Finally, you still need a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to access the drive’s contents, as well as a standard computer to boot up from. You’re also limited by the space on the USB drive, which can’t match the biggest hard drives. You can only run basic apps, and file access times are likely to be slower, especially if you’re using older USB 2.0 ports rather than the latest USB 3.0. USB stick computers do have their downsides, as you might expect for something that’s hundreds of dollars cheaper and much smaller than a full-size machine. It’s also a good option to have if you want to borrow a friend’s computer without interfering with anything on there. Much easier to tote around than a laptop, a USB computer comes in handy if you tend to switch between an office and home computer and want to use the same programs on both. This mini computer can contain all your apps, programs, and files-it really is like having a portable computer in the palm of your hand. Once you’ve created your portable computer, simply plug it into a PC or Mac of your choice, boot it up from the drive, and you’re up and running. In fact, you can install many of its versions (Linux comes in several different flavors, called distributions or distros) on a USB stick. Linux, the free and open-source operating system, has fewer desktop users than Windows and macOS.
