Memory Stick with U3 : can one use demo FH on it?

SunnyLady · Post by **SunnyLady** » 15 Apr 2007 11:05

Has anyone used the Family Historian demo on a memory stick that uses U3 software to run other software as if it was a standalone computer?

Have put it on a CD to give info I found on friend's tree so it seems logical it would work but not techie enough to try...

ID:2299

MikeH · Post by **MikeH** » 21 Apr 2007 10:58

My understanding is that the application developer has to convert the package to be 'U3 smart'. It's not just a case of installing the normal Windows program onto the U3 stick.

Perhaps Simon can advise us whether he sees an expanded market opportunity for FH using U3 technology? The ease of carrying your favourite genealogy database AND program to use at any convenient WinXP PC (at your family history society archive, library or friend's home) sounds very actractive to me!![smile]

SunnyLady · Post by **SunnyLady** » 21 Apr 2007 15:05

Mike

This was my understanding too - but some brave soul may have made it work... so over to Simon??...

or wish list it?

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 21 Apr 2007 19:30

It's on the wish list
http://www.fhug.org.uk/wishlist/wldispl ... lwlref=184

SunnyLady · Post by **SunnyLady** » 21 Apr 2007 20:14

Jane

Thanks as (obviously!) I had not seen that thread - think, if I know about these U3 memory sticks, that they have moved on since last summer and the price has come way down. So maybe more people will vote

iant1954 · Post by **iant1954** » 26 Jan 2008 12:17

Having just purchased a Intuix 4Gb U3 drive, I'm a convert to the funcionality. The reason for the selection of the brand was that they have a download of the version of U3 which supports Vista.

jfsmith · Post by **jfsmith** » 26 Jan 2008 15:28

Load the Demo onto any Memory Stick and Run it and it works. All you need is a backup copy of your FH file on memory stick and use backup/restore in the file menu. If you change your settings in Tools to always boot from your file, it does so automatically[smile]

jmurphy · Post by **jmurphy** » 26 Jan 2008 17:33

Just wanted to post a few links for the users here who might not be familiar with U3 and other portable applications.

The main U3 site:
http://www.u3.com/

U3 fakes out your computer into thinking it is running an application off a CD-ROM. There's a program called the LaunchPad from which you run the portable applications.

The newest Firefox (among other apps) can be used on any USB drive, not just a U3. For details on that and other Open Source applications, see:
http://portableapps.com/

See also this handy tutorial for putting PAF on a USB device:

http://www.svpafug.org/install.pdf

I recently got a U3 drive for work, wanting to get a PIM that was more portable than a PDA, and also to carry a work-optimized Firefox setup with me -- only to discover that Firefox had moved on. [oops]

Jan

SunnyLady · Post by **SunnyLady** » 29 Jan 2008 18:52

Bitten the bullet and now have the demo version of FH on my U3 4 gig sandisc memory stick - does all I want which enables me to look at stuff and show others ... no printing but that is not a problem for me - so all I do is copy the gedcom across as and when....

If you have or are getting vista and use the U3 programme make sure you get the booster one to work fully with vista - not sure what Jan means by Firefox moving on - works a treat on my work U3 which is non vista compatible as we use XP there, but as I have Vista at home I have invested in the second one)... Firefox is my browser of choice with the IE View plug in for Ancestry etc!!!

SimonDaw · Post by **SimonDaw** » 29 Jan 2008 20:26

Has anybody tried using FH on a stick using PortableApps instead of U3?

jmurphy · Post by **jmurphy** » 31 Jan 2008 06:39

SunnyLady said:
Bitten the bullet and now have the demo version of FH on my U3 4 gig sandisc memory stick - does all I want which enables me to look at stuff and show others ... no printing but that is not a problem for me - so all I do is copy the gedcom across as and when....

If you have or are getting vista and use the U3 programme make sure you get the booster one to work fully with vista - not sure what Jan means by Firefox moving on - works a treat on my work U3 which is non vista compatible as we use XP there, but as I have Vista at home I have invested in the second one)... Firefox is my browser of choice with the IE View plug in for Ancestry etc!!!

Someone told me that Firefox was no longer supported on U3 and the version that you can download via portableapps.com is the preferred version. I currently have the U3 version on my U3 drive and the portable apps version on my plain drive, so I will be trying out both versions.

What is the advantage of using the demo version of FH on the USB drive versus the full one?

Jan

SunnyLady · Post by **SunnyLady** » 31 Jan 2008 18:02

Jan .
For me it provides an easy way of looking at my information but I do not want to use it for making any alterations to the main copy nor do I want to be able to print. So a cut down version works for me.

It seems that the normal version of Firefox works on the U3 stick - I just used the version that arrived and updated it as per usual... so far so good

NOt used portapps - do you recommend that for any memory stick?

jmurphy · Post by **jmurphy** » 01 Feb 2008 07:08

Here's how they describe it:

PortableApps.com provides a truly open platform that works with any hardware you like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). It's open source built around an open format that any hardware vendor or software developer can use.

http://portableapps.com/about/what_is_a_portable_app

And it's free!

I have installed AbiWord, Firefox, and a notepad application from Portable Apps on my USB stick, but work has been hectic, so I haven't had a chance to test it out yet.

When I have the time to sit down and compare the two portable Firefoxes, I'll post more here.

In any case, I recommend the Firefox add-on 'Scrapbook' by Gomita, which allows you to capture screens and save them to a file like pages in a notebook. I use it to save search results from Ancestry and other web sites.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/427

Jan

ADC65 · Post by **ADC65** » 01 Sep 2008 12:30

Apologies for dragging this from the archives. I would like to echo SimonDaw's question, has anyone managed to get FH3 running under PortableApps? I've downloaded PA and installed it on my USB drive, but it looks like it will only run the Apps specially written for it ... which do not include FH3.

Is anyone aware of any free utilities that will allow me to run FH3 from a USB drive? I'm not interested in running anything else, or in any utilities that do not run FH3.

Thanks

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 01 Sep 2008 17:10

I suspect something like Ceedo Personal might allow FH to work, but FH was not really designed to run Portable.

ADC65 · Post by **ADC65** » 01 Sep 2008 18:31

Thanks Jane. It looks like Ceedo costs money, although it does have a free trial. I think I'll probably stick with what I've got. I'm lucky enough to have a laptop as well as a desktop so I can usually take the laptop to record offices, etc., and I have my tree on the web under TNG as well. It would just be useful to have it on a stick for when I visit relatives that I am begging information or photos from - popping the stick in their computer and knowing it would leave it 'clean' at the end would be a bonus.

Thanks for looking anyway.

colin1958 · Post by **colin1958** » 11 Jan 2009 16:00

While FH may not have been designed to run on a usb stick it does so very well.

I have recently compiled a full 3.1 version into a single file and it runs with full functionality except obviously you cant download and install custom reports and such like or upgrades.

I find it extremely useful to be able to work on my research when at work or away from home.

I believe I am within my licence rights to do this as technically I am not installing the software onto another computer and it is for my own personal use.

I hope v4 includes a build to usb option but somehow I doubt it.

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