U3 Flash Drives

[DoubleHelix]

What is the difference between using a regular flash drive with stand-alone apps and using a U3-compatible flash drive with U3 apps?

 

[griffinspc]

Here's a page to browse for released apps; http://u3.com/smart/default.aspx

I use portable apps on my U2 and am very content. I think the biggest difference is that a U3 drive is basically a self contained computer. I know with portable apps if you create a document with OpenOffice or AbiWord, my choice, you don't leave the actual document on the PC but you do leave a history of it in the recent file and temp files of it's creation. Apparently with U3 that's not the case. Also I understand that as a platform in and of itself programmers can write software to work exclusively on U3 drives.

Having said that I run AbiWord, FoxIt Reader, Thunderbird, Opera, FireFox and Sunbird on my old 256MB U2 flash all portable apps from http://portableapps.com/apps

 

[JohnWill]

I have a 1gig U3 drive that I pack around on trips. If I have to run something or get mail on someone's machine, I stick it in and keep all my data with me.

 

[DoubleHelix]

So you can use U3 apps on a non-U3 app flash drive?

 

[JohnWill]

I have a U3 drive, I don't think you can run applications designed for a U3 drive on a non-U3 drive. There are plenty of "portable" applications that don't depend on the U3 loader.

 

[mattice06082]

I don't see the advantage of paying extra for a U3 enabled drive. I have a flash drive with PStart installed and it provides an easy way of accessing all of my portable applications. I found The Portable Freeware Connection and PortableApps griffinspc linked to as great resources for finding lots of portable apps for free.

 

[griffinspc]

That's my understanding too. If an app is specifically written for U3 it will not function on U2.

 

[griffinspc]

Yes, Pstart is great and I have my Thunderbird mail client set up to download my email from my home account but told it to keep the mail on the server so when I get home I can download it again to my main machine.

 

[JohnWill]

What's U2?

 

[griffinspc]

Short for the old fashion USB 2.0 flash drive or a band from Ireland.

 

[JohnWill]

OK, that's probably a confusion factor. A U3 drive is still a USB 2.0 hardware interface, it just has additional capability to appear as two drives and launch it's U3 startup package.

 

[griffinspc]

True, I probably assumed too much that all would know that but it was easiest for this discussion or at least the way he posed the question. I still like the band though.

 

[mattice06082]

I liked the band before they became too commercialized, but I knew what you meant by U2.

 

[griffinspc]

Joshua Tree rules !

 

[techy689]

I have a U3 drive, and when I first got it I installed the free McAfee VirusScan for U3 flash drives... i got it off of the U3 site... however, it's not there anymore.. if anyone knows where you can get a virus scanner for ure u3 enabled flash drive, let me know.