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Fred Langa over at InformationWeek put together this nifty little guide on how to build a custom Windows XP image that you can boot from a USB thumb drive.  Many people might wonder what the point of this would be since the computer would likely have Windows XP on it already.  Well it works wonders as a diagnostics tool, or as an auditing tool.

For example, you could create a custom XP image with all the extras stripped out of it and include your own preferred applications like: Partition management software, network analysis software, system tools, security tools, etc.  This would give you a quick and easy way to turn any PC (that supports Boot-from-USB) into your own personalized workstation, without altering anything on the actual PC.

Not everyone would have a use for this, but if you’re in IT then it’s definitely worth keeping on your keychain.

Source: InformationWeek

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Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.