Giveawayoftheday
in [Freeware]
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From: Dave on 31 Dec 2006 06:13 FWIW, I install it then activate it. I then copy the entire folder to a CDRW. Then uninstall it from the computer using the usual add/remove in winxp. Copying the folder back seems to work for me as a no-install program. There may be some drawbacks but I am not aware of them yet. No doubt someone will enlighten me. Regards Dave
From: red nosed reindeer on 31 Dec 2006 06:20 which app are you referring to? "Dave" <dave(a)gmail.no-spam.com> wrote in message news:45979b73$0$8740$ed2619ec(a)ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net... > FWIW, I install it then activate it. I then copy the entire folder to a > CDRW. Then uninstall it from the computer using the usual add/remove in > winxp. Copying the folder back seems to work for me as a no-install > program. There may be some drawbacks but I am not aware of them yet. No > doubt someone will enlighten me. > > Regards > > Dave
From: Dave on 31 Dec 2006 11:47 Brian Arthur Robertson wrote: > Dave wrote: >> FWIW, I install it then activate it. I then copy the entire folder to >> a CDRW. Then uninstall it from the computer using the usual add/remove >> in winxp. Copying the folder back seems to work for me as a no-install >> program. There may be some drawbacks but I am not aware of them yet. >> No doubt someone will enlighten me. > > This probably isn't a true no-install technique, as the program is > probably relying on registry entries and folders that were created > during and after installation, that weren't removed during the > un-install process. You can test this by copying over a GOTD program to > a computer that never had it previously. > > Well it was installed on one computer then the folder copied to another computer. Ran okay. Well atleast I haven't seen any negative effects yet. :-) Tried with Astra, Able Midi and thumb nail creator. No problems......so far! Dave
From: Ron May on 31 Dec 2006 12:13 On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 11:13:48 +0000, Dave <dave(a)gmail.no-spam.com> wrote: > FWIW, I install it then activate it. I then copy the entire folder to a > CDRW. Then uninstall it from the computer using the usual add/remove in > winxp. Copying the folder back seems to work for me as a no-install > program. There may be some drawbacks but I am not aware of them yet. No > doubt someone will enlighten me. > As Brian pointed out, that probably doesn't make most apps portable. First, setup programs usually create files and folders the software needs to operate (to store data, etc.,) install and register any .dll or .ocx files it needs, and also to make registry changes to remember things like your preferences and MRU list. (I wish more authors would revert back to putting everything in the progrram's working directory with the option to put the data files elsewhere. That would make more programs portable.) Second, in the case of software that needs to be registered, the key is usually stored in HKLM/Software or HKCU/Software rather than in the ..ini file, so you have to hunt for it. Example: For today's GOTD offering, Total Doc Converter, the registration key is stored in: HKCU\Software\Helmsman\TotalDocConverter - "Key" Sometimes the key is simple to find. Other times not so much. One technique I have used is to install the program, run it once, close it, then open up Sysintenals/Winternals Regmon. After clearing results and making sure capture is on, I click "Activate.exe." I then close capture, and either scroll or search results for program name, vendor name or whatever I think will narrow the results. If you're looking for a key on software that's already installed, RegSeeker works pretty well as an alternative. Now what? From the editor of your choice, export the key to a .reg file. In the above, I exported all of HKCU\Software\Helmsman\ which is only 750 bytes anyway. I put one copy in the program's working directory, and another in the downloaded .zip file. Now if I need to write the key down, I can open the .reg file in notepad. If I need to reinstall the program later for whatever reason, I can extract the .zip file, run setup, run the program once, close it, then merge the .reg file and I'm good to go. Alternatively, if the program allows it, I can register by a copy/paste of just the key value from the .reg file. Does that violate the EULA? Maybe, but I think I'm within "fair use" as long as I did the first install within the required time, I don't redistribute a key to others, and I only reinstall on a new drive in the same (or direct replacement) computer. Is it worth the effort? Probably not. I'm likely to uninstall TotalDocConverter as I just used it for tutorial purposes in this post. Readers have more than 14 hours left as I write this to check the technique for themselves. -- Ron M.
From: Ron May on 31 Dec 2006 12:34
On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 11:13:39 -0600, Ron May <mayron(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > Example: For today's GOTD > offering, Total Doc Converter, the registration key is stored in: Followup: In terms of being useful, BTW, this program sucks. It failed to convert most of the files I tried, and the results were poor on most of the rest. It's probably better to use a combination of programs most of us already have. -- Ron M. |