run any app off a USB drive?

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wonkotheinsane
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run any app off a USB drive?

Post by wonkotheinsane » Mon, 30 Aug 2010 2:46 pm

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?
Wonko Insane

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Strong Eagle
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Post by Strong Eagle » Mon, 30 Aug 2010 3:13 pm

Running Office from a USB drive would violate the license terms for MS Office which states that the product can be run on one computer.

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nakatago
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Post by nakatago » Mon, 30 Aug 2010 3:18 pm

some applications do not require to refer to files specific to your computer and which are also outside the app's directories. that said, it is rare for a windows application to do or supports a mode that does this. there are some but they are rare.

although iirc, tor and some browser somehow supports something like this. too lazy to look it up though.
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."

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Post by x9200 » Mon, 30 Aug 2010 3:37 pm

An universal solution:
1. buy or download a retail version of your favorite OS (YFOS)
2. install a virtual machine client on the PCs you are going to use or use a liveCD/bootable USB OS containing such client
3. install YFOS and desired application on a virtual partition (partition image) on the thumb drive
4. enjoy your favorite apps everywhere or die waiting depending on the host machine and USB device performance

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Saint
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Post by Saint » Mon, 30 Aug 2010 4:46 pm

Tic Toc Tic Toc

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durain
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Post by durain » Tue, 31 Aug 2010 5:25 pm

just in case it is not a tic toc tic toc, you will need virtualized applications to run off a USB FD something like mokafive, creedo or U3.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Tue, 31 Aug 2010 6:09 pm

It was a tic toc but I neutered him yesterday, but as the thread already some useful replies, I left the post.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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aster
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Post by aster » Sat, 04 Sep 2010 2:42 am

There is a version of Open Office that one can run off a pendrive.

Back in the day when I was still running a Windows-based PC I had most of my software on a thumb drive, including the above mentioned office freebie, ftp, browser, even a virus scanner.

If you still use Windows and want to run as much stuff off of a usb drive as possible then portableapps.com is a good place to find what you're looking for.

Personally I'd recommend switching to a Mac, after the initial month of pain comes a feeling of satisfaction and the "glad I did it" approach. There's no going back once you make the hop. :)

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