What is a 'portable' application and why is it important?

The portable application offers a number of certain advantages compared to traditional installation applications. They are lightweight and allow users to move applications between computers to use. This is why portable applications are different and sometimes they are a good choice.

How to install common applications

To understand what makes the portable application easier to use, you can first learn quickly how traditional applications are installed in Windows. When you install an application in Windows, the installation files will go to several different locations. Most application files are often copied somewhere in the C: Program Files folder. Files that contain installation executables that apply to all users can be created in the ProgramData folder.

What is a 'portable' application and why is it important? Picture 1

Special settings for different user accounts on the PC are stored in files in the 'AppData' folder hidden within each individual user account folder. Most applications will create a path to the Windows Registry, which can also keep different configuration settings. And many applications take advantage of shared code libraries that install things like .NET framework and Visual C ++ Redistributables .

Separation of these functions has distinct advantages. Many applications can share information contained in Registry entries or shared code libraries, preventing unnecessary duplication. Storing a user-specific setting in one place and installing the entire system in another place means the application can make better use of many different Windows features designed for multi-user systems. Once started, each user can have their own settings when they start the application, because they have logged in with their own Windows account. Features like file access and file sharing are built on this structure. And, all program settings saved to designated areas will make your system backup more reliable.

What is portable application and why should I use a portable application?

What is a 'portable' application and why is it important? Picture 2

The portable application is simply an application that does not use the installer. All the files needed to run the application are in a single directory that you can place anywhere on the system. If you move the folder, the application will still work the same. Instead of installing a portable application, you often download the application as a ZIP file, extract the ZIP file into the directory and run the application executable file. If the application allows you to save the settings, those settings will be saved in the files in the same folder.

The biggest benefit of using portable applications is obvious - they are portable. For example, paste them on a USB drive and you can move them from one computer to another. They will not leave any trace on the PC that you have run them. Everything, including any saved settings, is saved in the portable application folder on the USB drive. It is very similar to the way things work during the MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 periods.

Portable applications can still be useful even if you don't need to move apps between computers. For one reason, they only leave a smaller 'footprint' on your computer, compared to the applications that need to be installed. They are lighter than most applications to install. You can sync them with other computers, using Dropbox, for example. Or, you can only use that application once.

Sure, there will always be applications you need to install. Either they are too big or sophisticated to run as portable applications or they really need to take advantage of multi-user capabilities or Windows security. But many applications have both options: Installation or portable, which means you can choose between having to install and extract a ZIP file, when you want to download the application.

Of course, there are some disadvantages when using portable applications. User Account Controls (UAC) does not work for portable applications, in the way they do for installed applications, meaning they focus more on non-admin processes. This has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that if you use a portable application, you can run the application even when you are online, for example at work, where you cannot install an application as usual. The downside is that the IT department and any established security protocol may be less efficient.

Another drawback of portable applications is that they are often not built for multi-user platforms. This may not be a big problem because you can create a portable drive to carry just for you. But if many users need to use that application, they will have to use the same installation or you will have to have a few copies of the application folders on your portable drive.

Finally, if you're running portable applications from a USB drive, you'll have to be more careful to get the USB properly instead of just pulling it out. Otherwise, you may damage the application or prevent the installation from being saved properly. You may even experience this problem on computers that do not properly handle the USB drive when in sleep or hibernation mode. That is a small problem on modern personal computers.

It can be said that the advantages of portable applications are often greater than the disadvantages - especially if you often have to move applications across multiple computers.

What kind of portable applications are available?

If you consider portable applications like most system utility technologies currently available, you may be surprised to know that there are many types of portable applications. Sure, you will find system utilities, but there are also applications for all your needs like productivity, communication, graphics, image viewing and more.

In addition to all these standalone applications, you can also download application kits that you can install on a USB drive. These application kits often provide you with a Start menu-style launcher to access applications and some also coordinate the application installation for you. Many of these application suites boast hundreds of free portable applications to choose from, basically allowing you to create complete and portable workspaces. PortableApps, Lupo PenSuite, CodySafe and LiberKey are some of the popular portable application suites.

1. Link to download Lupo PenSuite: http://www.lupopensuite.com/suite.htm
2. Link download CodySafe: http://www.codyssey.com/products/codysafe.html

You should take the time to check out the various portable applications if you are interested. In some cases, portable applications are only available through this suite. For example, PortableApps.com provides access to hundreds of portable applications that you can download and install to your PortableApps disc. Many of these applications can only be installed in the PortableApps application suite and there is no portable version that you can use, if there is no software suite. PortableApps gives users the advantage of being able to choose exactly which application you want to include. Other application suites have all the portable applications included in the main download. In short, you will have it all in one or nothing. But each application suite can provide specific tools that you can't find in other suites, so take a look at what applications are available in each set before making your decision.

What is a 'portable' application and why is it important? Picture 3

Can applications like normal applications be turned into portable applications?

It is possible to make an application to install normally become a portable application, but this will be a bit difficult and takes some time. If the application is very simple, in other words, a utility, not an application to install, it is sometimes possible to extract those files from the portable application installer and installer from them. The method is not guaranteed to work in all cases, but it is also worth a try.

Another option to turn the application into a portable application is application virtualization. This usually requires a bit more elaborate setup, but you will basically create a mobile virtual machine that can run the required operating system and applications (or applications) you need and then load the virtual machine. that's on any mobile device you want. Portable VirtualBox is the most popular tool for this. VirtualBox is a free virtual machine provided by Oracle, which can run on many desktop operating systems. The Portable VirtualBox contains VirtualBox and turns it into a portable application that you can install on a USB or external hard drive.

(Link download VirtualBox: http://www.vbox.me/)

Cameyo is another interesting virtualization option. Instead of running the entire virtual machine from your portable drive, you will create a virtual machine on your desktop system. After that, you use Cameyo to record the application installation in that virtual machine. When it is done, Cameyo creates a single executable file that you can drag into your portable drive and run wherever you want. Cameyo is also free for home users or small businesses.

Whichever method you choose, discovering portable applications can bring you what is worth. It's great that with just a USB drive hanging from the keychains, you can run all the important applications for your computer.

See more:

1. Top 5 portable applications that are indispensable for Mac
2. 10 virus scanning software does not need to be installed
3. 10 'Portable' applications can run on USB drives