[chris31]

Originally Posted by wkethman

you can install an operating system on portable drives like windows xp so therefore you can run these programs on a flash drive if you already own them. the technology is already here. This is just an example:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1676

It has its benefits but there are downsides. You waste space on your drive by having to install an OS instead of just having executables which you would run on the public computer. The big issue is that the system has to boot to the USB drive which is not normally the first in the boot process to it woun't work without you changing it and I doubt that the owners of the computer want you changing it.