WARNING: Portable Skype will no longer be supported or hosted. You'll have to follow some instructions in the comments to reproduce it. In the mean time though, you can download an archived version of it here.
I always wanted to try my hand out with NSIS scripting and when John released Portable Miranda, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to jump into it with a Portable Skype.
Seeing how John released Portable Miranda (Miranda being quite portable as it is), I thought I'd release Portable Skype (Skype is quite portable as it is as well). So here it is. It features the same format loving format as the application with seperated profile and application directories as well INI customization.
Download
PortableSkype.zip
Reasons why you'd use this are the same as the reasons you'd use Portable Miranda:
- Seperated application files and profile data
- Smaller in file size
- Portable out of the box
- INI customization (abilities to disable splash screen, start the application minimized, etc)
Any questions or comments are extremely welcome. There are a few places where the code could be cleaned up, but I'm very confident on how it turned out.
Thanks a lot,
Rob Loach [Website]
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Be sure to double-check the Skype license. It's free, but it is a commercial app. And they usually forbid distribution without using their installer (unless you get permission from them).
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thanks John, it has been updated to abide to the Skype terms of use:
Download
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
I was previously using a cmd line to start skype. This is nicer. Thank You.
I couldn't get portable skype to work. Not sure where skype.exe should go, not clear where skype.ini should go. Not very well explained. Read both *.txt files. Why should I have to go thru that. It should install/extricate and be done with it. Not the case. Tried all kinds of installs. Finally gave up and installed the Skype 2.5 Beta on my Memory Stick and it works fine so far.
Jeff Balliett
I'm a new Portable Apps user but can someone tell me how to install portable skype? what are the precise steps that I need to follow. I've searched the forums and have not found anything clear and simple for us newbies. In Ceedo the Skype install all automated and easy, however I prefer Portable Apps for the wide variety of apps available.
Update:
I figured this one out. I just copied the installation files to a new directory on my flash drive in the programs directory and then copied my skype executable to the skype directory. Thanks for doing this conversion, it's working fabulously.
The /nosplash option didn't work for me.
I also recommend ditching the icon in both the PortableSkype.exe executable and the folder. You might even get in trouble for that. Better to play it safe.
Hmmm, if you change the DisableSplashScreen flag in the INI and copy the INI file to the application directory, does that get rid of it for you?
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
Yup, that was the part I missed... I didn't realize you had to copy the ini file to another directory.
for me. Just make sure (to others trying it) you follow the read_me closely.
Thanks Rob for your work.
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the excellent job.....except that I did not know that one had to download skype and put the .exe file into the skype directory.
After doing that it is working fine.....and I really like the concept of carrying it with me in my flashdrive!!
Thanks again!!
The Portable Skype executable has an error in the version tab:
Allows Skype to be run from a removable drive. For additional details, visit portableapps.com/portableskype
*This message has been approved by Tyler Mills*
Portable Skype doesn't have a website yet. Since Skype is not open-source, Portable Skype probably won't be hosted through SourceForge or PortableApps.com . I'm considering setting up a small website on my own server for it...
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
Do you have a website yet for Pskype?
BTW: Is it true that $EXEDIR is not initialized in PortableSkype.nsi?
Gudday,
I was wondering if you could please elaborate a bit more about the configuration and useage of pskype. In particular i was wondering about the profile - where is your profile normally stored on a locally installed version of skype. What do you need to copy across onto the stick? My username is drmarkpayne, and I have found a directory with that name at:
C:\Documents and Settings\Tony\Application Data\Skype\drmarkpayne
How then do I place this information into the "profile" directory - should all those files be in a directory like this:
E:\PortableApps\Data\PortableSkype\profile\drmarkpayne\
or maybe only just like this:
E:\PortableApps\Data\PortableSkype\profile\
In addition, I was wondering if you knew what happens when Skype is installed locally on the machine from which you are trying to use Pskype - by my reckoning, either pskype or the copied version of skype.exe seems to figure out that there is a locally installed version, and not only executes that version (instead of off the stick), but also saves the profile information locally too (ie alongside existing profiles on the HDD, rather than on the stick). Is this normal behaviour, or have I misconfigured something?
Skype saves all of its settings in a folder on your disk. Portable Skype changes this and has it save all its settings in the profile directory. In order to import your local Skype settings to Portable Skype, all you have to do is copy all of the files and folders you find in:
C:\Documents and Settings\Tony\Application Data\Skype
... to ...
E:\PortableApps\Data\PortableSkype\profile
When you run PortableSkype.exe, it should load the profile stored on your USB key (it executes skype.exe held in the skype directory). It shouldn't have any conflict with having it installed locally as Portable Skype only deals with what's in the profile directory. If you're having troubles with it, download a fresh copy of Portable Skype and skype.exe and start a new profile by not importing anything. Everything should run correctly.
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
I got it working at last, but I am wondering if maybe there is a little bug in there somewhere. I was opting for the last configuration option described in the readme ie
-\ - Directory with PortableSkype.exe (PortableApps, for instance)
+\Apps\PortableSkype\skype\
+\Data\PortableSkype\profile\
It wasn't until I moved the PortableSkype.ini file into the same directory as PortableSkype.exe, and then explicited declared the locations of the profile and skype programme, that it actually started using the profile off the key - prior to that, everything was written to the version on the hdd...
Might be something to look into?
Yeah, sorry about not telling you about the INI file needing to be in the same directory as the exe file. I'm glad to know that everything's working.
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
Nope, apart from the configuration problem, it gets a big tick..
I'm glad it works
.
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
works great
ty
Hi, ...
I have installed "Portable Skype", on my USB Thumb Drive. And it work in English. But i have to select "French Language", each time i start "Portable Skype".
Can you tell me how to modify, the .ini file or else, to have "By Default", the French language, in "Portable Skype".
Sylvain St-Amand (Korgul)
Please delete my korgul, user account, ... (I not use it)
I'm really not sure how to automate that for Portable Skype. There isn't a command line argument for the option. Any settings that Skype saves, Portable Skype stores for later use. I'm really not sure where it would keep that information....
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
I don't have this problem, it works fine with german. The only thing that is in english is the loginscreen.
I Recommand, that you intall Skype at first (which you have to do in general to geht skype.exe) Create an acount und select the language there. After this copy the exe and the profile folder. I guess It should work then. In my opinion the language selection is somewhere inside your Profilesettings, but I'm not sure.
Greetings flyx
Just an amazing product
So far haven't figured out, how to save chat history to stick.
As I'm using pskype on several machines, it's a little frustating to delete chat history every time I change the machine...
So, what changes must be made to ini-file to make this product really portable?
Thanks in advance.
I realised it with an AutoIt-Script
AutoItSetOption("TrayIconHide", 1)
RunWait('apps\PortableSkype\Skype.exe /datapath:"data\PortableSkype\data" /removable', "", @SW_SHOW)
For some unknown reason (maybe wrong moon phase?) I couldn't get it working.
Still chat history goes to desktop computer.
Oh well, you just have to learn with some things
Any clue where it saves the chat history?
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects]
D:\Profiles\usernamehere\applicationdata\skype\
Or something like that.
Anyway, it stores chat history in desktop pc's hard drive, no matter what I try.
I looked for where Skype keeps the history and am quite puzzled with what I found. Through Filmon, I've seen that it looks at C:\Documents and Settings\USER\Application Data\Skype, but doesn't save anything there. History is kept persistant though. If you delete Application Data\Skype, does the history stick? Are you sure you're running PortableSkype.exe instead of skype.exe?
I've moved Portable Skype to my own website here. This is just so that when/if I change the download location, there's still a place to find it without me having to update the download location manually. It will also be used to host future updates.
The Skype Protocal for Miranda works perfectly with Portable Skype and Miranda. Just thought I'd let you all know.
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects] [Blog]
that it looks at C:\Documents and Settings\USER\Application Data\Skype, but doesn't save anything there. History is kept persistant though.
Yes, that's the history location. Nothing is written to the stick.
If you delete Application Data\Skype, does the history stick?
No, skype creates again the c:\docum... -folder and saves history there.
Are you sure you're running PortableSkype.exe instead of skype.exe?
Absolutely sure.
I've tested it on three different machines and the history seems to be persistant with Portable Skype on all machines (on a USB key). I can't seem to replicate your problem....
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects] [Blog]
Nah.
I just can't figure out, what's wrong.
Next I'll make a clean install, and hope it fixes things out...
...
Installed portableskype again.
When pskype is started - before it displays any login-screen - it creates directory
D:\profiles\All Users\Application Data
I start pskype via Pstart with command line parameter
/datapath:"data\PortableSkype\data" /removable
And thereafter all history is written to d:\profiles\... still nothing is written to usb stick.
Getting grey hair with this
You shouldn't have to pass any command line parameters to PortableSkype.exe, just run PortableSkype.exe and it'll do it all for you.
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects] [Blog]
With or without extra parameters, the chat history is still written to desktop pc.
Here's my PortableSkype.ini (in same directory as PortableSkype.exe:
[PortableSkype]
SkypeDirectory=skype
ProfileDirectory=profile
AdditionalParameters=
WaitForSkype=false
SkypeExecutable=skype.exe
DisableSplashScreen=false
StartMinimized=false
I know there's a very simple solution, just can't dig it out...
Try updating Skype to the latest version (2.0.0.107). Also try running PortableSkype.exe without the INI file there...
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects] [Blog]
At first I used pSkype without ini-file, but it kept writing to desktop pc.
Just like it still does with ini-file.
I'll try updating, but feeling a little suspicious...
---
(Updating skype...)
Yep, just like I thought.
Updating didn't help, deleting ini-file didn't help.
Any more suggestions?
That's really really strange. I've had a persistant history with Skype calls on my installation of Portable Skype. All I did was unzip it, copy skype.exe into the skype directory and ran PortableSkype.exe . I tried making a call on my home computer, worked. Checked the history and saw that I made a call. I then loaded it up at my work and I saw that call's history still there. It worked with making calls from work as well, so I'm really not sure where the problem is popping up.
Did you uninstall Skype before running Portable Skype? I doubt that would change anything, but it's worth a shot.
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects] [Blog]
All I did was unzip it, copy skype.exe into the skype directory and ran PortableSkype.exe
Me too.
I then loaded it up at my work and I saw that call's history still there.
Yes, the history is saved, but not on stick. Guess where
really not sure where the problem is popping up.
According to Filemon, right after I log-in to skype, it creates the history directory on desktop pc (c:\documents and se...).
Did you uninstall Skype before running Portable Skype?
Never installed Skype here, only portable skype.
Any idea when this site will be hosting the download. I cannot access your site bacause im using a military computer system in Iraq and for some reason they dont like your site. If the program is small enough and there is a good simeritan out there who would like to e-mail it to me so i could try it out, i would appreciate it.
snedeger(at)gmail(dott)com
I really should get a new host. I've mirrored Portable Skype here.
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects] [Blog]
Thanks that worked perfectly
Rob, I've been running "PSkype" since release and have had no problems until now. History saves to the profiles folder on my USB drive as designed, but I have found that when you try to "View Chat History" for a contact, the application still looks to the Application Data folder on my hard drive.
Do you have any way to key to the correct history location? I have not tried opening one of the database files to see if they are binary or not, but even if not, they do not appear to be easily navigated.
Jeff
The calling history location problem is something I can't replicate myself. I've tested it on four different machines and my calling history always stays persistant on my USB key. I've checked the Application Data folder on the C drive, and although the Skype directory was there on my initial installation of Skype, it wasn't there on the other test computers and the history was still displayed correctly in Skype.
If you manage to find a work around, please let me know because I can't find the solution, let alone the problem...
Rob Loach [Website] [Projects] [Blog]
Rob,
As I like to keep crap away from my registry I use all the portable apps on my computer that were made by john in here. Does you PSkape qualify to be really portable? Meaning - does it write any entries to the registry like firefox for example?
matt
EDIT: I meant foxit not firefox.
It's work with the last skype or not ?
OK,
help
trying to put this thing on my USB
and its not working
I can't finy any simple step by step intructions
all the directory stuff is very confusing
HHELLP???
:S