Hi,
When I use some portable application on Windows 7, I found that they don't "compatible" with Windows 7, the description "compatible" maybe not accurate, so please see the following screen shot.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2706/firefoxp.png
Note:Seems I can't insert a picture here.
The first Firefox icon on the superbar is the FirefoxPortable.exe, after I click it to start the Firefox, it will launch the real Firefox.exe and show a icon of Firefox as the second icon on the superbar.
So what I concerned is that how can we make it just one icon showed on the superbar if I start a portable appliation.
By the way, this symptom comes with all the portable applications.
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Windows 7 does not support multi-EXE applications (like portable apps with a launcher EXE and then an app EXE) with the superbar. It is designed to ONLY work with single EXE applications.
The only possible workaround is to recompile all of the EXEs in the application itself to have the same AppID which is, of course, not possible with most applications due to coding and licensing restrictions.
This wouldn't work anyway, since when you run it without having it pinned at all in Windows 7, the Firefox window, when pinned, would still pin firefox.exe and not firefoxportable.exe. So, in terms of multi-EXE apps, the superbar just simply does not have the ability to handle them. It doesn't have the smarts to understand them available at all.
There is no workaround. And, from reports, there is no fix in the works from Microsoft. This is just the way the superbar is, unfortunately.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thanks John.
I understand that it will be very difficult to recompile the applications. However, I am still want to know how to make the applications portable without start the launcher EXE, is this possible?
I have some other applications, I just need to install it once, such as on D: drive, next time if I restore or reinstall the system, I don' need to configure anything, those applications will start like they are before the restore/reinstall.
The statement about recompiling is because some apps can't be recompiled legally. Like freeware (which we don't have access to the source code). Or like Mozilla Firefox which, if we recompile it and add the app id in, we can't call it Mozilla Firefox anymore or use the auto-updater.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
OK.
But why firefoxportable.exe is resident in the processes after I start the firefox, I didn't see this behavior if I start the skypeportable
The launcher stays around to clean up after firefox.exe which can't be fully portable through settings and command line switches alone. Some apps just need the launcher to update settings (for paths changes) and then start the app a specific way to be portable. Other apps (like Firefox) need the launcher to stick around and clean up afterwards.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Got it, thanks!
so, i really don't understand how this stuff works. at the moment I am reviewing a laptop with windows 7 and of course put portable programs on it. I have not seen the issue you bring up. but then I run my portable programs from the portable menu. I have PAF "pinned" to the bar and the start menu.
within my taskbar properties the taskbar buttons are "Always combine, hide labels" is selected. that's the way it came. I'm not sure that has any affect, but like I said, this is all new to me.
the only thing I have noticed is that some icon images lost their transparency on win7 while they look fine on win2000 or XP.
on win7:
http://i45.tinypic.com/16gfv6f.png
"No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices." - Edward R. Murrow