Paper Thin USB Key Turns Magazines Into USB Distribution Method
- Step 1 – Open magazine and see the ad
- Step 2 – Pop out the webkey
- Step 3 – Connect it to a USB port on your PC
USB Registry Cleaner Tool
UPDATE: USB Scrub by Nexcopy now supports Win7, Win10 (32/64bit) and Windows 11
USB Registry Cleaner Tool which is FREE!
Did you know Windows can make over 260 registry entries with a single enumeration of a USB stick? This means for those with multiple flash drives, your registry will get extremely cluttered and bogged down.
With flash drives dirt cheap these days, you’ll find at least a couple dozen going into your computer throughout the year. That would be over 6,240 registry entries.
USB Scrub is a free utility from Nexcopy which performs a deep cleaning of those unused drivers and registry edits.
We gave USB Scrub a try, and it worked great. We went from enumerating a single USB stick in 45 seconds to enumerating that stick in less than 12 seconds.
In addition, if you have a USB stick that doesn’t perform correctly or the Windows OS doesn’t see it, chances are the USB Scrub will clear up those problems and your drive will work once again. This is because a registry entry can become corrupt, and simply clearing it out will resolve your issue.
So let’s take a closer look.
Using RegShot (a free application which takes a snapshot before and after an event and compares only the changed registry values), I took a snapshot before and after a USB stick was connected and ejected. The result was this:
- 78 Registry Keys created
- 183 Registry Values added
- 261 Registry edits in total!
Here is a snapshot. Click the image to get the full text file:
Next, I took a snapshot of the registry before a stick was connected, then ran USB Scrub, then took the second registry snapshot. This is what I got:
- 1 Registry Key added
- 3 Registry Values added
Clearly we have a big difference. Clearly we have a great cleaning tool for USB devices in Windows.
If you have a USB flash drive not working correctly, a slow computer, or you are a heavy user of removable drives, give USB Scrub a try. You’ll see a noticeable difference in USB enumeration.
As a closing note, when the enumeration speed went from 45 seconds to 12 seconds, USB Scrub reported that it cleared over 9,000 registry entries.
USB Scrub is a free utility. There is no malware or spyware.
Unfortunately, USB Scrub only supported Windows XP in the past. The maker, Nexcopy, has now updated support for Windows 7 and Windows 10. (Does not support Windows 8.)
UPDATE: Download link now supports Windows 7 and Windows 10 (32/64bit).
Download USB Scrub. Source: EverythingUSB.com.
Windows 7 Direct Download Gone For Now
Last week we posted an article for Windows 7 users to download a utility to make a bootable USB recovery stick. Well, looks like that feature is [temporarily] gone. So what gives? It appears Microsoft lifted some GPL code to make their ImageMaster tool for bootable USBs. Interesting. We posted how you could make your own nt60 USB recovery stick. Check it out.
USB Harmonica is 2GBs Of Sweet Soul
Backyard Brand is looking to coin a new phrase with their FlashHarp USB drive. I’m classifying this under hand crafted USB because it’s a relatively simple mod of a harmonica to include a USB drive. Granted, Backyard came up with the idea, so props to them.
Windows 7 Offers Direct Download For Bootable USB Recovery Drive
There is no doubt Netbooks are becoming more and more popular. The problem with Netbooks if your computer goes south, no optical drive is available to restore your computer. You either have to A) buy an optical drive, burn a bootable backup or B) call the manufacturer and request a disc.
“The ‘Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool’ is used when you buy a down-loadable version of the software from Microsoft’s online store. During the download process, buyers are given the option of creating a bootable USB stick or burning a DVD.”So now the question becomes, should a user be required to Continue Reading No Comments
USB Hack: Upgrade Your Prius With USB Port
In most cases, the cigarette lighter inside a car is used for nothing more than a charger outlet. This is why Rosenberger31 updated his outlet with a USB connector. It’s a nice USB hack. There is no data connection here, just a regulated port to provide a nice stream of 5v to your USB Powered Gadgets.
USB Silent Keystroke Recorder
Here at GetUSB.info we are a fan of the USB key logger technology. After all, what better way to find out what employees, girlfriends and such are doing with their spare time. Especially with all the social network, it’s important to know what is, or is not, being said about you.
We have reported about USB key loggers before, but this one is especially nice with the old school PS/2 connector. Great for the older machines.
The device comes with 2MB of internal memory, but check it often as that amount of space will be filled quickly.
Pricing is a bit different depending on the connection type you need. $60-$75.
Here is the USB key logger product page.
Reminder from UberGizmo.
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How To Create USB Stick with nt60 Boot Sector
USB Tutorial: How to Create a Bootable USB Stick with the Specific NT60 Boot Sector Required for Microsoft Vista
Before we begin the USB tutorial on NT60 boot sector, review the checklist of items needed before you start. Chances are, if you find yourself searching for this tutorial, you already have everything needed to make a USB bootable with NT60 boot sector.
- 4GB flash drive will do the trick
- Your Vista installation disk
- Set BIOS to boot from a USB device
When selecting your flash drive, be sure there is nothing you need on the device as this process to create an NT60 boot sector will clean the drive of all data.
- Put your Vista disk into the optical drive. If the autorun starts, close it all down and exit without performing any tasks.
- Plug in your USB stick that you want to make bootable with NT60.
- Open Command Prompt with Administrator rights.
- Type ‘diskpart‘ and press Enter.
- Now type ‘list disk‘ and press Enter. All the storage devices connected to your computer will be displayed. Make sure the size of the disk you plan to select is the USB flash drive you intend to use!
- Now type ‘select disk [number here]‘ (example: ‘select disk 2‘).
- Next, type ‘clean‘ and press Enter.
- Once this is done, type ‘create partition primary‘ and press Enter.
- Type ‘select partition 1‘ and press Enter.
- Type ‘active‘ and press Enter. This step is key to making the stick bootable.
- Format the device by typing ‘format fs=fat32‘ and press Enter. This will take 6–9 minutes for a 4GB drive.
- Now type ‘exit‘ to close diskpart.
- To finish the process, load up the boot sector from your Vista DVD to the USB stick. Type: ‘D:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt60 L:‘
- Exit out of the Command Prompt.
- As the last step, go to your Vista DVD and copy ALL the content to your NT60 bootable flash drive.
Once you get 100% complete, type ‘assign‘ and press Enter. This will assign a drive letter (e.g., Drive L).
Note: ‘D’ is the drive letter of the optical drive with the Vista disk. Adjust if yours differs.
Congratulations, you have just created a bootable USB flash drive with the NT60 boot sector.
Note: If you are a Microsoft publisher, OEM or OED, please contact Nexcopy for more information about NT60 boot straps and related Microsoft specifications.
2025 Relevance Note
As of 2025, creating an NT60 bootable USB stick is rarely required. NT60 was designed for Windows Vista and early Windows 7 installations. Modern systems primarily use UEFI boot loaders and GPT partition tables, making this manual NT60 process mostly obsolete. The only common scenarios for creating an NT60 bootable USB today are for legacy system maintenance, forensic recovery, or historical testing environments.
Modern Alternative
For modern bootable USB creation on Windows 10, Windows 11, or newer operating systems, you can use dedicated tools that automatically handle boot sectors, partitions, and formatting. One of the most popular options is Rufus, which simplifies the process and supports both BIOS and UEFI systems without manual diskpart commands.
Windows 7 Offers USB Drive Sharing Option
As Windows 7 is set to release sometime in October, today we heard there is an update to USB support. Honestly, I don’t know exactly what it means, but the quote is, “adding new USB and drive sharing support options…”
USB Jewelry: USB Millefiori Gift Idea
Here is a great gift idea that includes a splash of tech…give the gift of millefiori glass with a USB stick tucked inside. Granted, the picture is what caught my eye for this article, but the bottom line is that: it IS a good gift idea.
To create the millefiori USB drive can be done in several simple steps. If you haven’t heard of millefiori then let me tell you: Millefiori is a glass work technique which produces distinctive decorative patterns on glassware. The term “millefiori” is a combination of the Italian words “mille” (thousand) and “fiori” (flowers).
The millefiori technique has been applied to polymer clays and other materials. Because polymer clay is quite pliable and does not need to be heated and reheated in order to fuse it, it is much easier to produce millefiori patterns than with glass. And this is what we are going to do today.
In seven steps you can produce a nice looking USB necklece. The detailed how-to is over at Instructables but here is the general idea.
Get a small USB flash drive and take it apart. Get some polymer clay, such as Fimo Soft or Fimo Effect. Prep the millefiori material into a cane like shape. Include a core in the cane shape as this is where the USB stick will go. Cut the cane so you have
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How To: Assign Specific Drive Letter to USB Drive
Sometimes you need a USB stick to always use the same drive letter. Whether it’s backup software needing to point to a specific storage device, or you use a Windows Office application which requires a specific drive letter – sometimes it is just needed. Given that Windows will assign a drive letter as a first-come, first serve basis to removable media it can get frustrating to always try for the same drive letter. Here is one way to assign a specific drive letter to a USB drive. Before you can assign a drive letter to a USB device, take a look at what drive letters you have available. This will vary depending on what’s connected, networked drives and mapped drives in your system. Simply go to START > MY COMPUTER and take a look. Next, plug in your USB drive to your computer and let Windows enumerate it [see it]. Navigate to: START > CONTROL PANEL > ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS > COMPUTER MANAGEMENT > An alternate way to get to the same spot is START > RUN > “diskmgmt.msc”
The Most Portable USB Vinyl Recorder Player We’ve Seen
Albiet a concept design, this is one portable looking USB vinyl record player. Comprised of just two parts, a base and top, the USB vinyl record player is meant for table top play back. Granted, you’ve got to ask yourself who’s in such need of a portable solution, but for the die hard vinyl fan who just can’t stand MP3 this is a sure bet.
