Running the Portable Apps version of Opera , version 11.51.1087.0.
Not sure how/why/when it happened, but as of a couple of days ago, I can not start Opera Portable normally--when starting it from either the Portable Apps launcher or the OperaPortable.exe in the OperaPortable folder, I get an error stating "Another instance of Opera, Portable Edition is currently closing. Please wait for it to finish before launching it again." But after waiting...and waiting...and even rebooting, I still get the same error. Using Task Manger, I don't see any processes related to Opera running. Opera is not installed on this computer--only Opera Portable on a mapped networked drive (with a drive letter), and it was working just fine until a couple of days ago.
What's odd is that I can successfully launch Opera by opening the Opera.exe file in the H:\MyDocs\PortableApps\OperaPortable\App\Opera folder, and it will load my profile and run fine. But something tells me that this isn't ideal, and it certainly defeats the purpose of having an entry for Opera in my Portable Apps Launcher.
Can someone please fill me in on how to fix this?
TIA!
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"Another instance of Opera, [PE] is currently closing...", even though it's not!
December 6, 2011 - 6:21pm
#1
"Another instance of Opera, [PE] is currently closing...", even though it's not!
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This will happen in a computer crash or if you unsafely ejected the drive. Browse to your H:\MyDocs\PortableApps\OperaPortable\Data folder and delete the launcher runtime INI file. That'll reset it.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Browse to H:\MyDocs\PortableApps\OperaPortable\Data\ and there should be a .ini file in that directory. If you delete it, you should then be able to start the app properly.
That fixed it--Thanks guys!
Hi guys, thanks for the question & answer, it solved my problem.
I just want to add, the solution given can be used also for other portable apps which have the same problem.
Once again, thank you!
This problem has just occurred for no obvious reason.
PortableApps 14.4.1
Opera Portable 48.0.2685.32
It has been working for a long time and now suddenly this message, "Another instance of Opera, Portable Edition is running". There was no observable provocation for this error - no crash, no USB drive removal before eject.
I have searched and found advice about deleting various files, ?.ini and others from the Opera Portable subfolders, but this advice seems out of date - I cannot find any of the files previously mentioned for suggested deletion in past support articles. The platform must have updated.
I have looked everywhere for text config files, and cannot guess where the problem is.
Task manager shows no Opera running.
In PA options, "Close Apps on Platform Exit" was already permanently selected and still is.
I have closed the PA platform, physically ejected the USB drive, and retried - problem still exists.
I have rebooted the PC (Windows 10) and retried - problem still exists.
I have uninstalled Opera Portable, ensured the folders are gone, and reinstalled Opera Portable - problem still exists.
Funny thing: IF I leave the error message window in place, and then I again go to PA menu and select same Opera Portable a second time, after a delay Opera Portable starts and runs alongside its own error window. I can change settings values in Opera Portable, close the Opera Portable error window, and then, after a delay, again choose Opera Portable from the PA menu, and I get the error window again.
So I can only run Opera Portable alongside the error window. Strange !
Do you have another account on this computer that is currently using Opera?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
No other account. The Windows machine has only one account.
The error message is unhelpful because it literally says there is a second instance running, but that is untrue. The launcher, presumably, is getting information from somewhere; it would be helpful if the message gave a clue as to what is triggering it or where it's getting the information from, but it doesn't.
Have you rebooted this machine recently? The check only looks to see if opera.exe is a running process. I've seen in the past some machines that have had the issue you're seeing be fixed by a reboot.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
As I said in my original post, yes I have rebooted the machine. I took every step I could think of to refresh.
There is definitely no Opera in the Task Manager list of running tasks.
See this response above to another user: https://portableapps.com/comment/187126#comment-187126
As I said in my original post, I have followed the advice given in this thread to a previous poster, and also some advice I found elsewhere, as to files to look for and to delete.
As I said in my original post, the claimed ?.ini files and other recommended files to look for and delete do not exist. They are not there. I can't delete them if they don't exist.
I really have tried everything so as not to waste people's time prior to posting here.
Added further information:
I have just noticed that the identical error is occurring on a second USB key containing PortableApps. This USB key is different hardware, has a largely different set of apps, is maintained separately and has a different use frequency and pattern to the first one where I discovered the problem of the "phantom second Opera" running.
One common point between the two USB keys is that the PortableApps updater just updated Opera on each USB key immediately prior to this problem occurring. I can only think that there must be a problem with Opera Portable 4.0.2685.32 that was not there in the previous release.
There have been no changes to the Opera Portable launcher in a long time. Have you tried this on another PC?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I have tried it on another PC, Windows 7 this time.
The behaviour is different, but also problematical.
The first time I try it on the Windows 7 machine, Opera Portable starts and appears to run correctly. This is totally different from the behaviour on the Windows 10 machine where I immediately get the phantom "Opera Portable is running" error.
When I then close Opera Portable on the Windows 7 machine, task manager shows that a small "Opera Portable" task, about 2 MB of RAM, persists and does not close no matter how long I wait. I can't perform a PortableApps close&eject because it complains that there is a running application, which is true. If I restart Opera Portable, I get the error message that Opera Portable did not close last time and needs to clean up, except that it doesn't "clean up" because a small Opera Portable task is still running. I can never successfully run Opera Portable again, unless I kill the Opera Portable task, kill the Opera error reporter task, force ejection, reinsert the US, and start again.
Re your comment, the only update I noticed was an update to the Opera Portable app which immediately preceded these problems, if I am observing correctly.
By the way, I run other PortableApps apps (including Firefox Portable) on both of these USB keys, and on many different PCs for years, and I have never struck this problem. It seems to point to Opera Portable specifically. (I have donated and also bought Carbides, by the way, not a freeloader.) Sorry for the inexplicable trouble. I can fix almost every PA problem I encounter, but not this one.
If the current version of Opera itself isn't properly closing, you'll have to kill the process manually. Not much we can do about that if it's a bug in the current version. As mentioned, nothing has changed on our end in about a year or so.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
The Opera Portable behaviour is definitely different between Windows 10 and Windows 7. I may not have discovered all the nuances.
This is obviously not going to get fixed here. I'll just stop using Opera Portable and hope this problem goes away in a subsequent release.
Thanks to the posters for their suggestions so far.
What version of Windows 10? You can check this by running the
VERcommand from the Command Prompt.~3D1T0R
Windows 10 is 10.0.15063
I don't think there has been a significant Windows update for a while.
Is this still happening with the current version?
I've tried to reproduce this numerous ways on multiple computers and I still haven't been able to see it happen, however I didn't get a chance to try until after it had been updated (and I forgot to wait till I'd investigated to update), so ... Is there any chance it was fixed and isn't occurring for you in version 48.0.2685.39 (or 48.0.2685.50 since that's coming soon)?
~3D1T0R