Boot disks are so passe. All the cool kids (read ubergeeks) at the very least use bootable CDs. But, if you want to be one of the geek elite (or 1337), you are going to want to go for the bootable USB drive.

But how does one go about obtaining this new elevated nerd status? Well, PC Magazine has a very good article about just how to make a bootable USB key. Very cool!

I have been using a bootable USB drive with this solution for some time now. The article that I followed was one from Fred Langa of the Langalist which he wrote for InformationWeek. Both articles are very similar but if you get stuck on one, you can always look to the other for help.

Also, if you are living in the US and are interested in giving PC Magazine a test drive, you can get two free issues. From the website:

PC Magazine is America’s #1 technology magazine, delivering authoritative, lab-based comparative reviews of technology products and services to more than 6.6 million professionals every issue. PC Magazine is the only publication with in-depth reviews and accurate, repeatable testing from PC Magazine Labs placed in the unique context of today’s business technology landscape. If you like PC Magazine, pay the special discounted rate of $19.97 for 18 more issues, for a total of 20 issues. Otherwise, write “cancel” on the bill, return it, and owe nothing.

If you are not into test drives or are from Canada, the aforementioned InformationWeek is available to US and Canada subscribers for free. You just need to fill out a form. This is what the website has to say:

InformationWeek is the only newsweekly you’ll need to stay on top of the latest developments in information technology. In-depth editorial focuses on the strategic side of technology to help you make decisions that affect your company’s bottom line.

From product reviews to real-world case studies, InformationWeek has the technology field covered.

That’s why more than 440,000 savvy IT and business professionals count on InformationWeek for reporting and analysis.

I have subscribed to InformationWeek and PC Magazine for quite some time and I am always impressed with the insight and articles that come from these magazines (like how to build a bootable USB drive). They are definitely worth giving a whirl.

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Tim Fehlman