Windows on a stick (or ANY OS for that matter)

Windows To Go is a brand-new feature in Windows 8. It allows Windows 8 to be installed on a USB drive and run on any computer – just plug the USB drive into any computer, restart the computer, and you’ll be using your Windows 8 environment. Unfortunately, this feature is only available in Windows 8 Enterprise – even Professional edition users don’t get to use this. But... there is an alternative!

You can easily install Windows, Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution using UNetbootin. Installing an operating system to a USB thumb drive is simple using Unetbootin. Essentially it's a four step process, much faster, and saves you from burning the ISO image on a new DVD.

Before you begin, you need the following:
-USB Flash Drive (4GB minimum)
-Windows 7 ISO Image file
-UNetbootin

1. First download the Windows 8 ISO image here. (Sorry folks..this is only the Consumer Review version..not the full version)

2. Now insert the USB drive, run UNetbootin, and select Disk Image as ISO. Browse your local drive for Windows 8 ISO that you downloaded and click Open. Now Select Type as USB and choose the drive. Once done, it will look like a bit similar to the screenshot shown below.

3. Click OK and it will begin extracting all installation files to the USB drive. The whole process will take some time(10-15 minutes), so have patience.

4. Once the installation is complete, reboot your computer.
Now while your system is starting up press the key to bring up the BIOS screen depending on your manufacture (usually DEL,  F3, or ESC).
Change the startup order to boot USB by default, usually you will have to press F6 to move the selected USB device on top. Once done, save changes and restart the system.