PortableApps.com Platform 11.1 Released: Bring Your Favorite Software With You. Malware detection, drive checking and More!

John T. Haller's picture
Submitted by John T. Haller on October 8, 2012 - 12:29am

PortableApps.com is proud to announce the PortableApps.com Platform Version 11.1 (codename: Curiosity) stable release. This release adds realtime autorun.inf malware detection, drive error checking (Help menu), multiple fixes, customizable hotkey via INI, and updates for Dutch, French, German, Italian, Latvian, PortugueseBr, Russian, and Slovak locales. Like previous releases, it has automated app updates, customizable folders (categories) in the menu, a full theming engine with multiple chrome styles, the Portable App Directory app store for automatic download and installation of portable apps, find-as-you-type search (just type / or F3) to easily find apps in your ever-growing collection, an improved updater, more-complete translations into more languages and lots more. And the awesomeness will just keep on coming as we've already begun working on 12.0. If you'd like to see more features and functionality keep coming, please read a personal appeal from PortableApps.com founder John T. Haller to help! The new platform release is available for immediate download as well as for purchase bundled on the World's Best Flash Drive: The PortableApps.com Companion, which is now on sale for as little as $29.95. Read on for all the details...(permalink)

Existing users can automatically update by clicking Manage Apps - Check for Updates and getting a fast-install 1MB update patch. Note that users with Screen Reader-friendly navigation on will have to manually highlight the Platform update in the list to complete it.

New in 11.1

This release adds automated realtime and between-platform-session detection of modifications to your drive's autorun.inf, letting you know when malware is trying to infect your drive. You can also now check your drive for errors right from the Help menu, which can help you keep an eye on the health of your portable device. The platform's hotkey is now customizable via the INI file for advanced users who prefer a different option than Ctrl-Alt-Space or who wish to disable it. We'll be adding this to the Options window this month for even easier access as well. Dutch, French, German, Italian, Latvian, PortugueseBr, Russian, and Slovak locales were updated. Please submit additional translations here. We've also fixed several bugs. Read the PortableApps.com Platform Changelog for the full list of features and fixes.

We Need Your Help!

PortableApps.com needs your help to keep bringing you great software! To learn more, read a personal appeal from PortableApps.com founder John T. Haller. Now you can sponsor the PortableApps.com Platform and help us keep delivering awesome software for free. With options ranging from having your name included to a full-blown site-wide sponsorship, there's a good fit for everyone. Sponsor us today and be a part of the action!

We also accept donations of any size to help with development and hosting:

Make a Donation - Please help support PortableApps.com's development and hosting

12.0 Roadmap

We've already begun working on the next PortableApps.com Platform release. It will feature built-in file associations (no more need for an add-on), customizable themes, faster access to your most-used apps, improved Windows 7/8 integration, and lots more. Turn on the beta channel in the PortableApps.com Platform Advanced Options window or watch our RSS feed, Twitter, Facebook or Google+ accounts to be notified. We'll be doing a stable or beta platform release every week until it's done. And please donate to PortableApps.com or sponsor the PortableApps.com Platform to help us keep bringing you more great software for free!

All Your Favorite Apps, Everywhere

PortableApps.com lets you carry all your favorite apps on a portable device or cloud drive and use them on any PC. Now you can have your own browser with all your bookmarks and extensions, your full office suite, your photo editor, your whole music collection, your favorite games, your development tools and more. You can have everything you need for work and play with you on every PC you use. At work, at home, at school, visiting family and friends, even while traveling. And all your bookmarks, emails, personal files and settings stay right on your drive, too. Now, every PC becomes your PC.

Portable App Directory™ - Built-In App Store

The PortableApps.com Platform has an app store built right in, so you can find and install the apps you want with just a few clicks. List all the available apps by category, title, newest releases or recently updated. You can find your favorite web browser, popular games, handy utilities, educational tools, image editors, chat programs and more. There are hundreds of free apps available with new apps added every week. With no download limit, you can download one app or one hundred. Best of all, you don't even need to give up your email address to get them.

Organize With Folders, Favorites, Type-To-Find Search and More

You can organize your growing app collection using the customizable menu so you can find the apps you need with ease. You can organize apps into folders automatically or create your own that work the way you think. Pick apps as favorites and they'll always be right at the top for instant access. You can even have the menu learn which apps you use most and keep them front and center. And when you need to find an app quickly, just type / (or hit F3) and then start typing, and you'll find what you're looking for. When you've found your app, just hit enter and the first app will start right up. You can also use the keyboard to navigate the app list and your search results.

PortableApps.com Updater - Your Apps Are Up To Date

With PortableApps.com, you don't need to worry about making sure your software is up to date. When a new security fix for your browser is released or a new feature in your favorite game is available, the PortableApps.com Updater will automatically let you know. Just click a button and the updates are downloaded and installed without messing up your settings and saved files. And if you're in a hurry or using a computer on a slow connection, you can wait until later to update with just a click.

Themes, Colors and Your Personal Menu

Whether you want your menu to look modern or retro, light or dark, glassy or simple, the PortableApps.com Platform has an option for you. With a dozen bundled themes each with a rainbow of color selections, you could pick a different look every day for months and never have the same menu twice. And you can make the menu your own by adding your own personal picture to the upper right-hand corner.

Portable Fonts

The PortableApps.com Platform supports the ability to carry fonts on your portable device and use them with your portable software without needing to install them on the local machine. Now when you're working on that important presentation for work or that poster for your charity drive, you can be as creative as you like with the look and still have it look and print the same on every computer you use. TrueType (TTF), OpenType (OTF), TrueType Collections (TTC) and other font formats are all supported.

Advanced Features

Whether you want to only see open source software, hide the word "Portable" in your app names, hide splash screens, automatically start apps when you start the menu, show installed apps in the app store list, get a report on all your installed apps, tweak the look and functionality of the menu or start checking out beta versions of our software, the PortableApps.com Platform has the power - and the options - to work the way you want it to. And if there's something we haven't added yet that you'd like to see, just ask in the forums. We add new features every month!

World's Best Flash Drive: The PortableApps.com Companion

If you'd like a speedy new flash drive to use with the new platform, we have the World's Best Flash Drive: The PortableApps.com Companion available. This durable USB 3.0 drive comes laser-etched with your name, URL or other text and is a great way to carry your software with you. It's backed by a lifetime warranty, comes in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes, and starts at under $30. Best of all, sales help support the PortableApps.com project and our mission to change the world of software!

Discussing The Release, Enhancements and Bug Reports

As there is much to discuss with this new release, we've separated out a few forum threads for discussing:

Download Today

You can download the new version of the PortableApps.com Platform from the download page. Get it today!

Please note that any bug reports and feature requests go in the PortableApps.com Platform Bug Report and Feature Request Tracker.

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Comments

Curiosity seems to be the name of the moment, be it on mars or here on earth! Smile

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

I have PAM 11.0.1, when the updater open, there is only the required platform update, choosing it and clicking next make the PA Updater suddenly close (without any error) and no update...

John T. Haller's picture

Please run it again. If something else happens, please post a note with complete details (operating system, full install path, etc) in the Platform support forum.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

I figured that if I have "screen-reader friendly" mode enabled in options, the updater open without the tick boxes, so, no update is marked (and can't be marked), then, the updater just quit.

John T. Haller's picture

That's because it's a standard listbox you need to highlight things to select them (they aren't highlighted by default - analogous to checked by default in normal mode - due to a limitation in the component). Combination of holding down CTRL and moving up and down with the arrow buttons and using SPACE to highlight/un-highlight. Or clicking with the mouse, holding down control and clicking others. Or click on one shift click on another to highlight a set. If you're not using a screen reader, don't use that mode.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

ghostintheruins's picture

Hello there,

Would you care to elaborate on this new autorun.inf check since the first thing I do after an update of the platform is to edit it and change the icon since I like a different one.

Would this update nag me every time about the autorun.inf change and say it may be a virus?

Cheers.

Signature automatically removed for containing links. Really? I mean... really? Smile

John T. Haller's picture

It will only warn you as you change it - or the next time you start the platform after changing it - letting you know it was changed that one time you change it. It will then remember that change and only warn you if it changes again. That way, you get to decide what is an expected change (when you change it) and what isn't (if you plug into an infected PC and it changes it). It's designed to help alert you, but won't force you to have a specific autorun.inf.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

ghostintheruins's picture

OK, this sounds reasonable while being quite useful.

Thank you for the update and for clearing this up.

Cheers.

Signature automatically removed for containing links. Really? I mean... really? Smile

When I launch this version I get I/O error 32.
This is on 64-bit Win7 OS. This occurs fairly consistent.

John T. Haller's picture

Please post a comment here ( https://portableapps.com/node/34768 ) with your operating system version, language, full install path, what options you have changed, what apps you have set to autorun, etc. Please also try a fresh install of the platform in another location, even just temporarily, to see if it has the same issue on your PC.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!