With flash storage being more affordable, compact and rugged than ever, it seems common for people to routinely carry a USB drive -- or six, in the case of our news editor Rick, who runs a PC repair business. Naturally, most of his drives contain bootable utilities, operating system installers...

Back when the Windows 8 Consumer Preview hit the Web, we offered a basic guide on configuring a virtual machine. With Windows 8's Release Preview available and the final version inching toward completion, we figure it's a great time to offer a similarly easy step-by-step walkthrough on installing Windows 8 with a USB drive.

If you're familiar with the process, there isn't much for you to see here, but this should serve as a quick confidence booster for anyone who hasn't installed an operating system recently.

Germans can expect to pay a hefty premium on USB drives and memory cares as the nation raises taxes on flash storage by roughly 2,000%, according to Heise Online (translated). ZPÜ, the office tasked with setting levies against blank media, has reportedly increased the taxes...

Sophos researchers have tested 50 USB drives and found that two-thirds (33) were infected. The drives were purchased at a train company's lost property auction, so they were presumably owned by passengers before being misplaced. During testing...