Patent ID: 7620667

Claim:
A method for creating a user profile comprising the steps of: detecting a connection of a Portable Storage Device (PSD) to a computing device; upon detecting the connection of the PSD, scanning the PSD for an indication of a stored user profile containing data files, application settings and user environment settings, wherein the user environment settings include one or more of a user's desktop configuration, a start menu configuration, or an application toolbar configuration; upon detecting that no user profile is stored on the PSD: automatically launching a user profile configuration wizard that enables the user to create a user profile on the PSD, receiving input from the user profile configuration wizard, wherein the input includes an instruction to synchronize a first data content item and an instruction to not synchronize a second data content item that is different from the first data content item, and upon receiving the input from the user profile configuration wizard, automatically storing the first data content item on the PSD in association with a new user profile; determining that the first data content item has been modified; based on the new user profile, automatically synchronizing the modified first data content item with the PSD; determining that the second data content item has been modified; based on the new user profile, not synchronizing the modified second data content item with the PSD; determining that one or more of the user environment settings associated with the new user profile has been modified; and based on the new user profile, automatically synchronizing the user environment setting with the PSD.