QUESTION: Efficacy of Running Portable Apps on Internal Hard Drive ?

Hello, Power Users:

I imagine this question has been asked often... but I can NOT find it anywhere... in this forum... or Google Search... PortableApps.com... but could not find an answer to this question:

• What is the efficacy or downside of copying and running portable apps to a notebook SSD or HDD?

Copying a PORTABLE APP is CLEANER than an installation... and would eliminate the constant drive fragmentation associated with software installs.

What am I missing in connecting the dots? LOL.

Thanks in advance for prompt and detailed responses.

~ Alan

Fragmentation isn't an issue, as by default automatic maintenance regularly defragments the drive anyway.

The main downside is that a Portable App takes a little longer to load when you first open it. There's a portable app environment that has to be loaded first. Once opened, there seems to be little difference.

It is going to be a little harder for Windows to find and manage portable software, especially if you want to use them as default, you would have to assign them manually. By the way, even portable software writes something to the registry, otherwise it would not work, you will just have Windows apps and Portable apps separate and that is it. It is not better or worse, it is just optional. I use PatchMyPC, which auto-downloads and auto-installs most software for me, similar to PortableApps, which I also use, but only on my USB.

ab1kenobee said:

Copying a PORTABLE APP is CLEANER than an installation... and would eliminate the constant drive fragmentation associated with software installs.

Unless you do not intend to update them, there is always going to be drive fragmentation.

The problem is the common name "portable apps". Each portable app is different, it has different requirements, it was created using "cheats" to run portable and more robust apps, like office, require more integration to Windows. Portable name only guarantees, that you can run it without installing, nothing else. Take an on-demand scanner Zemana portable for example, you run and then remove it, but it install 2 drivers, which keeps running forever and might conflict with realtime AV, like cause BSOD.

Sorry for a bit off topic but I have deleted Zemana portable after finding what you posted. I had to use Autoruns in admin mode to delete the ZAM drivers, reboot then clean the registry and files from C:\Windows and C:\Windows\System32\drivers folders. That IS NOT A PORTABLE if you ask me. Services and registry?

I really appreciate the heads up on that. I will never use their program again.

Many thanks @TairikuOkami

True portable apps does not install any drivers, nor install any keys in the registry. You can run portable apps from any medium that has some sort of write support, since they still need to store their configuration somewhere. That is local HDDs, Thumb Drives and Memory Cards.

I have been using portable apps exactly for this reason, on devices/computers where my user account has had limited access. If my above statement weren't true, I could never run portable apps on these devices because of permission restrictions.