Take it all with you

Here’s a scenario that almost every home-computer user will recognise.

You’re at a friend’s house and want to show them something on the internet. This should be simple, as it’s a computer running Windows, but something’s not quite right: they use a different web browser, so all the buttons are in the wrong place. And to make matters worse, you’ve saved the site in your bookmarks ­ and you don’t have these with you.

In the end, what seemed a simple task becomes a wild goose-chase around the internet to find the site again. It is possible to carry a notebook PC around all the time with the programs and bookmarks you need, but this is hardly convenient. Fortunately, there’s a far simpler and smarter way to keep all the programs you want close to hand.

By storing the programs on a USB memory key it’s possible to keep a web browser, email tool, office software and other handy programs on your keyring.

Key issues
In this article we’ll look at some of the most useful programs that are available to run from a memory stick but before we start, it’s worth mentioning a few key points. First it’s important to note that it’s not possible to install standard software on a USB memory key and expect it to work. Instead, to use software on a memory key it’s vital to get a special version of the software.

The special versions are known as portable applications. They store the program itself, as well as all its settings and files, on the memory key so it can be used on several computers. Not all programs are available in a special portable application version but many useful tools have been converted to work this way.

In this article we’ll explain how to get, install and use some of the best ones ­ – and they’re all completely free.

Surf the web
Let’s start with one of the most popular free programs available, ­ the Firefox web browser. Firefox requires a USB memory key with about 30MB of free space to install and run. Download the portable edition of the Firefox web browser from the Computeractive website here and, if asked, choose to save it to the Windows desktop. Double-click on it to start the installation process.

On the first screen select Next and on the second, agree to the license agreement. On the third screen, when prompted to choose a destination folder, click on the browse button. Select your memory key from the dialogue box and click on OK, then click on Install. After a few moments there will be a new folder on the key containing the portable version of Firefox. ­ Double-click on Firefoxportable to start it up.

Like all portable programs it’s a little slow out of the stalls, but once running it’s every bit as good as the usual desktop version of Firefox. Swap it between PCs running XP and Vista and all the bookmarks and browsing history will go with it. It’s even possible to add themes, which change the look of the browser, and extensions, which add new tools and functions.

Manage email
The portable version of Firefox makes it easy to connect to web-based email services, such as Google Mail, but if you download messages from your internet service provider (ISP), then a portable email program can be useful. We recommend Thunderbird, which can be downloaded here, and requires about 30MB of space on the memory key.

Install it in the same way as Firefox, making sure to select your USB memory key when asked for the destination folder. Once up and running, the process for setting up accounts and sending and receiving emails is exactly the same as the deskbound version of Thunderbird. Like Firefox, it works happily on PCs running Windows XP or Vista.

It’s vital to remember, though, that emails downloaded using the portable version of Thunderbird will be stored on the memory key. This makes them easy to access from almost any computer, but anyone who receives a lot of email could soon find their memory key filling up. We recommend using the portable Thunderbird to check for email messages when on holiday but not for everyday use.