This might be a stupid question, but can you run portable apps directly via a BartPE session or do you need to create a plugin for it, even if the app doesn't have any perculiar external dependancies or use the registry?
My system is behaving oddly and I'm looking at options for the paranoid Windows user... I sense an impending total system failure. It'd be nice if I knew I had a quick and dirty Windows solution to get me up and running again (until I have a chance to do a full re-install).
Share your thoughts on BartPE... please!
BartPE
My initial tests say, "Yes, you can!" However, my build of BartPE didn't handle some of my screen capture programs very well. They start minimized to the System Tray and my BartPE doesn't have one. I think I'd have to play with them a little. BartPE recognized my USB stick, I ran PStart started FoxIT Reader v1.3 as well as a few other programs.
However, I did find that I had to have my USB stick inserted before I started BartPE. My BartPE build doesn't see the USB if it is inserted after the fact.
Regards,
Dan
However, I did find that I had to have my USB stick inserted before I started BartPE. My BartPE build doesn't see the USB if it is inserted after the fact.
Regards,
Dan
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technicolordreamcoat
- Posts: 116
- Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 5:08 pm
yes you can,
put all your additional files in a folder during creation (depending on the version of bartPe it will ask you for your own files or just make your own folder and put in directory) and access through a file manager after burning the cd (i think a43 is included with bartPe)
also:
bartPe creates a ramdrive upon startup,
so you can copy any file from the cd onto the ram-drive and run from there
if an app needs to write to the (ram) disk
put all your additional files in a folder during creation (depending on the version of bartPe it will ask you for your own files or just make your own folder and put in directory) and access through a file manager after burning the cd (i think a43 is included with bartPe)
also:
bartPe creates a ramdrive upon startup,
so you can copy any file from the cd onto the ram-drive and run from there
if an app needs to write to the (ram) disk
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technicolordreamcoat
- Posts: 116
- Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 5:08 pm
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teobromina
- Posts: 172
- Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:12 pm
- Location: Spain
Portable Windows
I have been trying from time to time the Bart PE program to produce a bootable Windows, and I found it very slow at running time. And the simplest option to run portable apps with it was to use the file manager included, because the menu shorcuts were not pointing to the apps I had included in the filesystem. I could not be able to start network card though that I am using DHCP. 
I thing that Bart PE is a good forensic instrument but not really prepared for daily desktop use.
According to my experience the best way to run small portable Windows apps from a live OS is ... to use Puppy Linux installing first the Wine extension!
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/PuppyLinuxMainPage
For some other live Linux the Wine emulator is difficult to manage, but the extensions developed for Puppy have achieved a good running experience. All this is true for Windows apps that are standalone, not use other dlls, and are not related to the letters given by Windows to the disc drives (because they are not the same in Linux). Fulfilling all the conditions, the apps run fast. Better than nothing ...
May be in a short future, Wine or a similar emulator could make possible to enlarge the list of apps running in a live Linux like Puppy.
*JT.[/i]
I thing that Bart PE is a good forensic instrument but not really prepared for daily desktop use.According to my experience the best way to run small portable Windows apps from a live OS is ... to use Puppy Linux installing first the Wine extension!
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/PuppyLinuxMainPage
For some other live Linux the Wine emulator is difficult to manage, but the extensions developed for Puppy have achieved a good running experience. All this is true for Windows apps that are standalone, not use other dlls, and are not related to the letters given by Windows to the disc drives (because they are not the same in Linux). Fulfilling all the conditions, the apps run fast. Better than nothing ...
May be in a short future, Wine or a similar emulator could make possible to enlarge the list of apps running in a live Linux like Puppy.*JT.[/i]
Why even bother with Wine in this scenario, if all you want to do is surf the net, read email and some occasional word processing then Puppy Linux is fine as a stand-alone OS.
For me the purpose of using BartPE (or something like it) would be as a temporary Windows desktop replacement. Thus, If my fixed Windows installation failed, I could still use ALL of my portable apps (without worrying whether they run under emulation or not). It was recently the case that my fixed installation got a virus and completely took the computer down, furthermore I didn't have the hours (plural) needed to re-install Windows, consequently the machine was essentially useless to me for a few days until I had the time to rebuild it.
As it turns out, I've found that BartPE (as some others have mentioned) is more suited to the actual recovery process. Now I just use Puppy Linux, in fact I have permanently installed it on an old spare computer that I have and use it frequently for my 'day-to-day' tasks.
For me the purpose of using BartPE (or something like it) would be as a temporary Windows desktop replacement. Thus, If my fixed Windows installation failed, I could still use ALL of my portable apps (without worrying whether they run under emulation or not). It was recently the case that my fixed installation got a virus and completely took the computer down, furthermore I didn't have the hours (plural) needed to re-install Windows, consequently the machine was essentially useless to me for a few days until I had the time to rebuild it.
As it turns out, I've found that BartPE (as some others have mentioned) is more suited to the actual recovery process. Now I just use Puppy Linux, in fact I have permanently installed it on an old spare computer that I have and use it frequently for my 'day-to-day' tasks.