Disable usb flash drives

Once in a while I have a friend, or customer that needs to keep people from using the USB ports to copy data off of a system.

It is easy to lock a machine down, disable the floppy, and cdrom in the bios. Many times when you try to disable USB - it disables it entirely.

This can be a real pain on newer laptops or systems that don't even have a PS2 interface for the mouse or keyboard.

There is a simple registry change that will keep the USB storage drivers from starting when the system boots. Keeps people from walking up to a PC and copying data off with a USB key, but allows you to keep your scanner, keyboard, and mouse working.

As always - back your system up before messing around in the registry.

Just open regedit and browse to this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor

Notice the value 'Start'

Switch this value to 4, and USB storage devices are disabled.

Switch this value to 3, and USB storage devices are enabled.

Put Your USB Drive To Work: 5 Strategies For Going Mobile

Your flash drive can do more than just hold data -- it can give you the ability to take your PC anywhere. Here are five strategies for making the most of that tiny USB key.

Now that the floppy disk is dead (or as dead as it gets) and the USB flash drive has pretty much replaced it, it's high time to think about that USB drive as more than just a big floppy

There's no question the size of your average USB drive has made it far easier to shuttle both data and applications between computers. For $25, you can pick up a 2GB USB flash drive, enough data to fill roughly four CD-ROMs. But aside from data, applications are also becoming a featured item: Some companies sell Linux distributions pre-loaded on a USB stick, for instance. With all that space and flexibility available, it's become possible (or at least a lot easier) for people to take both their data and their applications with them.

Because so many things are possible, people new to the idea of using USB drives to work on the go sometimes get a little lost. What kinds of on-the-go work can you specifically do with a USB drive, and why? To that end, I've assembled five basic ways you can use your USB drive on the go in more effective ways:


How to use applications without installing anything on the host machine

How to run a standalone operating system from a USB drive.

How to maintain a standalone (and secure) password repository

How to synchronize data between two or more computers

How to encrypt your data so that it's safe to carry it around with you.
The vast majority of the material described here is for Windows -- the PortableApps suite, for instance, is a Windows-only item at this point. Some individual programs do exist in Linux incarnations, though -- TrueCrypt, for instance, and KeePass has been unofficially translated into Linux and MacOS editions (as well as a U3 device edition). Check the respective Web sites of each application for what versions are available, as they may change over time.

A Note Of Caution: Sorry, You Can't Plug That in Here
As usage of portable USB drives rises, so does caution about their use. Many workplaces and public-access computers no longer allow USB devices to be connected as a security measure, or only allow read-only access (and don't allow non-approved applications to run). It can be frustrating, especially if the data you brought with you is encrypted and you need to run an application to get access to it.

As a general rule of thumb, if you don't think you can log into a given system as an administrator, chances are you won't be able to do the vast majority of things you might expect to do with applications or data on a USB drive. Be prepared to fall back to a data-only or read-only setup if you think you're going to be going back and forth between home and other machines that are heavily locked down.


Page 2: Be Productive -- Without Installing Anything
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Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager (Standard)

Brief Description
Standard Install
Use this application to backup and restore presentation, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. Use USB Flash Drives to store personal data, to keep your network configuration and to share information with your friends. Microsoft USB Flash Drive .


USB flash drives are compact and easy-to-use devices that are similar in use to your computer hard drive. USB flash drives slip into your pocket, conveniently around your neck or on a keychain for ultimate portable storage. USB flash drives in 2005 can hold up to 4 gigs of data, which is over 1700 three-minute songs (66 hours) recorded as MP3s or about three times the content of a standard compact disc. If you share a computer, USB flash drives are a great way to store personal information. USB Flash Drives are also a great option for saving information and share it with others. When you have many things to save and share but you have a limited number of USB Flash Drives, you will need to backup the information and restore it when needed. This is where the Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager application can help you. The Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager will help you backup and restore presentation, pictures, songs and applications from and to USB Flash Drive devices and take them with you. The application can also help you to classify and name USB Flash Drives images (for instance "My network configuration" or "The pictures for my grandma") and lets you see this name whenever the USB Flash Drive is plugged into the computer.

Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager is available for Windows XP only.

LiarVB-A worm spreads via USB flash drives

Sophos has released details the LiarVB-A worm, which copies itself onto removable drives, such as USB Flash drives and floppy disks. It also spreads via network shares.

Unlike most malware, which is designed to make money for hackers, the LiarVB-A worm aims to spread information about Aids and HIV.

Although it carries a message claiming that the worm won’t harm the computer, it does make changes to a computers setting and overwrite files.

The worm creates a hidden file called ‘autorun.inf’ to ensure that a copy of the worm is run the next time the drive is connected to a Windows PC.

When it has penetrated a system, the worm adds an HTML file containing a message about Aids and HIV to the user’s drive.

Sophos is advising people to disable the autorun facility in Windows to prevent removable devices such as USB keys and CD-Roms from automatically launching when attached to a PC.

Popdrive Bottle Opening USB Flash Drive

Finally, a company has combined my two favorite hobbies. Thank you for fulfilling my dream of being able to transfer files with ease and crack open a cold one almost at the same time with one convenient device. This Popdrive is a 1GB flash drive that sits securely in the handle of a standard bottle opener. Chalk this peripheral up as another goodie from the fine folks at SkyMall. The question still remains: Is it a bottle opener with a flash drive or a flash drive with a bottle opener? *Head explodes* $30.

Kingston, OCZ and Super Talent USB Flash Drives

USB Flash Drives have long replaced floppy disks and nearly every enthusiast has at least one, but is it time to upgrade the drive you already own? With Flash memory prices being more than affordable one can find 2GB USB keys for just over $20, which is a heck of a bargain compared to what a couple of years ago. The first thumb drive Legit Reviews wrote about was the $39 Trek ThumbDrive Secure 16MB back in 2003! This drive was capable of 700kB/sec read speeds, which is nothing compared to the latest drives that are pushing over 30,000kB/sec! A couple weeks ago at Computex 2007 memory companies Kingston Technology, OCZ Technology and Super Talent gave us samples of one of their more recent USB drives to try out and to see what we think of them.



LR has been using these Flash drives for the past couple of weeks and it seems that OCZ Technology and Super Talent have aimed their efforts at increasing the transfer speeds on their products, while Kingston Technology has been hard at work building a small device that appeals to both men and women. Let's take a closer look at the drives!

The USB Drives:
Super Talent - The 1GB Super Talent DH has an aluminum body with a plastic cap on it that doesn't quit fit correctly. The Super Talent DH series is all about speed and is rated at 200X with data transfer speeds in excess of 30MB per second. The DH series of 200x flash drives are available in capacities from 512MB to 8GB. Super Talent offers a limited lifetime warranty on their DH series USB Flash drives.
OCZ Technology - The 4GB OCZ Technology Rally2 Flash Drive is the sleeker and more ergonomic version of the original Rally. OCZ says that the Rally2 can read data at up to 28MB/s so it should compete with the Super Talent DH series. The Rally2 series from OCZ is offered in 512MB, 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacities with all of the drives having an orange LED status light. OCZ Technology also offers a limited lifetime warranty on their Rally2 series USB Flash drives

Corsair Voyager GT 4GB USB Flash Drive @ Dansdata

One of the nicer things about flash drives these days is that they're not very expensive.

The 4Gb Voyager GT will only set you back $AU115.50 delivered from Aus PC Market, provided you live here in Australia. The 8Gb version is $AU181.50 delivered - less than twice as much - although if you're after bulk storage, that much money will get you two hundred and fifty gigabytes in an external box. It'll just be a lot bulkier and more fragile.

People elsewhere in the world can pick up a Voyager from just about any good online retailer (and no doubt many bad ones too). It's not as if they're rare.

If you need a decent amount of quick storage on the road then the Voyager GT definitely comes recommended from me, even though it didn't end up revolutionising my code-compilation experience.

EPOS announces Digital Pen and USB Flash Drive

EPOS announced its latest Digital Pen and USB Flash Drive at the 2007 CES event.

A user simply writes or draws with the pen and everything is wirelessly transmitted to the USB flash drive.

When the flash drive is connected to a PC the handwritten information can be saved as a PDF or JPG, or converted into text with standard handwriting-recognition software.

The drive has a storage capacity of 512MB and upgrades are expected to follow soon. It can be used to store music, images, video files and other data.

The EPOS digital pen and USB flash drive are Vista compatible and can connect and transmit data from 10 feet apart.

The product should be available in stores in July for around $80.

USB MP3 pen features hidden recorder

SubRosaSoft is distributing MacLockPick, a USB thumb drive which can extract passwords, Internet history, and system settings from an OS X user just by plugging it into a USB drive.
The drive, which is only available to law enforcement officials, can pull every piece of private information off an OS X computer, including passwords, internet history, […]

Cool USB Flash Memory Storage

USB storage may just be a bunch of letters to many folks, but this acronym is making an impact in many more people’s lives. It is also making an impact in Hollywood, both on the small screen and the big screen.

The entertainment industry is merging with the technology industry when it comes to computer data storage. Just last night there was at least two prime time shows that referenced portable storage technology in one form or another.

One of the more common forms of storage is the USB flash drive. These tiny memory keepers are much more durable than the portable storage systems of the past (like compact discs and floppy discs). The flash drives can withstand most any of the casual abuse that users throw in their direction. They seem almost impervious to scratches and even dust.

This compact form of USB storage packs a lot of punch for its size. Even the least expensive choices can still store dozens of floppy disks worth of data. Some of these flash drives can hold more data than a CD (which typically holds around 700 MB). Even a DVD is no match for the pint sized storage.

Things are not all good in the land of USB flash drive storage. The small size of the flash drives can be as much of a determent as it is a benefit. It is easy to lose, forget, or just simply misplace these storage systems.

Flash drives can have problems when it comes to over writing data. Unlike other types of data storage, the USB flash drive storage does not have a write-protection mechanism. It is also not completely indestructible. It can suffer from damage or have data corrupted by severe impacts.

In all, when it comes to USB storage, the flash drive packs in more data than other storage systems on the market. Besides, it just looks real cool.