On the Go

Surveying Security

It might not surprise you that a Windows To Go implementation will force businesses that use the technology to change the way users work with Windows. The problem lies in the fact that when you boot up with a USB drive, you have access to local disk and device resources from the USB-based operating system.

The solution is to enable BitLocker on all systems and BitLocker To Go on all Windows To Go-enabled devices. If you boot onto a Windows system that has BitLocker enabled, you will not be able to view anything on the protected disk unless you have the password.

Alternatively, if you happen to lose your W2G device, your information is safe if you have BitLocker To Go set up on it; otherwise, your information is available to anyone who can plug in a USB drive.

For security professionals, W2G is an excellent way to gain easy access to any system's files. The sly security pro will encrypt the USB drive with BitLocker To Go, just in case the device is left behind or lost. The recipient will have a nice $20 gift, but at least the identity and purpose of the drive will remain hidden.

Managing Portability

If you use the x86 version of W2G, you'll have greater portability than with the 64-bit version. Attempting to boot the 64-bit version on a system that doesn't support it stops the boot, and the system notifies you that the process can't continue. You can create a W2G-bootable USB drive successfully in a virtual machine. I used VMware Workstation 9 to produce the one described in this article.

Once the USB is booted and the Windows Store settings are changed, you can open the Windows Store, right-click any app, and click Your Apps to display your purchased apps.

After selecting and purchasing an app from the Windows Store that you want to install on the W2G USB disk, you are licensed to use it on five computers. You can also sync your settings via your Microsoft account by opening the Charms Bar and clicking Settings  | Change PC settings  | Sync your settings . All settings are set to sync by default.

Assessing System Speed

For most operations, you'll never know that you're working from a USB disk and not a traditional hard disk. A few disk-intensive applications are a bit sluggish on startup, but all of the Office applications open within one to two seconds. Overall, performance varies from acceptable to outstanding. Microsoft Access 2010, for example, opened immediately and without hesitation. Microsoft Word 2010 lagged by comparison at two seconds.