PortableApps.com Platform

I, like many, really would like a familiar "desktop" that can be used on any PC from a USB drive, yet I can't seem to find anything that provides this in a simple, elegant way. There are ways to mimic this, but they all seem to be too complex.

One thing that I wish was different is that PStart, PortableApps Menu, and most other "launcher" apps all use the same "menu" layout concept. Has anyone considered providing any alternate layouts? For example, I would like to see a "desktop" style layout. It would include all the great functionality of PStart or PortableApps Menu, but when you launch it, it would display a more familiar "desktop" window that resembles a PC desktop. It would contain folders (similar to PStart "Groups") and icons (similar to PStart "Items"). Heck, it could even have a user-selectable "wallpaper" image, and the "Start" button would display the launcher's menus. Yes, this adds complexity, but it would also provide a very slick "portable desktop" form.

I have a number of .bat files that I would like to add to the menu but it appears to only allow .exe files. Is there a workaround for this?

Thanks for the great work on these products.

This may have been posted here elsewhere but not sure.
But I thought it needed its own topic.
Having a program start automatically is convenient, but not necessary.
With some software, having the registration information is necessary for full functionality.
I use the run on start function in PStart to add registry entries to register my apps.
Then use the run on exit function to clean up my registrations.

Since I was seeing FireFox leaving temp files abandoned when the U3 version of Avast! is running, I was doing some tests of their free Home Edition on a host. When it is running (and the U3 is NOT), then StartPortableApps.exe crashes every time launched. The U3 Launcher and PStart work fine.

I'm not saying StartPortableApps.exe needs to CHANGE to accommodate Avast!, but there clearly seems to be a disconnect between Avast!'s program design & the evolution of USB drives which will come up again & again in support forums like this ... especially since any new Cruzer/U3 user is actively encouraged by U3 Software Central to install Avast! as a trial. I'll drop their support forum a note about these 2 issues.

Just exposing an idea! What if a little like U3 drive the menuapp program would
transfer, not all the apps. but some of the slower ones to run on the usb , to
a temporary folder on the host pc. Of course a single compress archive of a program
folder is what is the fastest to copy back and forth.if we get a custom eject feature
that could trigger the copy back/update to the usb drive and a clean up utility to erease any trace.For my case firefox and thunderbird are the ones I would like to start faster.

And it would be nice to bundle it up with an autorun utility that can be install any

7-Zip portable does not allow my to unzip the portable apps menu and associated apps. It makes a little hard to use the apps on this website. Any suggestions?

The message says it not a supported archive. DOes make sense to me.

Ok, first off, i love it. But i have a few portable progs that are stand alone EXE files, can i put these on my menu?

[Moderator Note: Moved to the PortableApps Menu forum]

Let me start by saying that PortableApps Menu is the best looking portable menu I've seen so far. And I've tried dozens.
I do have a few suggestions.
1. Use config or ini files to build the menu instead of scanning for exe's.
You could load the app list from a central config on startup.
Then if the "Refresh App Icons" is pressed, scan for app config files (I notice the app/appinfo/appinfo.ini) and rebuild the central config from them.
If the "Install a New App" button is pressed have it browse for the exe, and build the app config file. (useful for "non_portableapps" apps)

2. Not related to portable apps, but if you have the time, I would like to see PortableApps Menu run from a customizable button rather that the systray. (I've been searching forever for a decent replacement for nu2menu for bartpe) I think the entire Portable Apps Suite would be fantastic for this.

How about some documentation that states that all applications are not installed in the root but in subdirectories under Portableapps?

I love this menu except for the fact that i cannot add program groups to better organize the menu. Also the ability to add more than just exe. To be able to launch any file from the menu.