On 4/16/2010 12:37 PM On a whim,
sflksfskd@lksjdlkfj.com pounded out on
the keyboard
> I've noticed that its often possible (for smaller programs) to be used
> - just copied and pasted from C:\Program Files from another computer.
> Now I was wondering if there is a quick way of knowing which programs
> this works with? Could I do a Search for the program name in C:
> excluding Program Files?
The only way to find out is by trial and error. I have a folder on my
Desktop of apps that I know don't have to be reinstalled. Apps like
that usually have all their related files reside in the one folder.
Unlike what Pegasus mentioned, many of the apps I use do create registry
entries. But it doesn't matter if the entries aren't there when moved
to a different computer. They are recreated on first launch. You can
even use zip builds of apps like Firefox or Thunderbird that do the same
thing. Or better yet, look at Portable Apps for programs that can run
on a flash drive:
http://portableapps.com/
Large programs (MS Office, Photoshop, etc) will throw files in many
locations over the hard drive and create extensive registry entries.
Those can be manually moved, but it would be cheaper to buy the program
than have someone export all the registry entries and locate all the
files needed. I've done it with a few apps for clients that no longer
had the installation discs and had to have the program on a new
computer. But it was extremely time consuming and costly.
Terry R.
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