You can use your flash drive as an installer of many different kinds of applications. In fact, there are often portable versions of apps designed specifically for installation and use on USB drives.

The following are some of the programs people store on USB devices in case of emergency, and just for the convenience of portability:

• Windows 7
• Ubuntu
• Linux
• Limewire
• Firefox
• Flash Player
• Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager

Formatting Software on Your PC for Copying to Flash Drive

To copy programs on your hard drive over to a usb drive:

1. Connect your USB thumb drive to your computer.
2. Once your PC finds the removable device click on Computer and double click the C: drive.
3. Open Program Files and scroll down to find the program you are copying.
4. Minimize the window and go back to Computer. Double click on the removable usb drive icon.
5. Pull up the Program Files window and drag and drop the program file into the flash drive window. Sometimes the copy process can take awhile, particularly if you are copying a large program.
6. Close both windows and then return to Computer. Right-click on the removable flash drive icon and select Eject. (Make sure you always do this before you remove your thumb drive to protect your data!)

Portable Apps

Installing portable apps on a flash drive is pretty simple.

1. Once you find the app you want to install, make sure it's a portable version. A USB version is even better if you can find it.
2. Download the program to your thumb drive.
3. Find the program's installer on your drive and open it to start the installation.
4. Follow the installation instructions to complete.
5. To run the program, plug in your USB and open the icon on your desktop.
6. Double click on the executable file (.exe). Some portable software will run automatically when plugged in.

Bootable Drives

You can turn your flash drive into a bootable drive as long as it's a big enough one (between 256MG and 2G). To create a bootable flash drive:

Insert your Windows DVD (XP, Vista, 7) into your PC's optical drive. Open the folder and find the "Boot" folder. Copy the "bootsect.exe" file to your C: drive.

1. Insert your USB drive and click on Computer.
2. Right-click on the removable flash drive and select Format.
3. Go to your Start menu and type "cmd" in the search field.
4. Right-click on Command Prompt and click on Run as Administrator (you may have to enter your password).
5. Now type "diskpart" in the command prompt window and hit return.
6. Type "list volume" and then hit enter for a listing of all your available drives (it's a good idea to make sure your flash drive is the only thing plugged into a USB port to avoid confusion). Make note of the drive's letter and number, maybe write it down too!
7. In the command prompt type "select volume (fill in appropriate drive here)" and hit enter.
8. Type "activate" and hit return and "exit" and return.
9. Then type "cd C:"
10. Enter "bootsect.exe/nt60 (fill in appropriate drive here):" and then hit return. After the process is done, your drive should be fully bootable.
11. Copy the contents of the Windows disc to the flash drive.

For more information on Optimizing your PC, visit our extensive information blog at http://www.fixcleaner.com/blog Here, you can find easy access to articles on fixing errors and optimizing all sorts of Windows functions. You can even get tips and tricks on how to navigate your way across the new frontier of Internet Social Media.

Julie Dreese is a freelance writer and editor who attempts to perform her own tech support through thorough research and anyone-can-do-it solutions.

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