BROWSE THE WEB FROM YOUR STICK
When you’re using a PC other than your own, such as a public computer, it’s a good idea to take steps to protect your privacy – particularly when browsing the web. By using a browser installed on your USB stick, all files (your browsing history, cache and more) will be confined to that stick, so other people who use the same computer won’t be able to snoop on your online activity.
Neither Edge nor Chrome have portable versions that you can install on a USB. Search online and you’ll find unofficial portable versions, but these lack some features of their desktop counterparts and don’t receive automatic updates. For browsing on a USB stick, we recommend using Opera (download it from www.snipca.com/37303). This is an official release and has all the features of the Opera desktop browser, while benefitting from automatic updates. The latest version, released in early February, includes ‘tab snoozing’, which prevents tabs you’re not currently viewing from using your PC’S resources.
At the start of the installation process, click the small Options link (just above the Upgrade button). In the next screen, select ‘Stand-alone installation (USB)’ (see screenshot left) in the ‘Install for’ box, then click Change and select your USB stick (we opted to install it in the secure vault we created in the tip above). To opt out of sending anonymous data to Opera on how you use the browser, untick the ‘Help improve Opera…’ box. Finally, click Install.
Although your browsing history, cache and other files associated with Opera will stay on your USB stick, any files you download will be saved to the Downloads folder on the PC you’re using. To switch this to a folder on your USB stick, type opera://settings/startpage in the address bar, scroll to the Downloads section, click Change, then select a folder on your stick. If your USB stick changes its drive letter (this can happen when you use it on a different computer), you’ll need to update this location accordingly.