Portable Apps: Thumbdrive Heaven

A true Portable App:

• Must run without installation.
• Must run on older versions of Windows.
• Must not have any connection with Internet Explorer, audio or video codecs, DirectX, etc.
• Must not write settings to the registry or local file system.
• Must not leave any trace on the host machine, even when the app crashes.
• Must run with guest access rights.
• Must be able to adapt to USB drive letter changes.

I carry some programs and a few utilities I love like Ztree and PSPad on a thumbdrive on my keychain, handy for when I am asked to work on someone else's computer. Having these programs available has saved me a lot of time and hassle, and I would not like to be without them.

Here are some sources for Portable Apps:

This site has A number of applications and also the PortableApps Suite, which includes the integrated PortableApps.com Menu and the PortableApps.com Backup utility along with a set of custom icons, an autoplay configuration, folders and a quick start shortcut. In addition, the package includes:

• Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition (web browser)
• Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition (email)
• Mozilla Sunbird, Portable Edition (calendar/tasks)
• ClamWin Portable (antivirus)
• Pidgin Portable (instant messaging)
• Sumatra PDF Portable (PDF reader
• KeePass Password Safe Portable (password manager)
• Sudoku Portable (game)
• Mines-Perfect Portable (game)
• CoolPlayer+ Portable (audio player)
• OpenOffice.org Portable* (office suite)
  - Writer (word processor)
  - Calc (spreadsheet)
  - Impress (presentations)
  - Base (database utility)
  - Draw (drawing)

If the PortableApps doesn't offer enough or you can't find what you need, The Portable Freeware Collection will probably have what you are looking for, and more besides, with over 1400 additional applications and games.

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