make portable versions of your fave apps.
We all have our fave Windows apps, right? In my pen drive I have a OpenOffice Suite, System Shock Portable and Cave Story, XMplay, PuTTY and now, Cain and Abel and zenmap.
The trick here is quite simple and can be made using (almost) free software.
The programs I use are Virtual Box, VMware ThinApp (you can either download the 60-day trial or download a pirated copy), Windows XP install cd, and the installers for zenmap and Cain.
How to do it:
a) Install a guest copy of Windows XP in Virtual Box.
http://img77.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vm1dz6.png
b ) Install VMware ThinApp in the Virtual Machine.
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c) Run "Setup Capture" and the app will scan the VM.
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d)After scanning, minimize the app, install the application you wish to capture.
e)If a reboot is required by the installer, just do it. Setup Capture will start when the VM boots up.
f)Customize the app if required to.
g)Maximize the "Setup Capture" and select Next
h)Select the executable you want to be the main container (for example: Firefox.exe in case of Firefox, this will be the file to contain all the data, the other files will just be shortcuts that link to it…)
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i)Name the inventory, choose Next.
j)In the following page, you can choose to store the app in the at the user profile/Portable Media/Network Drive
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k) At the next screen, you can just go with the default isolation mode.
l) At the next screen, change the Project Location to your pendrive and name the project directory and choose Fast Compression.
http://img112.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vm8dp0.png
m) Choose "Build Now" and wait.
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n) After the build is done, go to "Browser Project" the executable should be in the "bin" folder"
o) Test the program at the VM first, if it's successful, congrats!