Digital Streets

 If you have become bored with U3 or if the U3 Launchpad doesn’t work on your  system, you can easily remove it.  The first step you will want to take is to copy all of your files from your flash drive and put them in a safe place.  When we remove the U3 Launchpad, we will also end up erasing the data on the drive itself.

After you have copied (and verified) the data from the flash drive, you will need to download the U3 Uninstall executable from the U3 site.  Make sure to note the location that you are saving the file.

1.  Connect your flash drive to your computer.  Make sure that it is the only flash drive that is connected.

2. Run u3 uninstall.exe .

3. When the U3 LLC License Agreement appears, select the Accept radio button and click Next.

4.  Check the I want to remove the U3 Launchpad and erase ALL data on the device checkbox and click Next.

5. The process for uninstalling the U3 Launchpad will begin.

6. Once the U3 Launchpad has been uninstalled, remove your flash drive and then reconnect it to your system.

Now copy the data you saved off of the drive originally back onto your drive.  Now your drive is U3 free and ready to use. 

GIMP Portable - Image Editor - Download
The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a program for doing everything from fixing up digital photos to image creation.

OpenOffice.org Portable - Office Suite - Download
OpenOffice is a complete office package with spreadsheet, word processor, presentation, and database tools.

The Portable Freeware Collection is my first stop when looking for applications for my USB flash drive.  The site prides itself on cataloging software that can be run without installation.  This makes it ideal for USB drives, but it is also quite useful when moving applications from computer to computer.

Universal Extractor - Decompression Utility - Download 
Universal Extractor is great for extracting files from archives such as 7-zip, RAR, IMG, ISO, ZIP, CAB, InstallShield and Inno Setup packages.  Download the UniExtract Binary Archive.

PStart - Application Launcher - Download   
PStart is a small program launcher to start user defined applications.  It is a great addition to any USB drive that contains portable applications.

GreatNews - RSS Reader - Download 
GreatNews is a RSS feed reader with that utilizes a full page mode for easier reading.  You can apply different styles to your subscriptions and change the number of articles that appear on the page.  Download the zip file.

Torpark is a modification of the Portable Firefox browser that runs through the Tor (The Onion Router) network to establish an anonymous connection between you and the web site you are visiting. While the information passing from your PC in the Tor network will be encrypted, it is important to note that any data passing from the Tor network to a web site is not encrypted. You should not use usernames or passwords on sites that are not providing a secure session and login.In order to provide anonymity, there are compromises, namely decreased network speed and a limited browsing experience. The decrease in speed is due to Tor’s routing your TCP traffic through the Tor servers before taking it to its destination. As for the browsing experience, TorPark by default has JavaScript deactivated and no multimedia plugins. This is because both JavaScript and plugins like Flash send data back to the remote server, possible compromising your anonymity.

Installation is a breeze, simply download the compressed executable, unpack it and move the contents to the location you wish to run it from (like your USB drive). From that location, run Torpark.exe.

Gaim Portable - Instant Messenger - Download
Gaim is a multi-protocol instant messaging client. Compatible with AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, and others. Gaim users can log in to multiple accounts on multiple networks simultaneously. It also supports many native features of the various networks, such as file transfer, away messages, etc.  It works great for me whether I’m on my PC or on my laptop.

Firefox Portable - Web Browser - Download
The portable version of the popular web browser gives you the luxury of taking your bookmarks and extensions with you, so you always have them.  It leaves no personal info behind on the computer.  For speeding up Firefox Portable see here.

Sudoku Portable - Game - Download
Sudoku Portable is a an addictive puzzle game, with four difficulty levels and automatic saving of game on exit.  I have become quite hooked on Sudoku, so this has been a great take along time waster for me.