PackageFactory Enables Any Windows Program To Run On U3 Drive

I've used this before and it's great. Of course, it can't convert just anything but it'll easily turn already-portable software into U3 versions.

After I found GeekMenu, however, I stripped out the U3 from my drive to gain a little space and a lot more flexibility.

I've used this before and it's great. Of course, it can't convert just anything but it'll easily turn already-portable software into U3 versions.

After I found GeekMenu, however, I stripped out the U3 from my drive to gain a little space and a lot more flexibility.

Does anyone know of a program like this that works with the portable apps launcher?

I just bundle everything into a 7-zip sfx package, set up to extract to and run from the Temp directory. Setting up a package is not quite a point-and-shoot affair, though.

A lot of people I know - myself included - have gotten fed up with U3 leaving "residue" on our PCs and now disable it on any new USB sticks we get. I prefer leaner, less-intrusive, hand-picked apps.

...except for the one U3 drive I set up to silently steal any passwords, MRU lists, and other information it can get from a host PC. Strictly as a security demonstration, of course.

taodude

good god why? U3 is the most horrible POS ever. Whenever I get new Thumb drives, the first thing I do is get the removal tool and get rid of it.

FrancesTheMute

Who still uses U3?!

U3. Ugh!

pkoutoul

I guess I shouldn't have removed the U3 platform from all of my San Disk drives FIRST THING. Ph well, I really like PortableApps.

crichton007

Thinapp/Thinstaller anyone?

Why would you use U3? It sucks, I always uninstall it first thing with every new sandisk usb stick. If you want portable apps just use Portableapps.com or copy your portable apps to your portable storage device.

Lior Bakalu

@crichton007: U3 Launcher can be reinstall anytime. Just go the drivers/support page on Sandisk website.

thexile

@crichton007: U3 Launcher can be reinstall anytime. Just go the drivers/support page on Sandisk website.

thexile

The thing I like about U3 is the feature where you can lock down the entire drive with a single password, without having to open TrueCrypt. Does anybody know if I can get this feature elsewhere?

person_x

U3? - I haven't heard about that in ages, it's so old. PortableApps FTW!

photoben

I've been using U3 for quite some time now and I while I like the PortableApps platform better, I agree that the ability to lock it down with one point of access is what keep me sticking with it. If someone can show me how to do so on the PA platform, I'm all about it.

Steven Brown

@FrancesTheMute: Agreed, I HATE U3.

When I first bought a U3 memory stick, I thought I could just reformat to get rid of it. Haha, I lose. It took me several attempts to realize that you can't get rid of U3 via reformatting, and my reformatting attempts made it a lot harder to get rid of it.

I now refuse to buy a U3 stick.

aj_robins

@kamron_1:

Looks good if you have $6000 to spend.

Essequamvideri7

I use DCoT Menu but PortableApps is pretty nice. I just do not know how to add non-portable apps to it the way that is being described here.

Essequamvideri7

U3 does not suck contrary to the fanboi's here. it's very useful for clients and this app makes it really easy to make our custom recovery apps U3 ready so they go in and run without the customer having to do anything. U3 also get's past the usb no-run settings by using the CD "fakery" they have. so that helps as well.

timgray

I remember when U3 first came out, I was on the GeekSquad then. When they started using it, they [i]demanded[/i] a removal solution... I don't really like how much of an intrusion it is, but I'm also the type of person to bring my laptop with me almost anywhere (So I see its use for people who use public PCs... personally, I just use portable firefox and web apps)

Paul Little

Be careful when reinstalling U3. It might format your flashdrive.

arekkusu82

I remember when U3 first came out, I was on the GeekSquad then. When they started using it, they [i]demanded[/i] a removal solution... I don't really like how much of an intrusion it is, but I'm also the type of person to bring my laptop with me almost anywhere (So I see its use for people who use public PCs... personally, I just use portable firefox and web apps)

Paul Little

Package Factory sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. As far as U3, it's quite handy on locked down systems. One will notice when using portable apps not all are "stealth" which means FF will not run on a locked down system.

Of course, the best option is Thinstalled Apps or Xenecode apps--some are available for free online--legit.

And, if one is tricky, the .iso on a U3 can be tricked into running an .iso Linux distro with some tweaks using MagicIso.

rainbowsky

Package Factory sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. As far as U3, it's quite handy on locked down systems. One will notice when using portable apps not all are "stealth" which means FF will not run on a locked down system.

Of course, the best option is Thinstalled Apps or Xenecode apps--some are available for free online--legit.

And, if one is tricky, the .iso on a U3 can be tricked into running an .iso Linux distro with some tweaks using MagicIso.

rainbowsky

@timgray: Just make sure your clients don't go plugging in just any old U3 drive - an aqaintance had his upper-filters trashed by pluggins in a friends possibly modified U3 drive.

taodude

@timgray: Just make sure your clients don't go plugging in just any old U3 drive - an aqaintance had his upper-filters trashed by pluggins in a friends possibly modified U3 drive.

taodude

Has anybody tried getting something ridiculous working with this, say, Microsoft Office?

nocturnal99

Has anybody tried getting something ridiculous working with this, say, Microsoft Office?

nocturnal99

@Babboa: Not per se but they have one called AppCompactor It's part of the suite I believe. It doesn't make an installer specifically for PortableApps but it does shrink down apps to put onto a thumb drive.

brodiemac

Bah, I tried this with the latest SlingPlayer, and it doesn't seem to work. The program is in the U3 launcher, but nothing happens. Now to figure out how to uninstall programs added this way...

ackthbbft

@aj_robins: just use the removal tool

freddyg

@[lifehacker.com]

mnerd

@nocturnal99: Thin App / Thinstall works with office

johnsmith1234

@nocturnal99: Thin App / Thinstall works with office

johnsmith1234

@[www.rohos.com]

johnsmith1234

@[www.rohos.com]

johnsmith1234

@Essequamvideri7: Or can spend 3 seconds on isohunt to download a 3 MB program.

johnsmith1234

@Essequamvideri7: Or can spend 3 seconds on isohunt to download a 3 MB program.

johnsmith1234

With THIS application, as in PackageFactory, not ThinApp or Thinstall.

And I was wondering the same thing, might try it out later..

tylerf

has anyone ever used Ceedo? i once talked with a friend that told me that you can install most apps directly on a drive containing Ceedo, the apps are being installed virtually on the fly into the drive, so no pre-packaging is necessary. can anyone approve?

KathyCharon

Nice, just wondering does it run the programs from the usb drive and do the programs have to install on the Computer your using?

VenitaCosta

Two points:

1. As mentioned, all this does is make it so you can get an ALREADY PORTABLE APP to appear in the U3 menu. That's it. It does not make a non-portable app portable.

2. You can use any portable or semi-portable apps you want within the PortableApps.com Menu just by dropping them on your drive... no need to jump through hoops and package them.
[portableapps.com]

Sounds similar to VMWare's ThinApp tool, which does not need a U3 drive. Basically, it bundles a small virtual machine with the software install. And yes, I have (successfully) ThinApp'd Office 2007. Works great!

kz26

Too bad the U3 launcher idea died a long time ago.

MePerson

@johnsmith1234: Thanks! I see it's got a 2GB limit on the encrypted drive portion, but I suppose that's fair for a freeware version.

person_x

@Xanderificus: I did the same thing for the exact same reason!

@Xanderificus: Right on! Geek.Menu FTW!

Rett Gerst

@Xanderificus: Right on! Geek.Menu FTW!

Rett Gerst

Crysis?

Crysis?

u3 the software isn' the best in the world, I would uninstalled it from my FD, would rather just dump the individual program files folder on the FD, or head over to portableapps.com, less bloat.

lbrtdy

u3 the software isn' the best in the world, I would uninstalled it from my FD, would rather just dump the individual program files folder on the FD, or head over to portableapps.com, less bloat.

lbrtdy

Delete U3 and install pstart or portableapps move on. Nothing to see here. Oh, and see [www.portablefreeware.com] for a full list of portable and hackably portable apps--LOTS of them for any possible use.

cisengineer

Delete U3 and install pstart or portableapps move on. Nothing to see here. Oh, and see [www.portablefreeware.com] for a full list of portable and hackably portable apps--LOTS of them for any possible use.

cisengineer

Sounds interesting. Wonder if I can re-U3 the drives I've removed U3 from?

Capone

@Capone: You can re-download the program from the website of your drives.

Though this program isn't anything new, that better launcher's can't do.

For the few people who do like U3 and already use it, great, otherwise it's not worth going out and getting U3 back on your drive.

@Lior Bakalu: Amen

bonneyt

PF only works for programs which do not write to the registry and don't use files from other places on your computer than the program's folder. See [vanilla.birth-online.de] for a detailed explanation.

@kz26: This sounds more like my idea of a portable app. ... wrap the program with whatever it's expecting at launch, a Windows blanket, so to speak. So that, for example, a program like Winamp is never wanting for a Windows environment, no matter what computer is host. I don't mean using WINE either. I'm thinking of something more elegant than that.

paintbox

@taodude: and how you do this ??