VMware ThinApp is an application virtualization tool that helps you build any types of portable application quite easily; though looks complicated (I think there is no need to discuss about the technical aspect of VMware ThinApp in this topic).

How to Build Portable Application Using VMware Thin App

1. Download (50MB) VMware Thin App (available for 60-day trial) and install it. Run it and click ‘Next’ button. Then click on ‘Prescan’ button (see screenshot).

2. Now, wait for a while. It will scan your current system state and create a snapshot of your system.

3. After finishing the Prescan process, it will ask you to install software that you want to make portable (see screenshot below). Minimize VMware Thin App to system tray and install any application that you want to make portable. In this tutorial, I have installed Firefox 9 (Nightly build).

4. After installation, open minimized VMware Thinapp, click on ‘Postscan’ button, and wait some time (see screenshot above). After finishing the process, click ‘Next, Next’ button.

5. Now, it will display a window as shown below. Choose the executable that you want to be the main container (Here it is Nightly.exe) and click ‘Next’ button.

6. Select ‘Everyone’ (to set permission to all users) and click ‘Next’ button.

7. Now select ‘Full write access to non-system directories’ (Merged Isolation Mode) and click “Next” button.

8. Then select ‘User profile’ and click ‘Next’ button.

9. Now enter your own inventory name or leave it as default. Then click ‘Next’ button.

10. In this window, you can choose ‘separate DAT file’ for portable app or choose only single exe files (I have selected separate DAT file), then click save button.

11 Finally, click on ‘Build’ button to create portable application for installed software.

12. After finishing the process, you will get your own portable application, which will run on any computer.
Copy your portable app (in this example both Nightly.dat and exe) on a pen drive and run the exe from any computer.

Hope you will enjoy this tutorial.

Download Opera 11 and run the installer, then click Options button (see screen-shot)

Now select ‘External device’ for ‘Install for’ and select USB drive or any directory for ‘Install path’ (see screen-shot below)

Now click ‘Accept and Install’ button. It’ll extract the content of Opera to the directory you specified. Just click the Opera icon from this directory to run your browser Opera or make a shortcut to your desktop (via – JKWebtalks)

Now, what is the main benefit of running applications in Portable mode? Portable editions will not touch your system settings or registry.

For each program, the user has four options: Check, Check & Download, Check & Run, Check & Silent Install and Don’t Check.

To use Portable Software Updater, place the executable in the portable software folder. If your portable programs are in different directories, just click the application’s name from the updater and select the program’s path.

You can also create a profile for your installed portable programs. Each time you start the Updater; this profile will automatically load so you need not to click each tab and programs over and over again for updating.

Download Portable Apps Updater

Taskbar Drop Shadow is a tiny, portable and non intrusive (no tray icon) application which adds a drop shadow to your taskbar.To use it, download the application and extract it. Copy the “TB Shadow” folder to Program Files folder. It contains two exe files, bottom and top. Run any of it according to your taskbar orientation.

From the option menu (Right click on the shadow and select preferences) you can adjust opacity, color and configure it to start with Windows.

Interested Windows 7 users can download it free at source.

Of course by increasing the taskbar thumbnail preview will slower the preview, but you can clearly view the contents of the preview.

The program is very simple to use. After unzipping the downloaded file, run it. Move the slider ‘Increase or Decrease the size of taskbar Thumbnail preview’ and click apply. Now log off and log on your system.

You can also change the delay time of preview. If you want taskbar thumbnail preview to appear fast set them as ‘0?.

Moreover, if you like Text-only preview, check the Taskbar Thumbnail preview – Text only box. To restore Windows 7 defaults, click Reset button.

Download Taskbar Thumbnail Tweaker & Resizer (86Kb)

In a previous post, we have shared a simple utility called SevenDriveIconChanger which instantly changes Windows 7 Drive Icon. Here is another portable tool, Drive Icon Changer for the same purpose.

drive-icon-changer

Drive Icon Changer is a small utility which allows you to change icons of your Drives. Just select the drive that you want to change the icon, then click on install button and select an icon (ico file), which you want to use.

To uninstall the Icon, run the tool and simply select the Drive and click on Uninstall.

Download Windows 7 Drive Icon Changer

It provides a set of editing and annotation tools, which let users quickly modify captures, insert text and graphical annotations. Such functionality will be useful for web designers, testers and content reviewers.

Screenpresso is a portable tool (installer also) and offers the following features: Capture windows and region with the same shortcut key (print key), ability to capture scrolling part.

Save images in its history, built-in image editor lets you crop, spotlight an area or comment parts of captured image. Add drop shadow, round corners and reflection and more.

Resize bunch of images- Need to export images or create thumbnails at specific size with one click.

And also you can share screenshots on Twitter, thanks to Twitpic integration and share via email – just drag and drop screenshots from history directly to your favorite email editor, or in Web mails like GMail.

Download (2.32Mb) Screenpresso at source