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    Run apps off a USB drive?

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by wonkotheinsane, Aug 3, 2010.

  1. wonkotheinsane

    wonkotheinsane Newbie

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    Hey, guys, do you have the experience of running your daily used apps off a USB drive?

    Which is I am now trying to do. But I find that only portable apps can be run like that.

    while some apps like MS office are not portably available. How can I do that?
     
    wonkotheinsane, Aug 3, 2010
    #1
  2. H.A.L. 9000

    H.A.L. 9000 Occam's Chainsaw

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    During program installation, specify the flash drive as the installation path. But I have to ask, why do you want to run them off the flash drive?! If the application isn't portable, then it won't work on other computers anyway, just the one where it was installed...
     
    H.A.L. 9000, Aug 3, 2010
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  3. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

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    Normally the case, sometimes you can install a program to the same location on a different computer and it will work for multiple computers this way. But the key point is that you still have to install the application on each computer so there is little to no reason to have it on a porable device like a flash drive.

    I can see more sense in doing this with say an external SSD with a USB 3.0 or E-SATA interface because then atleast if your computers used HDD and you wanted to only have to buy one expensive SSD you could share the benefits of the SSD's speed with multiple computers and it would not take long at all to install the application multiple times on the SSD.
     
    ViciousXUSMC, Aug 3, 2010
    #3
  4. KimoT

    KimoT Are we not men?

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    KimoT, Aug 3, 2010
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  5. timtravel42

    timtravel42 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Ooh that looks cool gotta try that
     
    timtravel42, Aug 3, 2010
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  6. newsposter

    newsposter Notebook Virtuoso

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    PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives is the mother and father of, well, portable apps running from external flash media. Completely open in terms of development, tools, and participation.

    pendriveapps (and at least two others I won't mention) is a commercial ad-driven rip off of the original. they produce nothing and rip off content.
     
    newsposter, Aug 3, 2010
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  7. LooieENG

    LooieENG Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah portableapps is really good. You can also make your own using an application called Thinstall I think
     
    LooieENG, Aug 3, 2010
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  8. jackluo923

    jackluo923 Notebook Virtuoso

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    thinstall is also a good one to make your apps portable if you have the license + the money.
     
    jackluo923, Aug 3, 2010
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  9. Hiker

    Hiker Notebook Deity

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    Open Office has a portable app.
     
    Hiker, Aug 3, 2010
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  10. wonkotheinsane

    wonkotheinsane Newbie

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    well. thanks guys.

    portableapps.com is good, but not all apps are portably availalble, like MS office.

    while Thinapp seems ok, but I am amazed by its price.

    Happily, I found one economical but effective solution with Prayaya V3.

    It seems a virtual operating system runs on a USB dirve. and I installed Ms office, ff, MSN ...on it. It works perfect. Most important, you can install them all directly without any modification of applications.
     
    wonkotheinsane, Aug 6, 2010
    #10