiting for me to grab, download the approtpriate files, then carry them with me to the conference and either play from drive or download to desktop and play from desktop, then destroy the desktop version. The drives are reusable and can be loaned out. I even have a few with standing powerpoint presentations (what we in the medical education business call our "canned lectures") which we can grab at a moments notice and deliver without further preparation.

But you are right, with the exception of huge files, I can usually email stuff to myself as an attachment, then just open it from whatever different computer I wish to deposit it on by opening myemail from there and dragging ang dropping it. I also liberally use portable USB hard drives to store and transport large amounts of files (huge groups of picture files in particular) from one place to another, while also leaving me with a backup copy on the portable hard drive.

I don't think I am ready to shed all my protable USB devices yet, but am indeed finding fewer and fewer reasons to use them on a daily basis.

j

[Dixiecat]

And the places where I use computers that are not my own have disallowed the use of USB sticks almost wholesale

I can't state firmly enough that if you lend out or use other people's USB sticks in your own laptop/desktop/netbook, etc. that you have a robust virus scanner. I came back from Tunis with a particularly rabid keylogger virus that entered my laptop via USB stick. My local facilitator thoughtfully loaded some music onto my work laptop and I ended up infecting a couple of work computers and getting my WOW account hacked.

http://www.microsoft.com/security_es...aspx?mkt=en-us

Free and surprisingly good is Microsoft's Security Essentials. Check out the link.



Another use for USB sticks that I just saw last night at Canadian Tire, is a cat/dog collar that had a small stick embedded. A very cheap alternative to microchipping your pet!

[Kilt_Em_All]

4. USB stick RAID array! What can I say? This is über-geekdom at its best. But I like it! http://cs.joensuu.fi/~mmeri/usbraid/

I had to laugh when I saw this. Then again, it sounds like exactly the type of useless thing I would put together just because I can.

-Elliott

[Foosinho]

I've been doing #8 for quite a while myself. Lets me have very strong passwords that I change regularly on important sites (like my bank), yet still gives me a fighting chance of remembering them. I use KeePassX, which exists for Linux and Windows (I dunno about Mac), and the file format works in both.

I also use TrueCrypt to store the password file on an encrypted filesystem. Almost certainly overkill, since the KeePassX file is already encrypted and password protected, but I've got a large TrueCrypt volume to keep a digital copy of the most important stuff on my person always. For example, I've got copies of everything in my wallet on the key's encrypted volume, etc.

Oh, and I have a bootable version of Ubuntu on the key too. Provided the bios allows booting off of a USB key, I can get a computer up and running that way.

[CDNSushi]

Yes, KeePassX is 100% cross-platform, so Mac too... I haven't played with it mainly because Clipperz works a treat for me (http://www.clipperz.com). I can use it on OR offline, and encryption/decryption happens in such a way that nothing sensitive gets sent through the net... (Probably wouldn't protect you from a keylogger though)...

Dixie: Sorry to hear about your virus woes... Even more so about your WoW account... I hear that even with the new authenticators you are vulnerable to keylogger attacks. I like the "pet" idea -- the only thing is, you'd have to make sure it's a fairly robust unit that's at least water and shock resistant to some degree. I did a quick search, and chipping a pet may cost around $60... But that doesn't help you much if it's just some Joe Blow who finds your dog... Would be easier if he could just insert a USB stick and get your contact info.

Oooh... Oooh... I got a new one! Homing pigeons gone high-tech! Send files to your friends by USB stick attached to a homing pigeon! LoL!

[jordanjm]

I think I'll have to try my hand at a 4 usb raid array. I just have to get 4 4 gig sticks.

[CDNSushi]

I'm planning on trying it too.. But I'd actually like it to NOT be useless... A nice, little low-cost RAID array would be sweeeeeeet...

So mebbe once my financial situation is better I would consider getting some wholesale 16GB sticks sent from Hong Kong (via Alibaba) to give this a try. That makes for a 64GB array.

[jordanjm]

I'm planning on trying it too.. But I'd actually like it to NOT be useless... A nice, little low-cost RAID array would be sweeeeeeet...

So mebbe once my financial situation is better I would consider getting some wholesale 16GB sticks sent from Hong Kong (via Alibaba) to give this a try. That makes for a 64GB array.

What is the price for a 16 GB Flash drive?

[CDNSushi]

Currently, in Japan, lowest price for a single 16GB USB stick is about ¥2700, or $30 USD.

Wholesale from Hong Kong, about $10-$13 ea. + ship. Min. orders may apply.

...Just checked newegg.com -- about $35 and up (but that site is for US residents only).