How many times have you sat at a computer and thought, If Linux was installed on this box I could... Wish no longer. Instead of carrying around bulky Live CDs or an external hard drive, how about Linux in your pocket? The combination of a USB key and SLAX, the Linux distro used in this example, is a powerful combination when it comes to troubleshooting and spreading the word about Linux.
The ability to boot the key, browse the computer's hard drive (SLAX has NTFS support built in), and then locate and burn a file to CD can be very helpful, especially with a computer that is on its last legs. So grab your key and come with me, when we're done you'll have a new tool to help out in the computing trenches.

Read more at ars technica