Portable Apps. Is it worth it?


jbcarreon123

jbcarreon123

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Hi. I downloaded loads of apps in my PC that it is slowing down my drive. So, I think about Portable apps. I have an spare USB 16GB drive (2.0) that I will use. I now downloaded FF Portable, and other apps so my hard drive will good. Now, it is worth it?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    Core i5-12450HX
    Memory
    20GB DDR5-4800
    Graphics Card(s)
    iGPU + RTX 3050 Mobile (6GB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    the built-in laptop screen, and a generic monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1080p * 2
    Hard Drives
    GIGABYTE NVMe SSD 256GB (GP-GSM2NE3256GNTD)
    Micron NVMe SSD 512GB (MTFDKCD512QFM-1BDIAABLA)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    Core i3-2100
    Memory
    4GB DDR3-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    iGPU
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Antivirus
    WD
My experience with "portable" apps is that they don't have to be actually installed to run. But they still take up space somewhere.

I've not tried running them from USB sticks, so that may be the way to do it to prevent using disk space.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Ryzen 5600X
    Motherboard
    ASRock Steel Legend
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GT 710
    Sound Card
    None
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23",24", 19" - flat panels
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    None - only M.2 SATA and NVMe drives
    PSU
    750W
    Case
    Antec
    Cooling
    stock Wraith cooler
    Keyboard
    Corsair gaming
    Mouse
    Logitech M720
    Internet Speed
    1Gb
Hi there
Just having apps on a drive shouldn't affect its speed at all (unless drive - non SSD type) is critically full. If you've got poor disk performance then there's usually other problems such as very slow poor quality spinners with tiny cache and slow RPM, IDE type devices, over committed or incorrectly placed paging files, slow I/O bus on mobo etc etc.

In fact I could probably say that assuming sufficient RAM and not trying to run too many apps concurrently the biggest contributor I've seen to bad computer performance over the last 20 years or so has been dreadful I/O systems. - Even a mighty CRAY would run really slowly if it relied on Floppy Disks for its Disk I/O system !!!!.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205
?
To disable Defender scanning all external drives, you can run this command in PowerShell as Admin:
Set-MpPreference -DisableRemovableDriveScanning 1
?
Format to exFat
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205
jbcarreon123 said:
I have an spare USB 16GB drive (2.0) that I will use. I now downloaded FF Portable, and other apps so my hard drive will good. Now, it is worth it?
Click to expand...

Quite a few of my apps are the portable version from PortableApps.com. In some cases that's because the version from the author's site contained bundled 'junkware' in the installer (Portable Apps make a point of removing all such 'extras'). In other cases because I wanted to try it out without doing a full install, and ended up keeping it. I run all mine from a Portable Apps folder on my hard drive, so there's no real saving in drive space.

All apps inside a Portable Apps wrapper load a a portable registry environment from their folder and save any changes to this. When closed there is nothing left behind in your own registry. As a consequence they can be a little slower to load initially, but then run as fast as if fully installed. Mine include Audacity, LibreOffice, TreeSizeFree and IrfanView. Running from a USB will inevitably make the initial loading a bit slower.

I did try Firefox Portable on one machine where I had reasons for not wanting to do a full install. I was impressed by the fact that while using it FF issued an update, which the portable version applied just as if it was the full install.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, and 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package. In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media. Also running Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, Canary, and Release Preview builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Bree said:
Quite a few of my apps are the portable version from PortableApps.com. In some cases that's because the version from the author's site contained bundled 'junkware' in the installer (Portable Apps make a point of removing all such 'extras'). In other cases because I wanted to try it out without doing a full install, and ended up keeping it. I run all mine from a Portable Apps folder on my hard drive, so there's no real saving in drive space.

All apps inside a Portable Apps wrapper load a a portable registry environment from their folder and save any changes to this. When closed there is nothing left behind in your own registry. As a consequence they can be a little slower to load initially, but then run as fast as if fully installed. Mine include Audacity, LibreOffice, TreeSizeFree and IrfanView. Running from a USB will inevitably make the initial loading a bit slower.

I did try Firefox Portable on one machine where I had reasons for not wanting to do a full install. I was impressed by the fact that while using it FF issued an update, which the portable version applied just as if it was the full install.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I used it. Devs on Firefox doesn't have an portable version of FF. So, PortableApps.com is my only choice. Some apps is portable, and some is available portable.

I can use WinPE, but if I do it, it will make the ISO size like an multi-architecture and multi-edition Windows 10 install ISO.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo
    CPU
    Core i5-12450HX
    Memory
    20GB DDR5-4800
    Graphics Card(s)
    iGPU + RTX 3050 Mobile (6GB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    the built-in laptop screen, and a generic monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1080p * 2
    Hard Drives
    GIGABYTE NVMe SSD 256GB (GP-GSM2NE3256GNTD)
    Micron NVMe SSD 512GB (MTFDKCD512QFM-1BDIAABLA)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    Core i3-2100
    Memory
    4GB DDR3-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    iGPU
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Antivirus
    WD
If you install portable apps, you can back them up separately from a Windows system image. This is a definite advantage as separating your system image from your User data backup can be an advantage for many applications, like Firefox. Then again some people just like one big system image.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Photoshop/Audio/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 13900KS P/E cores 5.7/4.4 GHz, cache 5.0 GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero
    Memory
    96GB (2x48) G.skill Ripjaws 6800 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
    Sound Card
    Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 speakers; Audiolabs 7000a integrated amp; Logan Martin Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730 ColorEdge, ViewSonic VP2768
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p x 2
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850X 4TB nvme, SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black HDD
    PSU
    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850 ATX 3.0/PCI-E 5.0
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
    Cooling
    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan, 1 T30-120 fan cooling memory
    Keyboard
    Keychron Q3 Max TKL with custom GMK Redsuns Red Samuri keycaps, TX Stabs
    Mouse
    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
    Internet Speed
    500 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender, Macrium Reflect X ;-)
    Other Info
    Runs hot. LOL. SP: P116/E93/M93
    Phangkey Amaterasu V2 Desk Mat
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
    CPU
    Apple M1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
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