virtual install

[nite_monkey]

Hello, I was looking for a program that would allow me to install a program inside of it, and then the program would store all the registry files, and application files inside of it. A program that I did find was Altiris(R) Software Virtualization Solution(TM) 2.0, but it wont install on my computer for some reason, so I was wondering if some one could tell me another program that would do that. Here is the information of  the program I found.

[Crush]

This program seems to be the first of its kind. At the moment there doesn´t seem to be any alternative for Altiris SVS.
Describe your installation-problems, perhaps someone can help you.

[mouser]

Don't forget there are a lot of virtual machine tools: http://www.donationcoder.com/Reviews/Archive/VirtualMachine/index.html

Depending on how you want to use it, you can make a virtual machine player with vmware and use it in this kind of way.

[jgpaiva]

There's a program that works in a similar way to altiris svs, although it isn't as full-featured: sandboxie

[nite_monkey]

Well after I posted this, I got it to install, I can't use vmware because I don't have an os install disk, and sandboxie doesn't give me the registry files. SVS halfway works, it does all that I want, but it doesn't let you take the program with you, and put it on a different computer very well.

[cthorpe]

It should work fine to take the program with you and put it on another machine as long as Altiris is running on that other machine.  Just select the layer you want (it has to be inactive), go to the File menu, and select Export to get a file that can then be imported to another machine.


Carl

[nite_monkey]

So I would be able to possibly put Altris on my usb flash drive, and put my exported layer on it also, and then put my drive in another computer and use it? I may have to try that.

[cthorpe]

Altiris has to be installed on the computer in question before you can import and use a layer.  As far as I know, there is no way to run Altiris off of the USB at this time, though that feature is supposedly under development.

[nite_monkey]

wow, I was reading up on this program some more, and it just came to me, that if you were to reinstall windows, and install this program, and then install all of your programs in this, then that would save time in the future if you need to reinstall windows. all of your files are all ready installed, all you have to do is make sure you archive them before you reinstall windows, then just import them into this program, and then you have all of your programs back. Plus that would keep your registry clean, because you could keep all of your programs deactivated while not using them... I am just thinking about this, it is not something that I would for sure do, but is sounds pretty cool, I just would love it if I could put this program on my flash drive, and run it from that. that would make any program portable... I think.

[MrCrispy]

I would be careful running programs off of USB. Flash memory is not designed to handle lots of writes, its optimized for reading. And I'm guessing using your method, Altiris will be writing to flash as registry/file changes are made.

[nite_monkey]

Thats what I was thinking, but if you were able to make the program able to run off a flash drive (export the registry files, and use a config file to point them to it) then you would I guess be able to export all you layers, and then put the program onto a difrent computer and then you would be able to have all of your programs with you at all times.

[f0dder]

I would be careful running programs off of USB. Flash memory is not designed to handle lots of writes, its optimized for reading. And I'm guessing using your method, Altiris will be writing to flash as registry/file changes are made.

Is it really that much of a problem with modern flash devices?

[nite_monkey]

from what I have heard flash drives can only be written to so many times and then they stop working. I haven't had this happen to me yet, but I guess it would be possible.

[tomos]

from what I have heard flash drives can only be written to so many times and then they stop working. I haven't had this happen to me yet, but I guess it would be possible.

not sure how many writes it takes (it is a good few) but from what I've read before, it's more definite than possible ..

[f0dder]

I wonder if USB devices do Wear Leveling on the hardware level...

[cthorpe]

not sure how many writes it takes (it is a good few) but from what I've read before, it's more definite than possible ..

According to Wikipedia:

EEPROM and flash memory media have individually erasable segments, each of which can be put through a finite number of erase cycles before possibly starting to wear-out and becoming statistically unreliable: anywhere between 10,000 and 1,000,000 cycles, for example, for NAND flash devices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wear_levelling

and

Another limitation is that flash memory has a finite number of erase-write cycles (most commercially available flash products are guaranteed to withstand 1 million programming cycles).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_memory#Limitations

[Babylonia]

Recurring theme. Today is a lot of software for virtualization. But which to choose?