Hello.
I have installed portableapps, with most of the common softwares, but it was using too much space on my small portable device (I have 2gb space, that actually is 1.87 gb!). So I spent a few time looking for files that I could remove but not affecting the use of the softwares. I compiled a list, and if someone wants it, I can post here (its really long, 809 lines!). I keep all removed files on a backup folder here, and recommend you to do the same. Only in VLC folder I removed 5.5 mb of files! Here's just an example (PotableAppsMenu files I deleted, 164 kb. total):
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\License.txt
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\Readme.txt
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Albanian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Arabic.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Bulgarian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Catalan.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\ChineseSimplified.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\ChineseTraditional.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Croation.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Czech.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Danish.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Dutch.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Finnish.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\French.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\German.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Hebrew.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Hungarian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Irish.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Italian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Japanese.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Latvian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Macedonian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Norwegian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Polish.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Romanian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Russian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Slovak.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Slovenian.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Spanish.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\SpanishInternational.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Swedish.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Thai.locale
\PortableApps\PotableAppsMenu\App\Locale\Turkish.locale
There's a few rules that will help most of the people:
1. The team of portableapps used GNU softwares, so they must include source files with the distribution. But you do not need to keep those source files, so there's always a folder called "source" where you find files you can safely delete.
2. Lots of programs have a "locale" folder, or "localization", "languages" or some other folder with multi-language files. With a little patience you may find and remove those languages you won't ever use (for example, chinese to me is useless!).
3. Lots of folders have a readme.txt, license.txt (or .html), copying.txt, or other text info files that you can remove too.
4. I found some uninstall files that can be removed too, since our uninstall is just to delete the software folder!
5. On AbiWordPortable you have lots of templates and system.profile files that you can remove, like:
\PortableApps\AbiWordPortable\App\AbiSuite2\AbiWord\system.profile-zh-TW
\PortableApps\AbiWordPortable\App\AbiSuite2\templates\normal.awt-ar
One problem was with ccPortable216 (Crap Cleaner). It has a "lang" folder, but not intuitive .dll files, sou you do not know what you need and what you can delete. I found a topic on piriform forum with that info: http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=20164
If you use in english, just delete the lang folder and you're fine, english is the native language, but if you want to keep other language (like me), this list is helpful. Here I shaved 725 kb.
It seens a little gain for a lot of work, but I saved aprox. 65 mbs (3.4%) of space on my portable device with those rules.
If anyone knows more files that can be erased, please post here!
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I never would have thought of that.
I don't have a short attention span. I just...oh look a kitty!
I just found a folder in firefox with backups of bookmarks, one file per day I use it. Just deleted too old files with no problems.
[drive]\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable\Data\profile\bookmarkbackups
The files have tha date on their names, and a ".json" extension, never saw that before!
I'm trying to find where in firefox is the option to disable this.
I've done this on the small scale.
* I use CCleaner Portable, and I've deleted my LANG folder.
* I use PAM R34 MOD, and I've deleted all the locales but the English one.
I'd be interested to know what all folders can be cleared out or what folders can be cleared but what file(s) must remain; if you've got a way of posting that without breaking anything.
With a 4GB stick, I'm not hurting for space, but the fewer files, the easier it is to run virus scans and whatnot. Less clutter is just better overall. Maybe it's a partial-OCD thing, but that's how I run things. Or try to.
Plus, when I put as many House and/or Battlestar Galactica episodes on my USB flash drive as I can get, I end up with
Here'a a list of VLC files I removed, but please don't just delete, keep a backup on your pc just in case.
Those are only small files:
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\ReadMe.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\AUTHORS.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\COPYING.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\Documentation.url
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\MAINTAINERS.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\NEWS.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\README.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\THANKS.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\VideoLAN Website.url
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCSource
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\GetParameters.nsh
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\Installer.nsi
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\License.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\Readme.txt
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\VLCPortable.ico
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\VLCPortable.ini
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\VLCPortable.jpg
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCPortableSource\VLCPortable.nsi
\PortableApps\VLCPortable\Other\VLCSource\readme.txt
Here you have your hole song: On the locale folder \PortableApps\VLCPortable\App\vlc\locale I removed all folders but pt_BR (my language). To run in english I believe you should leave en_GB, or none! Need a test, but I believe that it works like ccleaner, none=english, that en_GB folder probably have only some minor differences between en-us and en-gb.
I also removed the Help.html on the \PortableApps\VLCPortable folder, then the entire Others folder can be deleted (I did not let the folder empty, I deleted it too). Tip: This works with all portableapps!
On the \PortableApps\InfraRecorderPortable\App\InfraRecorder\Languages folder you can delete lots of files too (like Greek.irl, Basque.irl, Thai.chm...) and save another 2.49 Mb.
And again, on \PortableApps\Notepad++Portable\App\Notepad++\localization almost 1 Mb can be deleted.
In some softs the full source is include, others have only that small txt file. You have to look one by one. So if you already know how to use the soft, I recommend to delete that Help.html then the entire Others folder (it only contains the sources and some images used by the help.html).
Good luck!