On Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:13:36 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:


Tim Wescott wrote:

On Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:18:19 -0600, Ignoramus17377 wrote:

On 2009-02-09, Pete C. wrote:
I'm still wondering about that one... what exactly are people carrying
around on said USB "keys"? Their pirated music is on their iPuds and
most software won't run directly off a USB "key". I never carry stuff
on a USB "key" as I am able to readily access whatever I might need
from my home systems remotely over the 'net, even from inside the
heavily firewalled corporate network.

In Windows, a USB thumb drive can contain certain executables like
autorun.exe, or some such, and Windows would automatically execute them.
This is convenient under some assumptions, but not very safe if your
thumb drive is made in China. There was a big scandal recently about
USB thumb drives from China containing malware.

... or if your USB drive has been plugged into a machine carrying the
virus.

Yes, but that doesn't answer my question - What exactly are people
carrying on these USB thumb drives? I'm just trying to figure out what
the use is.

I carry photos, ebooks, tech manuals, exploded parts diagrams, music etc
on my 4gig thumbdrive. Lets say a client wants the programming section
from one of the manuals...he simply plugs my drive in to his computer,
and prints out the relevant portions. I do run virus scans on my flash
drive virtually daily and have it set to read only when Im out in the
field. Whenever its plugged into a computer other than my own...its
"read only" so it prevents something on their system from getting back
into my drive. And Im VERY cautious about my hardware. It only goes
into one laptop, heavily sheilded, which has access to only one desktop,
which is VERY VERY heavily sheilded

Works out just fine for portable data storage. You can get a ****load
of data on a 4 gig $15 flash drive.

Gunner

"If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution inhibit the government's ability to govern the people,
we should look to limit those guarantees."

Bill Clinton 1993-08-12