Carry 'portable apps' on pen drive with 'PortableApps.com Platform'

          PortableApps.com Platform is very convenient tool which allows us to carry favorite portable computer programs along with bookmarks, settings, email and use on any computer without leaving any personal data behind. It works with any hardware like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc.)and is 100% free. It provides a perceivable menu interface which resembles start menu on Windows OS.

Downloads: There are 3 different packages offered by Portableapps.com. Visit 'Download PortableApps.com Suite and Platform' page.

1. Platform(1 MB): Contains 'PortableApps.com Menu', Backup and custom Folders, Icons & Autorun
2. Suite Light(46 MB): Abiword is included to read and edit Microsoft Word files.
3. Suite Standard(124MB): Openoffice included to read and edit Microsoft word files, spreadsheets, presentations. Abiword is not present.

How To Start 'PortableApps.com Platform':

          Download one of the package listed above. Install it in root directory of the pen drive. When you insert pen drive, you can start the menu by clicking 'StartPortableApps.exe' present in the pen drive. A system tray icon will appear which facilitates showing, hiding, closing the menu and also provides interface for safely removing pen drive.

Application supported by portableApps.com: There are various sections on Application page at portableApps.com. Some of the popular portable apps in each sections are listed below.

• Accessibility:
  1. On-Screen Keyboard: On-screen keyboard.
  2. Virtual Magnifying Glass: Screen magnifier.
• Development:
  1. Notepad++: Text editor.
  2. Nvu & KompoZer: Web editors.
• Education:
  1. Stellarium: Planetarium like google earth.
• Games:
  1. DOSBox: Play classic DOS games on Windows Vista.
  2. Sudoku: Puzzle game.
• Graphics & Pictures:
  1. GIMP: Photo and Image Editor.
• Internet:
  1. Mozilla Firefox: Web browser.
  2. Mozilla Thunderbird: Email client.
  3. Pidgin: IM client for gmail, yahoo, MSN etc.
  4. WinWGet: Manage downloads on the go.
  5. FileZilla: FTP client.
• Music & Video:
  1. VLC Media Player: Media player
• Office:
  1. OpenOffice: word processor, spreadsheet, presentations with Microsoft compatibility.
  2. AbiWord: Word processor compatible with Microsoft Word files.
  3. Sumatra PDF: PDF viewer.
• Utilities:
  1. 7-Zip: File archiver and compressor.
  2. ClamWin: Antivirus.
  3. Eraser: Securely delete files and data.

These things can be done with portableapps.com platform: Visit 'PortableApps.com Platform and Suite Support' page

1. Add .paf.exe app to the menu:
             Download the '.paf.exe' file for the app to add from portableapps.com. The downloaded '.paf.exe' file is a html file and when you click on it, it will prompt for downloading .paf.exe installer (executable).After downloading the installer go to menu and click options - Add a New App - Install and then select the '.paf.exe'(installer) file.
2. Add standalone app to the menu:
             To add standalone portable app, create a directory in 'PortableApps' directory and place it's files in it.
3. Removing an app from the menu:
             To uninstall an app, delete the app directory from 'PortableApps' directory
4. Rename an app in menu:
             To rename an app, right-click on it, enter new name and click OK. To reset name to the original name, clear the text from the rename box.
5. Hide an app in menu:
             To hide an app from menu, rename it to minus sign (-). To get the app back in list, edit the PortableAppsMenu.ini file within 'PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data' directory and remove the entry appname\appnameportable.exe=true within the [AppsHidden] section.
6. Run an app as administrator:
             To run a portable app as another user, hold down the control button while clicking it.
7. Add a personal image on the menu:
8. Use built-in wallpaper swapper:
             You can set to change the wallpaper on the PC to your own while it is running the platform and change it back when you exit. To set wallpaper, save a .bmp file in 'Documents\Pictures' directory and name it as 'portableapps_wallpaper.bmp'. You can also add a 'portableapps_wallpaper_wide.bmp' file which will be used on widescreen displays.
9. Change menu startup location:
             Move the menu wherever you want. Menu remembers it's relative position on the screen and start up at that same location even if you move to another PC.
10. Rename PortableApps.com-Enabled drive:
              To rename PortableApps.com-enabled drive, click on the drive name in the lower left corner of the menu, type in the new name and click the ">" button or press enter. Reinsert the drive for the new name to show up in Windows Explorer.
11. Change language of the platform
12. Backup settings (Bookmarks, Email, Preferences, etc.)
13. Start Minimized, Disable Fading, Remain Visible, Hide Desktop, Transparency etc.:

Safe Portable App-ing: Visit 'safe App-ing' page

1. Use an antivirus program on your portable device, like ClamWin Portable, and keep its virus definitions up to date.
2. Scan your PC and portable drive for viruses on a regular basis.
3. Always wait until the drive access light has stopped blinking and then click the icon in your system tray to 'Safely Remove' your device. Don't just remove it. Just because the application's window is closed doesn't mean the app has fully closed and finished writing to the disk.
4. Back up on a regular basis, both your applications and your files.

Download more portable apps:
          Here are links to website containing huge collection of Portable apps which you can install along with PortableApps.com platform.

1. http://www.pendriveapps.com
2. http://www.portablefreeware.com

Related Posts:

• Installing Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7 from USB (GUI Tool)

Leave a comment

---