Portable versions of applications are increasing with popularity. Such applications are often put on flash drives so they can be used on any personal computer which uses Windows---be it at the office, Grandma's house or the library. If you currently have Photoshop CS3 and want to turn it into a portable application you can do so---but, it takes some work, and it isn't free.

What Portable Means

An application is considered portable when it can be run on any computer from a single executable file, without installing first. Such programs are often put on flash discs, allowing people to carrying their applications and settings with them anywhere they go. A lot of free open source software is offered in this form on the official websites of the project---Firefox, for example, can come as a portable application if you know where to look. Commercial applications such as Photoshop CS3 do not come in such a form, but with the right third party software you can turn a conventional install of any program into a portable application.

Thinstall

Thinstall, a product from VMware designed to make any application portable. This is done by scanning your entire computer before a program is installed, and then doing another scan to record the changes made so as to record and back them all up. The result is a completely portable version of any program. While not a free product, you can get a 90 day trial of Thinstall from VMware---see Resources for more information.

Using Thinstall

To make Photoshop into a portable application, you first need to uninstall Photoshop CS3, if it's currently installed on your computer. Thinstall needs to see your computer with and without Photoshop installed to make a portable version. The next step is to launch the ThinApp Capture program. Click "Start," "Programs," "VMware," then "ThinApp Setup Capture." Click "Next" to scan your system---this should take about 10 seconds, but on some systems it may take longer. Minimize this window when done. You can then re-install Photoshop on your system, the way you normally would. Go ahead and start Photoshop and set it up the way you like it, installing any plugins or brushes you may want included in the portable version of Photoshop you're making. Close Photoshop when you're done. Maximize your ThinApp Capture window and click "Next." The program will copy all files installed and changes made to your system since the Photoshop install and store the differences. Follow the prompts to complete the creation of your virtual version of Photoshop.

Source:

ThinApp User Guide

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