USB flash drives are designed to be portable, just like your laptop. But they can be problematic--for one thing, how can you make sure that your files aren't compromised in the event that you lose your drive? We have a few downloads to help with that, and more.

PortableApps

If your laptop or netbook has only a modest hard drive, you may not be able to fit all of your applications on it. Microsoft Office, for example, can occupy plenty of hard-disk space and leave you little room for anything else.

With PortableApps, you won't have that problem. In this download you get a full suite of free applications, including OpenOffice.org, which has a word processor, a spreadsheet, a presentation program, a database, and a drawing program. You'll also find an antivirus utility, a slimmed-down version of Firefox, and more. In addition to the applications, you get backup software, plus a menu that makes accessing all of the programs easy.