Having just downloaded Google Chrome Portable and "installed" it in my Windows XP x64 SP2 system, I noticed that it does not run.
As soon as I launch it I can see that the GoogleChromePortable.exe process shows up in Task Manager, stays there for a few seconds and then disappears, while nothing else happens.
Is it impossible to run the program in XP x64 (why?) or am I missing something?
Thanks
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We'll need a few more details like which version, what install path, what antivirus you are running, etc. Windows XP 64-bit is the wonkiest of all the modern OSes (it was definitely not ready for prime time when released) but Chrome should work on it.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Your request made me do some tests and I found out it was a path problem:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Portables\GoogleChromePortable\GoogleChromePortable.exe"
Which is somehow strange, because other Portableapps programs in the same place are working.
I moved the directory elsewhere ("C:\Documents and Settings\User\Desktop\...", actually a longer path and with spaces in it as well) and the program started.
Maybe the brackets in the first path are to blame?
Anyway, problem "solved".
Thanks for your help.
Running from the Program Files directory is not supported as some apps (Google Chrome being one) break when run from here. You can no longer install apps to that location, and very shortly you won't even be able to run any apps from that folder.
As mentioned, running from Program Files has never been supported. In Vista/7 it breaks all apps due to UAC. Even with UAC disabled or running under XP, some apps switch into local non-portable mode when they detect they are in Program Files (google chrome is one of them). So, the PA.c Installer prevents you from installing to Program Files now.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I knew about W7's UAC potential problems but I thought they did not affect the old XP environment. Clearly I was wrong :]
Anyway, does this issue concern only the Program Files folders (and obviously the main system folders such as "Windows") or are there other forbidden places?
In other words, can portable apps be located anywhere else (User "homes", drive roots and so on)?
This matters to me because I actually don't use portable apps as "portable", placing them in a removable device. I like to place them in the main hard disk and use them instead of "normal" ones, thus keeping Windows and its registry as slim as possible. I use desktop shortcuts and Start Menu and Quick Launch toolbar to launch both portable apps and non-portable ones, just as if there was no difference between the two, at least from the user's point of view.
That's why a few years ago I created a Portables folder inside Program Files; it seemed to me the most neat and logical thing to do.
Now I know it was not so clever as it appeared...
Thanks again
We only check for program files. You should install to C:\PortableApps for best compatibility. USERPROFILE\PortableApps is also supported as an automatically found location.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I know this thread is old, but I am just putting this out there for anyone who googles in vain like me. I had the same problem with the process for ChromiumPortable not ending when the application GUI was closed.
Other threads suggested starting the app with --disable-plugins or --disable-background-mode neither of which worked for me.
Starting the app with the switch --incognito did work for me. Now the process closes immediately when the GUI is closed.
BATCH FILE RUNNING APP FROM NETWORK DRIVE:
CD /d H:\ChromiumPortable
SET "iniLine1=DisableSplashScreen=true"
SET "iniLine2=AdditionalParameters=--incongnito --user-data-dir=$(mktemp -d) --allow-file-access-from-files --app=%appPath%