PStart: A great, free software utility that launches portable applications from your USB key
Aug 11 '06
The Bottom Line PStart has changed how I use the computer; it can do the same for you!
When traveling from town to town on either business or pleasure, I often found myself using unfamiliar computers with strange setups and installations. Not one to leave my personal data behind, I began using Roboform2Go, the mobile version of RoboForm. This worked well, but didn't erase the browser history, cache and favorites from the host computer. As such, I figured it was time to step up to Portable Firefox, a great application that I perhaps will review at another time. In the search for this application I found PStart, a portable launcher tool for portable applications. This is similar to U3 technology without the cost. Great!
PStart is a small software application from PEGTOP Software that is completely free and allows the user to launch portable applications through an app residing in the system tray. It may not be immediately clear why this is advantageous, but if you read on I think you will see why I have come to like this program so much.
Portable Firefox, a free web browser from Mozilla, can be stored on a USB key and moved from computer to computer with all of your browsing history, cache and whatnot moving with you. Coupled with Pass2Go, this setup allows me to keep my browsing history, passwords and personal information completely private, as no information is stored on the host computers once the USB key is pulled. As I became accustomed to this setup, I realized that a Portable Thunderbird and Portable Sunbird app were also available. Since I was using those applications at home for my email and calendar needs, it only made sense that I transition to the portable applications as well. Some time later I learned of Portable VLC Media Player, a totally free media player that again stores all history, etc. on the USB drive. By using these applications I can move from work to home to any destination during travel and keep my email and calendar up to date, my browsing history completely private and my personal information safe. Sounds great, right?
The only problem I ran into was that I had to open the File Explorer, open the USB key, and finally open each and every file by double-clicking the executable file. While not a major problem, it is time consuming and therefore something that I would like to do without. Enter PStart.
Downloading and installing PStart onto your USB drive will 'fix' this problem. Once PStart is loaded onto your key, you can either explore to the USB key directory and double click the PStart.exe file or set it up for autorun, which I will explain later. Opening PStart will bring up the panel and place an icon in the system tray, from which you can select and open any of the user-selected files on the key. With some launchers that use fixed paths the jump drive must be allocated the same drive letter each time or else the links will not work. For instance, if the links were set up on a PC with the jump drive mapped to the D: drive, they will not work when the drive is moved to a new PC which maps the jump drive as the F: drive. As PStart uses relative paths, moving from PC to PC is not a problem, even if the jump drive is re-mapped as a different letter. This is most helpful for the user and gives PStart a leg up on the competition.
User Interface
The user interface of PStart is minimal in nature, as the application stays true to its roots. There is a tab for items, one for search, one for notes and one for info. Each will be explained below, as well as how to use them.
Items
The Items screen is the core function of PStart. Right-clicking in the empty box will allow the user to map a new file or program to the panel, thus making it easy to start multiple applications easily via either the panel or the system tray icon. If the user opens the panel, all linked files and programs will be present in the Items tab and double-clicking the icons will execute them. Additionally, placing a program or file in the tab will add it to the menu that pops up when the system tray icon is selected, thus making it even easier to start the programs without opening the panel. This significantly reduces the mouse strokes to get the portable applications working, and this is the core function of the app.
Search
PStart has a very good search engine that catalogues programs from both the hard disk and the jump drive. If you are searching for a particular program (application) to run and don't want to go through the hassle of opening the start bar and exploring, this is a great way to find it. This does not catalogue files, however, so the user is still left to the old methods of finding these. It would be nice if future iterations of the program would allow for indexing the files as well, although this is already available via Google Desktop.
Notes
For those folks without a PDA, the notes section works great for scheduling appointments, reoccurring instances, etc. Setting up a Note is simple, and an alarm can be set for the instance. Recurrences are easily added, as the notes can be setup to alarm every day, week, month or year. A single occurrence is simple to add, as well. This is similar to the calendar functions that one can get with Sunbird or Outlook, although the interface isn't quite so pretty. It does work, but for now I stick with my PDA or Sunbird for my reminders.
Info
The Info tab is available to see how much total space is available on the home disk (jump drive, in my case) as well as the available space and file system type. I use this to see where I am sitting with space for future emails, applications and occurrences. As I don't have too much on the disk yet I still have 200 of the original 512MB on my PNY jump drive, and unless I download and install Portable OpenOffice.org I think I have plenty of space.
Personal Use
What I downloaded as something to use when I travel has quickly become something I use every day on each computer I frequent. PStart has made it easy to use the portable applications for Firefox, Thunderbird and Sunbird, and we all know that what is easy will get used. I don't need to keep my email files locally on my home computer anymore, thus being without them while traveling. That is a big plus! When and if I upgrade to a larger USB key it is easy to backup the settings for PStart as well, thus making the transition seamless. One thing that makes this even easier to use is an AutoRun file which doesn't come with the program initially.
AutoRun
If you want Windows the launch the PStart application as soon as you plug the USB key into the PC, open notepad and type the following text:
[AutoRun]
open=PStart.exe
action=Launch PStart
shell\PStart=Launch PStart
shell\PStart\command=PStart.exe
Save the file to the parent directory of the jump drive as a file named AutoRun.inf and the next time you plug in the USB key Windows should launch a window which allows you to run PStart. No exploring and clicking is required beyond this, making it easy to get the application up and running!
Overall
If there was a single freeware application which has changed my computing experience and made previously harder tasks easy, this is it. PStart uses relative paths, thus allowing it to work seamlessly between PC's regardless of what drive letter is allocated. The panel allows some nice functionality such as Search and Notes, and at the core the launcher application streamlines the use of portable applications without having to get into proprietary U3 technology. I love it, and recommend it for the mobile user on the go!
PostScript
There are many portable applications available on the web. Just a few sites with these apps can be found below. Browse and see if this can change your computing experience.
http://www.portableapps.com
http://www.portablefreeware.com/
This advice piece is an entry into the Software Category Write On, trying to raise the awareness of the problems with the software category on Epinions. Please check out my Member Page for more details!
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