What is a portable version of the program? What is the Portable version of a program or application?

Portable programs do not require installation on a computer and do not make any changes to the system during operation. Thus, the user can download to his flash drive a set of portable applications that he needs for work, after which he will be able to work on any device. Perhaps they will not work as fast and will use more computer resources, however, such a set of programs for all occasions will not harm anyone.

Who produces such programs

For the most part, the creation and distribution of such software is carried out by enthusiasts and hobbyists who want to make it convenient for themselves or others. However, sometimes official developers release portable versions of their programs, in these cases they can be downloaded directly from the official website.

The best portable apps

This section will provide a list of portable programs that the user may need for comfortable work.

OpenOffice

One of the most important programs for any job. OpenOffice provides many tools for editing and creating documents, it contains analogues of word, excel and other utilities from Microsoft. At the same time, he is able to open documents from the usual office and edit them. However, there is a downside: you won’t be able to save these documents with the usual extensions; in addition, various bugs often occur during conversion.

However, if you use only native document formats, many problems can be avoided. Do not forget that this product distributed freely and is available for free. In addition, the interface is very similar to its Microsoft counterpart, so understanding it will not be difficult.

Opera USB

An ordinary and familiar browser, which differs practically nothing from its older brother, can be downloaded directly from the official website https://www.opera.com/ru/computer/portable.

The interface is the same as in the stationary version, so it won’t surprise the user with anything special.

Mozilla FireFox, Portable Edition

The popular browser has also been given a makeover by fans and is now available as a portable program.

The same functions for viewing pages on the Internet, the ability installing extensions and adding bookmarks, as in the regular version. All this makes the portable utility almost indistinguishable from a regular one.

Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition

The email client from a well-known developer also did not escape the fate of becoming an application that does not require installation. A convenient client will allow the user to always stay in touch and easily exchange mail. After one-time setup, you can take the portable program with you anywhere and use your usual mailer.

Mozilla Sunbird, Portable Edition

This is a portable application that is electronic version of the organizer, also available in portable format. It will allow the user to record important dates and meetings, and the simple interface will prevent confusion.

VLC Media Player Portable

The good old player, which has long been firmly established on users’ computers. At the same time, it has the same functionality as a regular one. Will allow user configure sound levels, create playlists and so on.

With this application, you can have your favorite music with you on any device, sorted the way you like.

FastStone Image Viewer

A well-known portable application in Russian that allows view and sort graphic images, can be downloaded for free from the official website http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDownload.htm.

Allows open images in a variety of formats, can also help change color shades, create slide shows and many other functions that can make it indispensable on a flash drive with portable programs.

Sumatra PDF Portable

This utility allows open files not only in PDF format, but also in almost all others in which e-books are published, you can download it from the developer’s page https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/download-free-pdf-viewer.html.

It has an extremely concise interface, available in 60 languages.

WinRAR Unplugged

This utility needs no introduction, the same excellent archiver in a portable version, you can download it directly from the developer http://www.win-rar.ru/product/unplugged/.

MediaInfo

A simple and free portable utility that allows you to get complete and detailed information about media files, can also provide a link to the codec you will need for playback.

Wise Care

A program that can clean your computer of junk, also clean the registry and optimize performance, is also available in a version that does not require installation. The interface is simple and concise, so it will not be difficult for the user to understand it.

Snappy Driver Installer

This utility will always help you check your system and find outdated or missing drivers. After which they can be downloaded and updated directly from here. A very necessary and powerful tool if the user often has to move from machine to machine.

Any Video Converter

Utility is easy allows you to convert one video format to another, there is also the possibility of conversion for smartphones and other devices. It has a small editing suite, allows you to cut out parts of the video, capture the screen and add subtitles.

AdwCleaner

An excellent program that will allow you to completely scan your computer and remove all advertisers from it, and also chop off all the tails from malware, which could remain after their removal. https://ru.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/

Portable Deep Burner

A good application that will allow you burn discs and copy information from one to another, may be useful if the device does not have such programs. https://www.deepburner.com/?r=products&pr=deepburner&prr=portable_edition

Dr.Web CureIt!

An antivirus program from a well-known developer will allow you to completely scan the system for threats and eliminate them, at the same time, all this is absolutely free and does not require installation on a computer. It is always useful to have such a utility with you, especially if you often have to use unfamiliar computers.

https://free.drweb.ru/cureit/

7-Zip Portable

The well-known and well-proven archiver is also available in a portable version.

How to make a portable application

If necessary, the user can create a program portable himself. You can use several applications for this. PortableApps will allow the user to select from a huge list of utilities exactly those that he needs. After which they will be recorded on a portable drive. The program also allows you to make backup copies of documents.

LiberKey The program is also quite easy to use.
After launching it, you can download from the developers’ website those utilities that the user needs in a portable format, and then write them to a flash drive.

Safety of use

Most of these programs are made by other people without installation on a computer, and therefore are located on different sources. That's why it's worth choose carefully the location from which the download will take place. After downloading, you should definitely check the program with an antivirus; it is in them that most malware likes to be embedded. It would also be a good idea to check its functionality first on virtual machine, in case of infection it does not take long to clean it.

My pleasure. Well, let's start with the fact that both the author of the article and you call these programs incorrectly. Moreover, almost the entire RuNet names these programs incorrectly. All because of the English word “portable”, which was transformed into “portable” by someone else. In fact, this word is translated as “portable”. And the correct translation practically answers your second question. After all, portable means portable, mobile, etc. That is, a portable program is a program that can be transferred (on a flash drive, for example) and does not need to be installed on a computer. If we're going to explain it in a nutshell, we should start with the fact that when downloading a program, as a rule, it is specified on the source website whether the program is portable or installable. Let's move on. Regular (installed) programs are executable file, by launching which you begin the installation. As a rule, by default, programs are installed along the path C:\Program Files\XXX, where XXX is the program folder (most often named after the program). But the user, if desired, can install the program in another location he needs, and even on another disk (if there is one). And in this folder there is a lot of XXX different files, thanks to which the program works correctly. Also, installed programs are also registered in the registry, but that’s another story (I think you don’t need this). But portable programs do not require installation. The executable file itself launches the program. The user can place this file in any folder convenient for him, or on a flash drive to run later on another computer. I would also like to note that portable programs are different. There are some that require unpacking, not to be confused with installation. This applies to powerful programs, from a number of Adobe or games. Portable programs have many advantages: they do not require installation, they work on just installed Windows, all settings are saved in their database without affecting the system registry, they can be used on any computer under Windows system, they take up much less space than the installation version and 99% do not leave any traces on the PC. If you want to determine whether a program on your computer is portable or not, I suggest using this option: right-click on the program shortcut, select “Properties” from the drop-down menu and select the “Details” tab in the window that opens. If among the lines that appear there is a line “Path to folder” with a specified path, then the program is installable, but if there is no such line, then it is portable. Good luck.

A portable or portable, standalone program is not installed on the system and can be launched from a removable disk, such as a flash drive.There is special software for converting an installed program on a computer into a portable version, but this can also be done using archivers (WinRAR and 7-Zip), which are usually already installed. If they are not there, you can download them from the official websites for your system:
WinRAR 7-Zip Now let’s select the application that we want to make portable (I’ll show it using Lightshot as an example), it must be installed on the computer.
1) To correctly display the launch button of our future portable program, we need its icon (icon). Right-click on the shortcut and select “File Location”:
If in the folder where the program is located we do not find a file with the extension:

then select a file with the extension:

and transfer it to the desktop:
By right-clicking on it from context menu select “7-Zip” and “Extract to ...”:
A folder will appear on the desktop in which we will find the files we need (application icons). For now, let’s leave this folder alone, because... We will need it at the very end:
2) Return the file from the desktop back to the program folder and select everything in it, except attachments with

Select “Add to archive” from the menu:
Next, all settings will go to WinRAR:
3) In the “General” tab, check the “Create SFX archive” and “Create continuous archive” checkboxes, and the compression method is “Maximum”:
4) In the “Advanced” tab, click the “SFX Options” button and in the drop-down box put “1” in the empty field (this is the name of the temporary folder and what we enter makes no difference), and below we check “Create in the current folder”:
5) Next to the “Installation” tab, enter the command to launch the application (the portable program will launch when you click on its shortcut), the same file that we tormented at the beginning:

Exe

6) The next tab is “Modes”, here we check the box “Extract to temporary folder” and “Hide all” (so that unnecessary things do not become an eyesore):
7) And finally, go to the “Text and Graphics” tab, where at the bottom “Load SFX icon from file” click “Browse” and find our folder created in the first point, and there we select the program icon:
In principle, the last and first points are needed for the beauty of the display, and in order to quickly make a portable version of the program, you can do without them. Next, in all windows, click “Yes” and after the conversion is complete, our portable version will appear in the same folder where it is located installed program with extension

Now you can transfer the program to a removable device and use it on any computer by running directly from there:

Video review:

Which became quite popular when inexpensive removable storage media appeared, and has not surprised anyone for a long period of time, but constant debate about the advantages and disadvantages does not subside to this day. There are users who praise. Others, on the contrary, scold. Still others both praise and criticize. Let's approach this issue rationally and determine whether the software development can be considered the best solution.

Those who do not approve of portable soft are equally right as those who idolize it. This is because applications that are portable and require installation have certain advantages/disadvantages. Let's look at the biggest pros and cons of portable software, which will allow us to decide on the most profitable solution.

1. An indisputable advantage of a “portable”, of course, is the ability, in most cases, to run from a removable storage device - a flash drive, optical disk, etc. With the help of this mobility, the user will be able to work with his favorite applications in an Internet cafe or office, on any computer. You will only need to insert the flash drive into the USB port and select the required file.

2. Portable software leaves no traces in the registry. Of course, this statement is not entirely true. Each application, even the smallest one, creates various entries in the system registry during startup. Their number is incomparable to the case when you have to work with installation packages of standard applications. Ordinary software is literally written into the registry structure. When the key is deleted, the software simply stops working. With portable applications this case is excluded.

3. Portable soft, which should be clear, there is no need to install it. It's very easy to work with him. Some classical programs during installation they create about five to six separate requests to the user. Thus, deadlock situations cannot be ruled out - you have to check the box next to one or another option.

4. The file system does not become clogged personal computer. Apart from the Program Files folder, where the program is located by default, during installation the utility copies the necessary files to the system directory, Common Files, also in Documents and Settings. When an application is uninstalled, individual file entries are retained. As a result, it becomes clogged file system, which begins to resemble a landfill. This cannot be said about portable applications that save their files in one directory.

5. Performance after reinstallation operating system. If you decide to uninstall Windows, in this situation you will need to get rid of all installed applications. Of course, they will have to be reinstalled later. When it comes to portable software, you can copy the required folder to a removable drive, and when the reinstallation of the operating system is completed, transfer it back and continue working as if nothing happened. But, as practice shows, this method does not work in all cases.

6. In addition, the bulk of portable software is distributed absolutely free. In this case, special licenses, keys, keygens, cracks and other kinds of tricks are not needed to work.

There are also certain negative aspects to portable programs.
The reader may consider them not serious enough, but believe me, this is not so!

1. Slow work. Individual portable editions of applications, especially large ones, e.g. Photoshop or Word, can often slow down.

2. If there is poor quality porting, such applications in some cases do not work correctly. You can find a lot in common with paid software - you need to indicate a license code, trial editions are often used, and more.

3. Incompatibility (correlation) with many software products, as well as modules, due to the lack of registration in the internal part system registry. This condition may cause one application to no longer detect another. For example, the portable edition of Photoshop may not work or may have errors. The same applies to various plugins and other add-ons.

4. Not every portable software can be launched from removable media without creating a large number of errors on the pages of the magazine called “System”. Note that using system disk“S” does not lead to such troubles.

5. Problem with updating in automatic mode. Many portable applications do not notify the user when a new edition is available.

6. When a reinstallation occurs, in some cases you have to understand the local options, save directories, and configure the interface. However, this does not happen with every portable utility.

7. In general, large and powerful applications are difficult to port, so various useful functions, and also fine settings programmers completely refuse.

8. The biggest drawback of portable applications can be considered reduced functionality. This can be seen when working with large and powerful utilities. In such cases, individual functionality either missing or acting incorrectly.

Let's sum it up
It is clear that the two types of software have both negative and positive sides. In one case we see mobility, convenience and simplicity (portable applications), in the other - good functionality and stability (applications that require installation). Giving preference to any one option is probably extreme. Chance occupies an important place in our lives. Where installation applications cannot be used, good decision There will be portable software, in the opposite situation - regular applications. Maybe portable developments will make a loud statement in the future... Let's not rush things for now. It is impossible to say that portable utilities today can completely replace installation ones!

A few years ago, a very popular trend arose - the creation of the so-called. “portable” (in English - portable) versions of programs. For those who are not in the know, I’ll explain what it is.

We must download the “regular” program (or otherwise obtain a distribution kit), install and use it. If we need this program on another computer, the operation will have to be repeated. If we need on these two computers this program has been configured in a certain way, you will often need to repeat the setup procedure twice.

Portable programs are a completely different matter. No installation is required, just run the executable file and use it. At the same time, often all the program settings and user data that are stored in it are located in the folder of this program. If we transfer this folder to a flash drive, and insert the flash drive into another computer, then we can use our program, with our own settings and data. Profit.

This official version, and this is no longer small. However, there are many more interesting points.

In this article I will try to prove to you that even within the same computer, sometimes it is more convenient to use a portable application than a regular one. For example, we'll take a browser. Namely, a portable version of the well-known FireFox.

So, instead of installing FireFox in the usual way and using it, we download its portable version and start using it as the main browser on our computer. What advantages do we get from this?

So, plus the first one. If you frequently reinstall your system, you won't have to save and then restore your bookmarks, themes, and extensions every time. You just need to launch your portable browser and continue using it as if the reinstallation never happened! You will save everything - your browsing history, saved passwords, cookies, etc.

The second plus is no less important. Installers of many programs and games consider it their duty to tinker with your browser - set, for example, a different default search engine, change home page or add some panel. I don’t know about you, but this infuriates me. And a portable browser solves this problem - because for such dishonest installers, it simply does not exist. It is not registered in the registry, it is not located in the Program Files folder... So they won’t crap into it.

The same problem is faced by many “malicious” programs (viruses) that carry out their hooligan actions on the browser installed on the system, finding it either through the registry, or, trivially, based on the fact that the path to, say, FireFox installed on the system 'y is the same on most machines (C:\Program Files\Mozilla…).

Finally, the third significant plus. Ease of manufacture backup copy. Yes, yes. Do you want to, say, experiment with your browser settings? Or install some obscure extension? Yes please! If we are talking about a portable version, just copy the folder in which it “lies” and experiment for your health - if you don’t like it, you will return it “as it was” in two clicks.

By the way, all the same advantages can be acquired by migrating to . Here you have the absence of viruses, and backup settings by simply copying the .mozilla folder in your home directory.

Finally, the entire portable browser can be “put” in Dropbox or another similar service, and thus have the same browser with the same settings, add-ons, history, bookmarks, etc. on several computers.

Well, in conclusion, all I have left to talk about is the wonderful site http://portableapps.com/. Actually, this is where you can find a portable version of FireFox, as well as many other programs. I recommend it.