One Tip A Day » USB

How To Install Windows 7 From A USB Key

Tony Williams — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:29:39 +0000

Windows 7 is shaping up to be Microsoft’s best operating system ever. Not only does it offer many new features and improvements, but for once you don’t need a faster PC to run it on. In fact, if you’re PC is running Windows XP you will probably find that Windows 7 will run faster on it, even if the PC wasn’t fast enough to run Windows Vista.

This also makes Windows 7 ideal for netbook machines that may be less powerful. However, some of these don’t include a DVD Drive so if you want to install Windows 7 on a netbook then read this guide to installing windows 7 from a USB drive. Installing an OS this way is actually faster as USB keys are faster than DVDs. The guide should also work if you want to install Windows Vista from a usb key.

More: How To Install Windows 7 From A USB Key

Download Fix For Windows Vista iPod Problems

Tony Williams — Tue, 08 May 2007 22:21:07 +0000

Microsoft have just released a fix for the only remaining problem I have with Windows Vista, which is the problems using an iPod, which can corrupt your iPod if you disconnect it incorrectly.

This problem may occur if you use one of the following methods to disconnect the iPod:

You use the Safely Remove Hardware feature in the notification area to disconnect the iPod. Then, you disconnect the USB cable.
You use the Eject command in Windows Explorer to disconnect the iPod. Then, you disconnect the USB cable.

To fix this problem using an iPod with Vista, download this file if you are using Windows Vista 32bit and this file if you are using Windows Vista 64bit.

Use Any USB Drive With Windows Vista Readyboost

Tony Williams — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 16:24:53 +0000

ReadyBoost is a disk caching system introduced in Windows Vista that relies on flash memory to boost system performance. At the moment only certain flash drives are compatible with Readyboost, but gHacks have found a way so that any USB drive can be used with ReadyBoost.

Right-click the device that you want to use for Readyboost and select properties.
Switch to the Readyboost tab and uncheck “Stop retesting this device when I plug it in”. Then unplug the device from the computer before you proceed.
Open Regedit and go to the key HKLM (Local Machine) -> SOFTWARE -> Microsoft -> Windows NT -> CurrentVersion -> EMDgmt which displays a list of all known USB devices on your computer. Choose the one that you want to use for Readyboost and edit the following keys in the right pane:

Device Status – Change that value to 2
ReadSpeedKbs – Change the value to 1000
WriteSpeedKbs – Change the value to 1000 as well

After that is done you can use the USB device for Readyboost.

Charge Your Cellular Via A USB Port

Tony Williams — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:57:46 +0000

I’ve always wondered why cellular manufacturers didn’t allow you to charge your mobile via USB. Well, it looks like Nokia have finally latched onto the idea with a new range of USB chargers that charge your phone by connecting it to your PC’s or more likely your laptop’s USB post.

The Nokia CA-100 is compatible with Nokia phones with the smaller 2.0mm charget connector, whilst the Nokia CA-70 works with the larger 3.5mm connectors. As soon as this become available I’m going to buy one as they can be carried in a pocket, and there will always be a PC nearly I can use to hook up to if I’m running low on juice.

More: Nokia

Transfer Files Between PCs Using USB Cables

Tony Williams — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:32:13 +0000

I’ve just seen a fantastic tip on Digital Inspiration that I never knew was possible. Digital Inspiration have highlighted how you can use a simple USB data cable to transfer files between PCs. According to Belkin up to 30GB of data can be transferreed per hour.

I often find myself on the road with my laptop wanting to transfer large files to another laptop. Although a USB stick can be used, using a cable would be much faster as it would eliminate the extra step required to write data to a temporary storage area before transfer.

All I need now is to find a cheap USB cable on eBay.

More: Digital Inspiration

ReadyBoost: Speedup Windows Vista With A Flash Drive

Tony Williams — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 23:02:30 +0000

I’ve been cleaning out my PC this weekend in preparation for installing Windows Vista, as well as implementing a new theme which I think might finally be the one I’ve been searching high and low for (please let me know if you see any bugs!).

I’m getting quite excited about getting my hands on a copy of Vista so that I can start experimenting and trying to find new tips to share. One simple one I have already is using a flash drive to speedup Windows Vista. As long as the USB drive has at least 256MB and no more than 4GB of RAM, plugging it in will give Vista a nice speedboost using ReadyBoost, which allows the additional memory to be used as an additional disk cache.

Accessing files on a flash cache should be 8-10 times faster than from a from a hard drive, which will give all machines a nice boost. All you have to do is click ‘Speed Up My System’ to enable the new cache.

For a device to be compatible it must conform to the following requirements:

The capacity of the USB device must be at least 256 MB and no larger than 4 GB
The USB device must support USB 2.0
The device must be capable of 3.5 MB/s read speeds for 4 kB random reads spread uniformly across the entire device and 2.5 MB/s write speeds for 512 kB random writes spread uniformly across the device
The device must have at least 64 MB of free space

If you’re not sure if that USB stick you’ve got lying around is compatible, then check out this chart that Grant Gibson has put together, which shows which USB drives are compatible with Vista ReadyBoost.