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Portable Opera using Windows virtual drive

Friday, 1. June 2007, 14:49:33

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Methods
  1. Using PortableOpera.exe (Recommended)
  2. Using PortableOpera.exe (DIY)
  3. Using batch file



Using PortableOpera.exe

Download (size 8.32 MB with Opera 10.01, Opera Standard Slim Skin & Adobe flash plugin 10.0 r32), unzip and run PortableOpera.exe.

Drag & drop Close button to any toolbar and use it to close Opera and remove virtual drive.

Don't run Opera.exe from physical drive.





























Using PortableOpera.exe (DIY)

  1. Download (size 203 KB) & unzip PortableOpera.exe.
  2. Run PortableOpera.exe to create virtual drive Z: and ignore the following error message.
    Could not find 'Z:\Portable Opera\opera.exe'
  3. Run Opera installer, select your preferred install type as Custom, then destination folder as Z:\Portable Opera, check Only use single profile for all users and complete installation.
    Portable Opera Install
    NOTE: If you use classic installer, you have to select installation directory as Z:\Portable Opera & uncheck Individual Opera profiles for each user on this computer.
  4. Run PortableOpera.exe again to remove virtual drive Z:

To run/close Opera, launch PortableOpera.exe.

You can move Portable Opera directory & PortableOpera.exe file together anywhere and run Opera without any problems.

You can modify virtual drive letter & Opera.exe location by editing following lines in PortableOpera.ini file before installing Opera. 

Virtual Drive Letter=Z
Opera Path=Portable Opera\opera.exe

Don't run Opera.exe from physical drive.





























Using batch file

  1. Create a folder with name Portable Opera anywhere inside another folder. Say, inside C:\Applications.
  2. Inside Portable Opera folder, create a batch file Mount.bat with the following 
    SUBST Z: "C:\Applications"
    and another batch file Unmount.bat with the following 
    SUBST Z: /D
  3. Run Mount.bat and this will assign physical path C:\Applications to virtual drive Z:
  4. See step 3 of Using PortableOpera.exe

To run Opera, run Mount.bat and then launch Opera.exe from virtual drive Z:.

To remove virtual drive, first close Opera and then run Unmount.bat.

You can place Portable Opera directory anywhere and run Opera by changing the physical path in Mount.bat.

Suppose, if you move Portable Opera directory to F:\My Documents\Programs, in Mount.bat change 

SUBST Z: "C:\Applications"
to 
SUBST Z: "F:\My Documents\Programs"

Don't run Opera.exe from physical drive.

Updates:
May 21, 2008: Using PortableOpera.exe (DIY) added.
Jun 13, 2008: Using PortableOpera.exe added.
Apr 7, 2009: Close button added.

நல்வரவு! (Welcome!)Updated posts

Comments

Cyro 1. June 2007, 19:19

I don't understand. What is this for?

Tamil 2. June 2007, 04:30

Originally posted by Cyro:

I don't understand. What is this for?

You can use this to run Opera from anywhere (USB, network, etc.).

Christian 2. June 2007, 20:22

Nice thoughts Tamil.
What's the advantage compared to Opera Portable, OperaUSB, Operator or Opera4USB besides you can do updates yourself?

Tamil 5. June 2007, 15:38

Originally posted by ResearchWizard:

What's the advantage compared to Opera Portable, OperaUSB, Operator or Opera4USB besides you can do updates yourself?

That is the only advantage.

Anonymous 26. September 2007, 15:56

Anonymous writes:

Hi Tamil,

Do you know, how to make a virtual CD-ROM drive visible inside My Documents folder? It can be done with a physical drive using Win Drive Management Snap In, but virtual drives are not visible there. It's required to see the drive content (say, to run Opera from a CD image)in a public place, where access to new drive letters is blocked, and only My Documents folder is visible in Save As or Open dialog boxes.

Tamil 26. September 2007, 16:10

Sorry, I don't know.

Anonymous 5. December 2007, 14:41

TaranQ writes:

Wow, great!! Now I can even use the latest build as portable :D:D

Anonymous 17. December 2007, 21:10

Emerson writes:

Hi Tamil.

Just curious. What happens if I run Opera from physical drive?

Anonymous 17. December 2007, 21:16

Emerson writes:

Hi Tamil

Another question. Can I use this method to install any other portable application?

Thank you

Tamil 18. December 2007, 04:32

Originally posted by Emerson:

What happens if I run Opera from physical drive?

Opera won't run with your custom settings & will mess opera6.ini file.

Originally posted by Emerson:

Can I use this method to install any other portable application?

You can use it for both portable & non-portable appliacations.

Anonymous 8. January 2008, 14:05

Anonymous writes:

How can I force Opera to install the profile directory under the main program directory. I have one installation like that, but don't really know how it turned out that way.

Tamil 8. January 2008, 15:04

How can I force Opera to install the profile directory under the main program directory. I have one installation like that, but don't really know how it turned out that way.

See #4 & screenshot above.

serious 18. May 2008, 08:09

does this make registry entries? if it does can this be somehow changed through program-parameters in a bat-file (either as param of opera itself or as a windows-tweak)? like 
SUBST Z: "C:\Applications"
"./opera.exe" -setregpath "blabla"
SUBST Z: /D

Tamil 18. May 2008, 08:14

Originally posted by serious:

does this make registry entries?

Nope.

Anonymous 19. June 2008, 08:39

Anonymous writes:

Hi Tamil

I have various network installations of browsers and the latest version of Flash works in all of them except opera. What should I do?

Many thanks,
B

NYC

Tamil 19. June 2008, 08:49

I have various network installations of browsers and the latest version of Flash works in all of them except opera. What should I do?

Check whether flash plugin listed in opera:plugins. See this.

healthyboy 12. August 2008, 15:42

Hi Tamil,

Thanks for the tips.

Btw, I like your blog header :smile:

Pushkar Hemanta Joshi 19. June 2009, 05:46

Great method to make any Standard Software Portable

Just one thing
If you find your Opera @ Pen drive is working slow change path of opera catche to %TEMP%\opera\opcache4

from profile\operaprefs.ini

Pushkar Hemanta Joshi 19. June 2009, 06:45

can you generalise this PortableOpera.com
I would like to try running any soft on my pen Drive using this technique.

or share source code

i Just want to know how to grab pen drive letter or folder where this file is stored When it is not stable

Tamil 19. June 2009, 10:25

Place PortableOpera.exe & PortableOpera.ini in pen drive. Open PortableOpera.ini modify virtual drive letter and change Opera path to start.bat. Create a new batch file start.bat in PortableOpera.exe location and add path to programs you want to start.

If want source code I will give. :smile:

Pushkar Hemanta Joshi 26. June 2009, 03:54

I will be graceful if you share source code

i Just want to know how to grab pen drive letter or folder where this file is stored When it is not stable

JPushkarH Gmail com

Tamil 26. June 2009, 08:42

Check PM for source code.

Anonymous 26. June 2009, 22:26

Mahmut writes:

Hi, I need help guys. First of all sorry my english. Please help me. I have to build a CD which includes portable opera and a web page. I set home page of portable opera as index.html which I loaded in the CD. My plan was like that When the CD is put a computer, portable opera runs by autorun and shows my web page as a home page. But portable opera cant find the page because of the changing CD drive letter. CD drive letter can be different in computers. My bookmark for home page is this "file://localhost/E:/SanalTurCD/damlakirtasiye/index.html" E is CD drive letter for my computer and CD is working. But for computers different CD drive letter the CD isnt working. What can I do?

orlp 6. August 2009, 13:23

Portable Opera is a neat idea.
It's nice that I can just import my personal tuneups
Slicker than Opera@USB (editing .ini files only requires you to know the drive letter of the virtual drive - in Opera@USB you have to know the last drive letter that the USB stick had)

Great, thanks!

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