Click to viewIs that a gigabyte in your pocket? And are you putting it to good use? The explosion of USB thumb drives gives anyone the ability to take some serious file storage space along with their house keys.


Developers and road warriors have come up with all sorts of innovative techniques for putting these tiny, roomy disks to good use. Step into my office for a list of our top 10 favorite thumb drive tricks.


1. Boot a separate operating system

2. Encrypt your drive


3. Make a portable MP3 player


4. Speed up or lock down Vista


5. Never forget it


6. Quick launch your workspace


7. Assemble a PC repair kit


8. Put on the DemocraKey "computer condom"


9. Sync your data


10. Assign custom icons

What's your favorite thumb drive hack? Tell us about it in the comments.