PortableApps Menu - Start All Your Portable Applications with 2 Clicks
Posted by: Barry Cleave in Portable Freeware, tags: Free Reviews, My Free Review, Open Source, Portable Freeware, Portable Freeware Applications, portable software, productivity, Programs review, Reviews, Software, Startmenu tools, UtilitiesWhat Does it Do - The Essentials?
PortableApps Menu is a a small utility that sits in the system tray and provides access to a suite of programs contained in the associated folders. It also provides access to a set of folders associated with the portable applications folder to make documents, music, pictures and videos available on you USB Flash drive or removable hard drive. (Or just use them in a folder on your PC - see Why You Want to Use Portable Freeware Applications) PortableApps Menu is part of the PortableApps.com Suite available here at PortableApps.com.
The suite comes in 3 versions:
Basic - PortableApps Menu, PortableApps Backup utility and custom folders, icons and AutoRun
Standard - Firefox Portable Edition, OpenOffice.org, Portable, Mozilla Songbird Portable, Gain Portable, Sudoku Portable and Thunderbird Portable Edition
Lite - As standard edition but replaces OpenOffice with Abiword
No doubt the above applications will be subject to the My Free Review treatment in the coming weeks.
Summary:
- Gives simple access to a suite of portable programs
- Provides a set of portable document and multimedia folders
- Can be set to run automatically at Startup
Pros: What’s Good?
- Freeware
- Portable
- Small Memory requirement
- Simple to Use
- User Applications can be added
- Good help & support information at PortableApps.com
Cons:What’s Not So Good?
- Lack of Options?*
*This is somewhat subjective. Some may think the lack of options is a good thing and I wouldn’t disagree that simplicity is a strength for users who want it. The “What Could Make It Better?” section below gives some ideas on how a few options could increase the versatility for “power users”
More About What it Does in Detail:
System Tray Icon
Left click on system tray icon brings up the main menu
This is split into a column on the left of the applications (*.exe) files in the relevant folders and a column on the right giving access to folders, backup, search and help functions.
Options
The options button brings up the following dialog which is self explanatory.
“Install a New App” brings up this dialog
(Click on any image below to enlarge)
“Remove an App” shows this dialog which provides instructions rather than functionality for removal.
“Refresh App icons” refreshes the icons in the startup list
“Get More Apps” opens up the Firefox browser included in the Portable Apps folders at their website.
Backup
The Backup button brings up the following dialog box
Clicking on “Backup Files” starts the inbuilt Portable Apps Backup utility which shows these screens
Similarly clicking on “Restore from Backup” starts the restore process of the backup utility which shows similar screens.
Help
Clicking on the “Help” button opens up the relevant section of the Portable Apps website using the included browser in the PortableApp folders.
Search Button
Clicking on the search button brings up the dialog box shown below
Clicking on “Search This Drive” or “Search This Computer” starts Windows Explorer at the relevant directory.
Clicking on “Search The Web” starts the browser in the Portable Apps Directory at the PortableApps Google Search page.
What are the Technical Details & Compatibility?
| Name | PortableApps Menu |
| Software Version | v1.0 Final (as PortableApps Suite) |
| Release Date | 2006-11-20 |
| Compatibility | Windows |
| Homepage | http://portableapps.com |
| Download | Base Edition |
| Download Size | 0.7MB |
| OS Reviewed On | Windows XP Pro |
| Size on Disk | 1MB |
| Memory Use (Base) | 10,356K |
| Review Date | February 2008 |
What is the My Free Review Experience?
I have used PortablApps Menu on a regular but infrequent basis over the past year or more. It is part of my overall set of portable programs and I have it set up in two separate folders to run different sets of applications. The reason that I use this infrequently is that I have a preference to use two alternative utilities for starting most of my programs. I will review these in the next few weeks and tell you why I like them. That sad I think it is a very good utility as part of a small set of portable applications and would recommend it to anyone who particularly wants a single download solution to a set of portable applications for use on their USB flash drive or portable drive.
Simple - Stable - Does the job
What Could Make it be Better?
- Resizeable window
- Two columns for applications (with wider window)
- Shortcuts to My Documents and multimedia folders on host PC
- Option to set alternative system tray icon
- Option to exclude applications from start list (e.g. uninstallers in folder)
What Other Posts are Relevant?
Why You Want to Use Portable Freeware Applications
What are the Tags?
Technorati Tags: Free Reviews, My Free Review, Open Source Portable Freeware, Portable Freeware Applications, Portable software, productivity, Programs review, Reviews, Startmenu tools, Software
Popularity: 49% [?]
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February 13th, 2008 at 4:21 pm - Edit
Its a good collection of portable software and everything but personally dont like their launcher so using Pstart - http://pegtop.net/start/ - instead.
It is a lot easier to customize and have more options then the supplied menu software. Well recommended along with the Portableapps offered portable software.
February 13th, 2008 at 5:57 pm - Edit
Hi Christoffer Karlsson,
Thanks for taking the time to post your comment.
I also think Pstart is a more verstatile and accomplished solution. But I do use Portable Apps menu as a quick way of getting an application into a start menu system so I don’t forget about it. As you only have to put the new portable application folder into the “More Applications” folder under the Portable Apps main folder it is very quick and easy.
As this blog is in its early stages I haven’t had time to review some of the other methods I use for launching applications. I will do so in the future.
Regards
Barry cleave
@My Free Review
February 27th, 2008 at 8:27 am - Edit
[...] Lupo PenSuite provides a single source and download for a massive 180+ portable freeware applications. Not only that but the Lupo PenSuite site gives you links to more than a further 1600 portable programs along with instructions and a tutorial on how to add them to your personal "PenSuite".This is the other portable applications pack that I have on all (most of 0 my PC’s, USB Memory Sticks and Portable drives. (I also use the PortableApps suite - see Why You Want to Use Portable Freeware Applications and PortableApps Menu - Start All Your Portable Applications with 2 Clicks). [...]
March 1st, 2008 at 11:41 am - Edit
[...] As the program is portable and provided in a zip file it must be run from explorer or by creating a shortcut (or use a launcher of some sort - See PortableApps Menu - Start All Your Portable Applications with 2 Clicks) [...]
April 14th, 2008 at 3:56 pm - Edit
[...] PortableApps Menu - Start All Your Portable Applications with 2 Clicks [...]
July 13th, 2008 at 9:27 pm - Edit
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