Re: New Thumb Drive
What's in a Name?
> Being somewhat behind the curve of technology and acquisition of modern
> trinkets, I only yesterday got my first thumb drive, a SanDisk cruzer
> 4gb, seemed like the $12 at WalMart was a fair price. In any case it
> came with some already loaded software (G3) that contained an
> [autorun.inf] file. These don't work with the way my system is
> configured but still I wanted to get rid of it because of all the talk
> of that as a possible vector for some of today's malware, plus the
> software came within an extra drive with its own drive letter that
> skewed the sequence. Because of this I wanted to eliminate it. At first
> it was resistant to removal attempts or to format, even unlocker was
> unsuccessful, but short of going to fdisk (if that would even access it)
> I found an uninstall app within the zipped archive on the extra drive
> and was able to clear it out and within computer management via the
> control panel was also able to set the drive letter properly. Now I have
> a generic thumb drive that seems to function as an extra drive without
> the bloat of all that 'launchpad' stuff. I don't know if all thumb
> drives nowadays come bundled or not but if anyone wants to purge the
> unwanted crap, it can be done.
Yes,the uninstall U3 tool is the way to go. I now use PStart as a launcher
for my portable software.
--
Max Wachtel
This post was created using Opera@USB: http://www.opera-usb.com
James Egan
On Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:23:11 -0700, ASCII <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>Curious: what advantage is there to having some 'launcher' on portable
>storage devices, if they are only for isolated data backup?
>and BTW: I'm still amazed at the capacity of such a small thing!
>(Think I'll get one of the 8gb next to hold all my mp3s),
>then I can lose the whole lot in the couch <g>
Supposedly it's so you can run programs directly from the cruzer
without having to install them on your main hard disk but, like you, a
lot of people got cheesed off with the surreptitious installation of
the required programs onto their computers.
Also there are some reports of significant transfer speed reductions
if you remove all the pre-installed stuff but I don't know what might
cause that.
Jim.
Dustin Cook
> James Egan wrote:
>>
>>Also there are some reports of significant transfer speed reductions
>>if you remove all the pre-installed stuff but I don't know what might
>>cause that.
>
> Might have to do with the location of the G3 stuff and its priority
> address that has to be bypassed if uninstalled? Once I got the thing
> clean and formatted, I did a wipe with dirsnoop and another format so I
> don't think there remain any holes in the continuity. It seems about as
> fast as the SanDisk flash card reader that's also a USB 2.0 device.
>
Typical transfer rates. That's roughly what I achieve here with all the
computers. They have different chipsets and cpu configurations; so it's a
fairly non biased test. :)
--
Dustin Cook [Malware Researcher]
MalwareBytes - http://www.malwarebytes.org
BugHunter - http://bughunter.it-mate.co.uk
Massimo
>What's in a Name? wrote:
>>I now use PStart as a launcher
>>for my portable software.
>
>Curious: what advantage is there to having some 'launcher' on portable
>storage devices, if they are only for isolated data backup?
None. I have a Trekstor 8GB usb-stick that I use for other purposes
and then a launcher can make sense.
I use it for:
- showing photo's (personal stuff, no xxx) when I am with people who
could be interested in them.
- helping people out who are in computertroubles.
- looking at my e-mail and browsing with my own Firefox settings when
being elsewhere by using portable applications.
In order to do this properly I installed the Portable Apps Suite on
the stick and I took care to buy a stick with good transfer speeds
(not only for reading but also for writing!).
For e-mail I could have used a form of webmail but I like the idea of
having things in my own hands.
It's a stick that can be write-protected 'in a hardwary way' (dont
know how to say that in English:-)
>and BTW: I'm still amazed at the capacity of such a small thing!
>(Think I'll get one of the 8gb next to hold all my mp3s),
>then I can lose the whole lot in the couch <g>
Massimo
What's in a Name?
> What's in a Name? wrote:
>> I now use PStart as a launcher
>> for my portable software.
>
> Curious: what advantage is there to having some 'launcher' on portable
> storage devices, if they are only for isolated data backup?
> and BTW: I'm still amazed at the capacity of such a small thing!
> (Think I'll get one of the 8gb next to hold all my mp3s),
> then I can lose the whole lot in the couch <g>
I use a launcher so I do not have to locate the exe files for each program
I want to run that I have on my USB drive. I use portable software that
leave no trace on the host system. For more information start here-
http://portableapps.com/
What's in a Name?
> What's in a Name? wrote:
>> On Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:23:11 -0400, ASCII <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>> What's in a Name? wrote:
>>>> I now use PStart as a launcher
>>>> for my portable software.
>>>
>>> Curious: what advantage is there to having some 'launcher' on portable
>>> storage devices, if they are only for isolated data backup?
>>> and BTW: I'm still amazed at the capacity of such a small thing!
>>> (Think I'll get one of the 8gb next to hold all my mp3s),
>>> then I can lose the whole lot in the couch <g>
>>
>> I use a launcher so I do not have to locate the exe files for each
>> program
>> I want to run that I have on my USB drive. I use portable software that
>> leave no trace on the host system. For more information start here-
>> http://portableapps.com/
>
> Sounds interesting.
> Especially for someone using a library or inetcafe access.
> BTW am using Opera v10 here too.
> I went over to Fry's and got an 8gb today, an HP, that seems faster than
> the cruzer and didn't come with any bundled launchpad, it's just shy of
> being enough to hold all my mp3s so I'll have to get an even bigger one,
> damn, when does it ever end.
now,go get yourself a copy of opera@usb and try out your new drive.
FromTheRafters
news:4af94c12.1373015@EBCDIC...
> ASCII wrote:
>>I went over to Fry's and got an 8gb today, an HP, that seems faster
>>than
>>the cruzer and didn't come with any bundled launchpad, it's just shy
>>of
>>being enough to hold all my mp3s so I'll have to get an even bigger
>>one,
>>damn, when does it ever end.
>
> Just yesterday I went back to Fry's and got the HP 16GB, picked HP
> over Sandisk
> because they come clean (no bundled autorun bullshit), and finally
> this 16GB
> holds all the MP3s with room to spare. $39.95 minus a $10 mail in
> rebate if I
> live long enough to ever get it.
> Still amazed at the storage density of these tiny things!
Just think of how amazed someone who used to work with woven magnetic
core memory would be with these storage methods. Not to mention the
computing power being used in throw-away singing greeting cards. One
truck trailer with the computer and two more with the cooling gear.
Amazing stuff ... and what of the future? Folded proteins looking like a
single salt crystal encoding your whole music library?
FromTheRafters
> FromTheRafters wrote:
>>
>>Amazing stuff ... and what of the future? Folded proteins looking like
>>a
>>single salt crystal encoding your whole music library?
>
> task,
> how's that going?
I don't know, and they're probably not doing it to make computer memory.
:o)
Funny thing is that sometimes in the pursuit of one thing, technologies
are developed that affect other things.
> Of course as I age and the frequency response shrinks the idea of a
> humongous
> music library does as well and might someday fit on a floppy ;-)
Great, now if you could just find a computer that still takes
floppies...
:oD
(for all I know, you're posting here with a 286)
FromTheRafters
> FromTheRafters wrote:
>>
>>Great, now if you could just find a computer that still takes
>>floppies...
>>:oD
>>
>>(for all I know, you're posting here with a 286)
>
> showing two DVD burners and a floppy
> http://i38.tinypic.com/96i5wl.jpg
Sweet!
I obtained a USB floppy drive - should work until USB goes the way of
the dinosaur. :o)
Dustin Cook
> ASCII wrote:
>>I went over to Fry's and got an 8gb today, an HP, that seems faster
>>than the cruzer and didn't come with any bundled launchpad, it's just
>>shy of being enough to hold all my mp3s so I'll have to get an even
>>bigger one, damn, when does it ever end.
>
> Well, apparently not yet.
> Just yesterday I went back to Fry's and got the HP 16GB, picked HP
> over Sandisk because they come clean (no bundled autorun bullshit),
> and finally this 16GB holds all the MP3s with room to spare. $39.95
> minus a $10 mail in rebate if I live long enough to ever get it.
> Still amazed at the storage density of these tiny things!
>
Damn... That's a kickass deal.
FromTheRafters
> cyber-operations to be dropped any time soon.
> I got an adaptor to use old IDE drives I pick up at thrift stores plus
> it
> connects CD-ROM and floppy drives as well as any newer SATA drives.
> http://tinyurl.com/b8glo4
Thanks, wish I'd known about those before I bought all those enclosures.
Dustin Cook
@news.eternal-september.org:
All computers here will still accept 3.5" highdensity. <G>
Dustin Cook
@news.eternal-september.org:
USB is the defacto standard now. IDE, ps2 ports; all extinct on the
latest and greatest boards. Which fucks me gewd. I can't move any of my
optical drives or hard disks over to the new intel board I'd like...
Dustin Cook
I have the manhatten version. Handy tool. Mine doesn't support the terabyte
or higher drives tho... Does yours?
FromTheRafters
news:Xns9CBF98AD6FB...@69.16.185.250...
> "FromTheRafters" <err...@nomail.afraid.org> wrote in news:hdbrae$l8$1
> @news.eternal-september.org:
>
>> "ASCII" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
>> news:4af961a7.6897500@EBCDIC...
>>> FromTheRafters wrote:
>>>>
>>>>Great, now if you could just find a computer that still takes
>>>>floppies...
>>>>:oD
>>>>
>>>>(for all I know, you're posting here with a 286)
>>>
>>> A quick hand held (as in blurry) shot of the front
>>> showing two DVD burners and a floppy
>>> http://i38.tinypic.com/96i5wl.jpg
>>
>> Sweet!
>>
>> I obtained a USB floppy drive - should work until USB goes the way of
>> the dinosaur. :o)
>>
>>
>>
>
> USB is the defacto standard now. IDE, ps2 ports; all extinct on the
> latest and greatest boards. Which fucks me gewd. I can't move any of
> my
> optical drives or hard disks over to the new intel board I'd like...
Yeah, that does suck. On a distantly related note, I actually owned a
laserdisc player during the three or four months that they were
state-of-the-art technology. It sits on the shelf now with my 8-track
and my Atwater Kent AM radio.