BleepingComputer.com: live usb from live iso?

Hi.

I was recently going through an ubuntu iso that i got from a friend and noticed a small program that was included in the iso that will convert a cd iso to a bootable usb stick.
I also have a mandriva live cd iso i want to convert.
So I now have to problems.
1. will the program from the ubuntu cd work with a mandriva iso?
2. My usb stick used to not have any problems but ever since i tried to do a regular linux install to it once upon a time now if i have it plugged in at the time of boot on any machine it will cause the machine to freeze with out booting anything till i remove the usb and restart it.

Does anyone know what i must do other than buying a new usb?

I would suggest formatting the USB as FAT32, then using unetbootin: http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ to install the live iso to the USB