According to the info Portable Apps
A portable app doesn't leave files or folders behind on the PC
A portable app doesn't leave registry entries behind except those automatically generated by Windows
My question is what is the benefit of something like Portable Iron? Since most PC come with either Firefox, Chrome or Explorer adding another browser would show up in the registry.
The other more important issue is the ability to prevent two-way communication with the USB stick. Since tracking is major business of it seems all governments, see the recent findings made in Libya where all communication was tracked and deep packet sniffing employed, it would be important not to have the host computer write to the stick.
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What is the benefit? Choice and portability of more than just the application.
The ability to take the browser of your choice and not be limited to only what is installed on whatever computer you happen to be using, as well as the ability to quickly and easily carry things such as bookmarks with you.
A portable app doesn't leave USER files or folders behind on the PC.
A PortableApp app is not a stealth app. That's not part of the design.
If you want more autonomy boot a portable Live OS. But anything going thru a school's or business's servers can be tracked.
Ed
Just about every setting, changes, or trace of a (official) portable app is removed when the app properly exits. There are rare exceptions when this is not the case, such as the HKCU:Run value some portable apps leave behind when the user chooses to have their portable app "start with windows" (which is not recommended and disabled by default). However pretty much all other changes not made by Windows itself are taken care of.
PortableApps aren't stealth. I've seen huge arguments on these boards regarding that terminology. Many people that ask for "stealth" are expecting for apps to be 100% undetectable, during use and afterwards, but that is not the case with PortableApps.
There is nothing in PortableApps that prevents network admins from detecting their use any more than the installed versions, and very often they leave traces in the MRU (recently used) registry keys. These are harmless, but they definitely are traces.
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Sure it says "for the purposes of this website" but I have yet to find another definition. (then again, I haven't always been looking).
Doesn't really need to be a set definition of the word, people will take the nearest analogy, stealth jet technology, and what they think they know of it from the movies, and apply it to portable apps.
This means they think it can do anything within its repertoire without ever being seen/heard/tracked/recorded. Obviously wrong for stealth jet tech, obviously wrong for portable apps, but this is what people have been lead to believe "stealth", in technological terms, means.
But that's not a definition used on this site. Here at PortableApps, what you are describing is simply the definition of "portable".
If you search these forums for "stealth", you will see post after post arguing the use of this word.
Also - the OP was asking for his activities to be untrackable, which is not what is offered either here nor on PFC.
Finally, the dictionary definition of the word "stealth" means secretive or involving thievery, and the roots of the word are the same as the word "steal". Considering the high level of ethics promoted here (which I like), I would be loathe to use that term in describing PortableApps.
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.