Windows XP Pro SP2. SanDisk Cruzer 4GB USB drive. PortableApps.com Suite 1.0.0.0
About every week or two I am unable to launch Portable Apps. The PA menu starts, and mouse-over and click effects work, but the launcher app (e.g. - FirefoxPortable.exe) dies immediately after it starts. It does not matter whether I try to start the launcher app from the PA menu, or directly from the USB drive (e.g. - P:\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable\FirefoxPortable.exe). However, I can start the core app (e.g. P:\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable\App\firefox\firefox.exe) or apps that I have put on the USB key myself (no launcher app).
It happens whether the USB drive is formatted with FAT32 or NTFS. I have tried the full PA Suite, the PA menu only, and the PA menu 1.1 beta 4.
The only way I have found to recover from this is to backup (this works on the PA menu), reformat the USB key, reinstall a PA menu, and restore.
I have searched the forums a bit, but found nothing described like this. Please let me know what I should do.
Thanks in advance,
- Chris Bevilacqua