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[chrisjj]

Has anyone succeeded in running a MC19 portable install off a hard drive? If so, internal or external?

And have they any docs more recent than these, years old: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Portable_Drive_Installation

Thanks.

[syndromeofadown]

I have run portable installs off of internal, external, and flash drives.
There is no difference between any of them that I can think of other than speed.
ie MC runs faster on a fast drive.

[chrisjj]

Thanks. Are those installs on the external drive truly portable? Do they work when the drive is on a machine not itself having MC installed?

[astromo]

I've installed MC to a 1TB portable HDD that I use for 2 purposes as far as MC is concerned:

• Audio playback at work
• Offsite archive of my audio media collection

Regarding the 2nd point, if the absolute worst happened and the house burnt down, I'd at least be able to console myself with a bit of music.

The key to installation is to do the install after you've done a "Local" install of MC and registered that install. Then, go in and do the portable install to your external drive. I've never had an install issue in that mode.

[astromo]

Thanks. Are those installs on the external drive truly portable? Do they work when the drive is on a machine not itself having MC installed?

Yep - that's an affirmatory. The work machine that I deal with is locked down by boring corporate security. I have no admin rights on that unit.

[glynor]

The key to installation is to do the install after you've done a "Local" install of MC and registered that install. Then, go in and do the portable install to your external drive. I've never had an install issue in that mode.

Yep.  That's the process.

You have to create the portable install using a machine that has a working, installed, licensed copy of MC.  That's how the licensing is authorized.

Then, once you do that, you can take it to other computers and use it without having MC installed on the host machine.

[chrisjj]

Yep - that's an affirmatory.

Thanks. Trying now, first on internal drive.

Oops.

Clicking No exits the installer. Devs, perhaps remedy that? I want to not terminate MC, and continue the setup to make a portable install.

And then another.

I clicked "Install", and the wrong install got updated - the main install not the portable install. And the wrong install was relaunched. Devs, a fix would be nice.

Now, every time I launch the portable program, it goes into the installer, which then says:


What's up?? By definition a portable install should not touch the Windows install.

[syndromeofadown]

You can't update a portable install like a regular install. Its best to disable automatic updates on it.
To update a portable install
- First update your regular install of MC.
- Then, while MC is closed, run the MC installer again but this time choose the portable option.
- When asked for a directory, choose your portable install location and install on top of your existing portable install.

There are a few things you have to get used to with portable installs but none of them are a big deal.
I'm just happy that we have the option to use them.

[glynor]

- Then, while MC is closed, run the MC installer again but this time choose the portable option.

Yeah, it is a little inelegant that they make you close MC even when you're doing the Portable Install, but it does.  I bet that's just something in the installer code (checking for that state before it asks what kind of install you're doing, probably), but that's the current state.

[chrisjj]

You can't update a portable install like a regular install. Its best to disable automatic updates on it.

Thanks. Devs, until portable installation update is fixed, how about having the portable install default be autoupdates disabled?

Meanwhile I guess the workaround is simply to not take the "Install updates" option presented on portable install first run, and to disable autoupdates in the Options.

To update a portable install
- First update your regular install of MC.
- Then, while MC is closed, run the MC installer again but this time choose the portable option.
- When asked for a directory, choose your portable install location and install on top of your existing portable install.

Thanks.

There are a few things you have to get used to with portable installs but none of them are a big deal.

Any documentation on these?

[syndromeofadown]

Any documentation on these?

I will document here.

Things to get used to with portable installs:

On a fresh install of MC there are no lav filters (used with ROHQ) and not all audio encoders are there either.
This only matters if you plan on using the portable install somewhere without internet.
To get the filters start a video with ROHQ enabled to get MC to download them. You will also have to do this when a new build includes a new version of lav filters.

To get audio encoders you can convert an audio file to each format you want to get MC to download them.
I believe around have of the available encoders are included in a fresh install of MC.



Issues with portable installs:

When backing up a library from a portable install, import/zone settings are not included. So when restoring a library from a portable install, all import/zone settings will be default.
But...If you restore a regular install’s library to a portable install, import setting are there. If you then backup this library it will contain import settings, but only those from the regular install. Changes done during portable use will not be there.


Portable installs won’t use Artist or Series art if located on the same drive as the portable install. An exception to this is if a regular that already points to the art is restored to a portable install. Note that only existing art will be used and any new art added won’t show up.

[chrisjj]

Thanks! Fortunately I am using the portable install as simply a librarian and player, so those issues do not affect me. But do please consider adding them to the wiki for others.