Foxit Reader Portable 6.1.4.0217 has been released.
Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer and creator, with small size, fast launch speed and a rich feature set. This release updates Foxit to the latest version and fixes an issue with some registry keys left behind when run as admin. It's packaged as a portable app, so you can view PDF files on the go and it's in PortableApps.com Format for easy use from any portable device and integration with the PortableApps.com Platform. Foxit Reader is free for personal and business use.
Foxit Reader is packaged for portable use with permission from Foxit Corporation.
Update automatically or install from the portable app store in the PortableApps.com Platform.
Features
From the publisher: "Whether you're a consumer, business, government agency, or educational organization, you need to read, create, sign, and annotate (comment on) PDF documents and fill out PDF forms. Foxit Reader is a small, lightning fast, and feature rich PDF viewer which allows you to open, view, sign, and print any PDF file. Foxit Reader is the only high volume PDF reader providing a complete PDF creation solution, providing the power of PDF creation to every desktop. Foxit Reader comes equipped with comprehensive protection against security vulnerabilities, keeping your system and company safe."
Learn more about Foxit Reader...
PortableApps.com Installer / PortableApps.com Format
Foxit Reader Portable is packaged in a PortableApps.com Installer so it will automatically detect an existing PortableApps.com installation when your drive is plugged in. And it's in PortableApps.com Format, so it automatically works with the PortableApps.com Platform including the Menu and Backup Utility.
Download
Foxit Reader Portable is available for immediate download from the Foxit Reader Portable homepage. Get it today!
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Comments
Not stealth
This leaves a folder named "Foxit Software" in C:\Users\Public
On windows 8.1 x64
The issue is not specific to this version but also existed in previous versions.
Please Report
Thanks for the heads up. I've made a note for the next release. Please report issues like this in the future as otherwise we may not know. Apps like Foxit are not designed to run portably and often require adjustments for every version. Additionally, this issue may show up under some OS versions but not others, so the packager (me in this case) may miss it.
For clarity, we don't use the term 'stealth' to describe any app. No software running on Windows is stealth and everything will leave identifying bits behind that can only be removed by an admin (prefetch, MUI, etc). Anyone claiming an app is stealth or undetectable is either lying or doesn't understand how software operating on Windows works.
Practical Portableness
Anyone who wants to see just how much detritus gets left behind in the Windows Registry merely from the action of opening an application can discover such by using your favorite Registry scanner (I like NirSoft RegScanner -- http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/regscanner.html -- but take your pick) using the executable file name as a search file.
Abandoning the idea of being "stealth," this issue with the latest Foxit Reader release brings up what constitutes being "portable" for practical purposes. Most important is that I can fire up the application after moving the application installation to any machine, implying that there are no critical Registry entries required for the application to work, nor any critical DLLs or other linked files stored outside the application's directory tree. This is pretty much the definition of a PortableApp.
Nice to have but not strictly necessary is that if I close the portable application, move the directory structure to another machine, and reopen it that my previous session is still available. I have not tested it in the Foxit case at hand, but when an application stashes files in a Users or Documents and Settings subdirectory, I assume something will be lost in changing machines. For instance, when I move my Skype installation to another machine I always have to reenter the password.
Our Definition
Our definition is here: https://portableapps.com/about/what_is_a_portable_app
A directory or registry key left behind is a bug and, when reported, will be addressed. Any settings or personal data left behind would be a critical bug and should be reported ASAP so we can fix it.
All our apps maintain settings and such between uses as you move them around. Some are sensitive to relative path changes by design if more than the drive letter changes (Skype will forget your password, as you noted, uTorrent will forgot your selected directories and torrents, as is noted on its homepage).