Product Review – Package Factory – U3 software creation tool – Add applications to your launchpad!
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When I received my SanDisk 4GB Cruzer, I of course went on the hunt for portable applications that I could install upon it. Being in a rather strict IT environment at work, I could not install some of my daily "must have" applications. FireFox, Paint,net, Notepad++, and a good deletion/overwrite program. I knew when I bought my U3 that I could install applications upon it.
But I couldn’t find everything that I wanted on the U3 site. I could install applications on my drive, but then have to search through the folders instead of the applications appearing on the U3 menu.
So that prompted me to find an application or workaround that would allow them to appear on the menu. I found one that was way to complex for me that involved editing some code, etc. But them I found the saving grace of all applications: Package Factory. PackageFactory for U3 lets you convert any* application or EXE into a U3P Package File, for free! You can then install this U3P file onto any U3-compatible flash drive. PackageFactory for U3 works best for simple programs and applications with few support files (although you can add as many supporting DLLs and other EXEs as you need).
With just dropping the exe containing folder in the "create" window and clicking "Create", it would spit out a U3 file that I could install and have appear on my U3 launchpad. Now not every application is able to run portably: you have to access whether it is really dependant on files that reside outside of the install directory. Even ones that link heavily to outside directories have been made portable using ThinStall and other methods. I have seen portable versions of MS OneNote, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. I am of the thought that if I own a particular software and there is no portable version, then if I find one to use (and only use one at a time), them my license covers it. But I’m a consumer, not a greedy magamogul corporation. YMMV.
PackageFactory is indeed a must have application if you own a U3 drive – and even if your USB drive isn’t U3, you can install it anyway and have a great launchpad to use, which will save lots of time!
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