Portable applications and programs installing drivers

[hullboy]

Is it possible to create portable applications when the "regular" program installs drivers?

I have tried, using VMWare Thinapp, to create a portable for "Total Recorder" but at the end of the process an error message came out, referring (I think) to some driver that was installed and that in fact required a previous restart.

Is it the same also with other tools that create portables? (Spoon Studio, etc.)

[mayeray]

try to use revo uninstaller and completely remove it.

and then try it again. ive used a few apps that installs drivers and i used vmware thinapp no problem.

[hullboy]

I made it on a Virtual Machine so it is not a matter of "uninstalling", since evry time the machine is clean ;)

I saw that VMWare ThinApp supports also "windows restart" in the middle of the installation, so it should "cover" that aspect.

Mayvbe it is something related to "Total recorder" or other filetypes that cannot be put in a "virtualized packet"

That's why I asked if other virtualization tools may come in handy, or if my question lacks of logic because certain kind of applications cannot be made portable. :)

[Kojootti]

Is it possible to create portable applications when the "regular" program installs drivers?

I have tried, using VMWare Thinapp, to create a portable for "Total Recorder" but at the end of the process an error message came out, referring (I think) to some driver that was installed and that in fact required a previous restart.

Is it the same also with other tools that create portables? (Spoon Studio, etc.)

It is possible for example with NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System,Freeware) which many people make "portable apps" using it's loader to..

1. put the needed registry entries etc. on the host computer (first backing up the original entries if they exist,eg. the same app is installed on the computer in question..),

and upon quitting the "portable" app,the loader will delete those entries,and restore possible original ones (if present).

2. Yet,if the computer in question crashes,or is shut down without the "portable" app closed first,all traces are left on the host computer...

3. So,in a way those apps are "portable" since they don't require installation.

But let me point you out one thing...

VMWare Thinapp does not make REAL portable apps... just watch the computer's TEMP directories,on which you run the app on.. :P

I wouldn't call something portable which puts files on the host computer's TEMP or any directory,whatsoever. :P

Apps like "BoxedApp" (commercial) and "Enigma Virtual Box " (freeware) do NOT extract/write any files on the host computer.

(Google is your best friend on these two,or search this forum before asking about them..)

[anuraag]

VMWare Thinapp does not make REAL portable apps... just watch the computer's TEMP directories,on which you run the app on.. :P

but thinapp has option to store those files in same directory from where app run.

Isn't this portable

what about this

http://jauntepe.sourceforge.net

[Kojootti]

VMWare Thinapp does not make REAL portable apps... just watch the computer's TEMP directories,on which you run the app on.. :P

but thinapp has option to store those files in same directory from where app run.

Isn't this portable

Still..look at your computer's temp directory :)

what about this

http://jauntepe.sourceforge.net

About ThinApp: Still..look at your computer's temp directory (or did it put some files in some VMWARE location..),

it's not cause of the application you made "portable" it's because of ThinApp itself :)

Didn't know JauntePE is still continued,thought it was disbanded years ago.

Thanks for mentioning the link!

+1

[mayeray]

Is it possible to create portable applications when the "regular" program installs drivers?

I have tried, using VMWare Thinapp, to create a portable for "Total Recorder" but at the end of the process an error message came out, referring (I think) to some driver that was installed and that in fact required a previous restart.

Is it the same also with other tools that create portables? (Spoon Studio, etc.)

It is possible for example with NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System,Freeware) which many people make "portable apps" using it's loader to..

1. put the needed registry entries etc. on the host computer (first backing up the original entries if they exist,eg. the same app is installed on the computer in question..),

and upon quitting the "portable" app,the loader will delete those entries,and restore possible original ones (if present).

2. Yet,if the computer in question crashes,or is shut down without the "portable" app closed first,all traces are left on the host computer...

3. So,in a way those apps are "portable" since they don't require installation.

But let me point you out one thing...

VMWare Thinapp does not make REAL portable apps... just watch the computer's TEMP directories,on which you run the app on.. :P

I wouldn't call something portable which puts files on the host computer's TEMP or any directory,whatsoever. :P

Apps like "BoxedApp" (commercial) and "Enigma Virtual Box " (freeware) do NOT extract/write any files on the host computer.

(Google is your best friend on these two,or search this forum before asking about them..)

Thanks for the points of ThinApp! +1

I have just tested the latest stable release of jauntepe and to me it seems like theres a memory leak inside the program.

I tried making a portable of PC-Decrappify just for test and it raised that process to 975,025 mb (and still going up) while it was creating the portable. Ive waited a good 25mins before calling it quits on it.

Testing Enigma Virtual box at the moment..