Advice Request Any downside to going portable over installed, esp. with browsers or email like Thunderbird?

[conceptualclarity]

I'm going to set up a new system soon. The only downside I'm aware of concerning portable programs is that you have to make the Start Menu shortcuts yourself. But I don't have long experience with choosing portable versions of programs that install, so I want to know if there are any other downsides.

 

[Venustus]

I'm going to set up a new system soon. The only downside I'm aware of concerning portable programs is that you have to make the Start Menu shortcuts yourself. But I don't have long experience with choosing portable versions of programs that install, so I want to know if there are any other downsides.

I can't think of any...I always install portable apps when possible

PS:Self contained files. Meaning everything related to the program is kept in a single folder....This means a cleaner installation and uninstall process

 

[conceptualclarity]

This means a cleaner installation and uninstall process

Seems like uninstall is just choose delete or shred.

 

[Venustus]

Yes

 

[redsworn]

The only downside that I can think, which IMO is not a big deal is the missing file and/or protocols association. I always prefer portable software over the standard install. Because it's easy to back up and you can transfer them to USB stick and carry your favorite software anywhere you go. I keep my portable software collections organized with the help of PortableApps launcher.

 

[Deletedmessiah]

PortableApps platform is amazing. Very easy to backup/restore and transfer app and data to another PC. Portable apps leave very few remnants in your PC if they're removed, the ones from portableapps.com leave none. They have great selection of useful tools. I highly recommend it.

 

[conceptualclarity]

The only downside that I can think, which IMO is not a big deal is the missing file and/or protocols association.

Are you referring to default program settings for things like videos and text files and PDFs? On my previous computer I had PortableApps.com, LiberKey, and SyMenu, all three. (They vary a lot in their offerings.) I tried to make VLC Player in one of those three the default video player, and Windows XP (good riddance:emoji_angry would not cooperate.

Could I put a PortableApps.com on my 250 GB SSD and another PortableApps.com with a different and larger set of programs on my 1 TB hard drive?

 

[Evjl's Rain]

a few downsides:
- lacking autoupdate (chroium by woolyss still has it via chrlauncher)
- harder to manager cache folders
- when something is corrupted, it's more difficult to diagnose and repair
- it's easier to get corrupted. I found chromium by woolyss is simply similar to installed version but it's portable. I used to have trouble with portableapps in the past but it's still a good flatform to use

portable wins

 

[Deletedmessiah]

Could I put a PortableApps.com on my 250 GB SSD and another PortableApps.com with a different and larger set of programs on my 1 TB hard drive?

I never tried this way but I'm positive you can do this.

 

[shmu26]

AFAIK you won't be able to set up separate user accounts with separate user data, all accessing the app.
For instance, if you have Chrome browser and several user accounts on your computer, they won't be kept separate,, unless you make a portable Chrome for each user.

 

[Back3]

Portable apps are a good way to try new applications. If I like them, most of the time, I install them.

 

[redsworn]

Are you referring to default program settings for things like videos and text files and PDFs? On my previous computer I had PortableApps.com, LiberKey, and SyMenu, all three. (They vary a lot in their offerings.) I tried to make VLC Player in one of those three the default video player, and Windows XP (good riddance:emoji_angry would not cooperate.

Yeah, that's what I mean. We can't or rather shouldn't use file associations with portable software because it will defeat the purpose of them being portable.

Could I put a PortableApps.com on my 250 GB SSD and another PortableApps.com with a different and larger set of programs on my 1 TB hard drive?

You definitely could. PortableApps.com launcher is pretty flexible and can work with portable software from other sources.

 

[conceptualclarity]

a few downsides:
- lacking autoupdate (chroium by woolyss still has it via chrlauncher)

For me the biggest upside for portable apps is that PortableApps.com, LiberKey, and SyMenu will find which programs have an update available and do the updating themselves. Saves me a lot of trouble.

a few downsides:
...- harder to manager cache folders
- when something is corrupted, it's more difficult to diagnose and repair
- it's easier to get corrupted.

Would be glad to hear more details about these points.

Yeah, that's what I mean. We can't or rather shouldn't use file associations with portable software because it will defeat the purpose of them being portable.

So I should expect not to be able to make portable programs my defaults for particular purposes? It that were the case I'd be better off with doing Maxthon, Thunderbird, and VLC Player as installed.

 

[Evjl's Rain]

For me the biggest upside for portable apps is that PortableApps.com, LiberKey, and SyMenu will find which programs have an update available and do the updating themselves. Saves me a lot of trouble.



Would be glad to hear more details about these points.

I only use a single app from portableapps so it doesn't support autoupdate like the suite
the other downsides: if someone wants to put cache folder to other location, for example RAMdrive, it takes a bit of time to find out the exact location or if they want to get something from the cache
for the same reason, when it's corrupted, it's harder to fix or simply we just reinstall the apps or delete the profile folder and create a new one

 

[conceptualclarity]

Will I be able to make portable programs my default programs for specific file types in Windows 7? I had trouble with this in XP.

 

[show-Zi]

I think it can be applied from the setting screen of each application. I set up a portable browser that way. Also, if you select a portable app when selecting and opening a file, it will be displayed in the menu as a selection candidate the next time.

 

[AtlBo]

Will I be able to make portable programs my default programs for specific file types in Windows 7? I had trouble with this in XP.

Yes, cc. This is doable. You will receive an error message from Windows however if the portable is on a detached USB or if the portable has been moved or removed. Then you can change the association or insert the USB etc.

Upsides
-Great for testing software
-Just unzip and use
-Easy to delete with NO mess
-Updating is marvelously simple
-Great for programs that are an easy to use alternative to complex software like editing etc.

Downsides
-Where to put the folder? Security programs are suspicious of USB and other non-standard locations for an executable and will sometimes block the application. Only a mild annoyance but over time it can weary the soul.
-Portable applications introduce vulnerability to a system in that security programs are not specifically designed to protect portable applications from being hijacked. An attacker could possibly alter a portable application and have a higher chance of success than trying to do the same thing to an installed program in program files. The installed programs are better protected. With the portable, you may get an alert if a portable has been corrupted due to the unknown file, but when you see it's the portable of course you will allow, even if the alert is in a second hand way indicating tampering. Until I committed to running portables from one location on a secondary or remote drive, I found myself irritated by them being in Downloads or on the desktop or hand placed into Program Files or on the C drive or wherever I decide to put the program. Typically, I run them from an installed HDD now.

One thing I started doing was using Easy File Locker to protect portables. With the portables, use Easy File Locker to allow only the executables of your portables to write to the portableapps program folder. Takes a little while to set this up for a large number of portables, however. If you keep scripts on your system, this can be used to protect those too as they can be vulnerable to editing...