Portable SU7 Windows Install?
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Here's the question: Will there be unexpected problems for students at home? (You'll have to read further to understand.)
I'm teaching SU7 at a local Senior College. Because the University's cluster system disk image erases all personal files it is impossible to create and save fully customized SU workspaces. This causes a headache with the students as every time they come to class they have to re-customize their work areas.... very time consuming and annoying.
The only workaround I've found is to install SU7 on a USB flash drive and run it from there. The install wizard didn't like it. It wouldn't let me install a working version on the USB drive unless I tricked it. But I was able to create a working version on the USB drive. It took a bit of doing... copying file sets, and uninstalling and reinstalling SketchUp off my system's hard drive and the USB drive. But I apparently now have Working independent versions on both my system hard drive and on a USB drive.
In brief "beta" trials with my own system I have not found any problems. I can operate from either installation and it seems to work just fine. But I am a little leary because the Wizard wouldn't let me do it unless I lead it to believe there was no other SU installation visible.
I'd like to give each student a USB drive installed version of SU for use in class. Since they all will have their own SU installations at home, are there any possible hazards if one of them should run SU7 from the USB drive at home?
I'm most familiar with the Mac. Details of WinXP operations are not my area of expertise. Can some of you more familiar with WinXP hazard some guesses as to whether there'll be any bad effects of using the thumb drive for portability?
Thanks.
John -
There's a nice thread about running a virtual desktop here http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=14266. Mojopac has had some good reviews on computer geek sites, mainly because it's a good value for the price.
There's a plugin to manage a portable plugin collection which may be handy http://www.alexschreyer.net/projects/plugin-loader-for-sketchup/.
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GATA -
Thanks for those threads. It's looks like I was able to accomplish the same thing without any mojo from MojoPac or ThinApp. I let the Wizard take care of the issues regarding the registry files. (about which I know nothing except that I shouldn't mess with 'em.) I simply arranged things so that the Wizard never thought there was another installation of SU7 on the computer.If you want to try out this method of making SU7 portable here's what worked for me.
- Deinstall SU7 from my main hard drive HD
- Downloaded the SU7 WinXP installer put a copy on both my desk top and my USB drive.
- Made a Google SketchUp7 folder and put it on the top level of the USB drive.
- Run the installer from the USB drive.
- When asked for where to install the app I entered the path to my new folder on the USB drive.
- Finished the install. (Took about 30 mins!!)
- Made a backup folder and copied the Google SketchUp7 folder into it leaving the original on the USB desktop.
- Ran SU7 from the USB drive to make sure everything worked.
- Ran the installer and Deinstalled the SU7 that was just installed on the USB drive. The contents of the backup SU7 folder were not touched. The contents of the home-made Google SU7 folder were erased as expected. Unplugged the USB drive from the system.
- Switched back to my main drive and ran the installer there. I had to first "deinstall" SU7 even tho I hadn't installed one there. (If you don't do this the Wizard thinks you want to make some changes to the last installation. So yes I had to deinstall SU7 twice. This was a surprise to me and may be related to the issues discussed in an earlier thread.
- Ran the installer again and this time installed SU7 on my HD in the default location.
- Everything worked well here too. So now I had a working installation on my HD and a copy of a working installation in the backup of my USB drive.
- Reconnect the USB drive and copied the contents of the SU7backup folder to the top level of my USB drive. Went into the SU7folder and made a shortcut for the SU7 .exe file. Put copies of the shortcut where I needed them. Done!
14 Now I have 2 SU7 shortcuts on my desktop. If I click one it starts up SU7 from the main HD and if I click the other it starts up from the USB drive. So far I don't see any interferences. And I store most of my drawings in a file on the USB drive. As far as I can tell I have no problem opening them from either installation.
Be interested to hear if others have similar success. Or if you have any problems. I don't want to damage my students computers.
John
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Seems you have a portable version for free version 7 here
Post #5 -
Hmm.... again I am not authorised to view this. I really would like to know why.
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The portable version looks intriguing. Thanks for the tip. I'll try it out later.
If your admin lets you, get them to install my plugin loader. That way students can load plugins on demand from their USB drive as they need.
One more idea:
You can get them to make a template with all their settings and customizations and save it to the USB drive. Then copy the SketchUp desktop shortcut from the lab computer to the USB drive, too.
Right-click on the icon and modify the properties to reflect the following (as appropriate, USB:\ is the USB drive):
Target: "C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\SketchUp.exe" "USB:\SketchUp\my_template.skp"
It might also help to add the USB drive folder to the "Start in:" box.
AutoCAD is a bit easier here. Its startup switches make this much easier. See http://www.alexschreyer.net/cad/where-are-my-autocad-settings/
Cheers,
Alex -
Sepo, the pilou's link goes to the french forum, so unless your signed up to it you wont be able see it.
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I can't see Frenchy Pilou's reference either. If any of you have seen it, what is he referring to?
Alex -
Thanks for your thoughts. My sys admin isn't very Senior college teacher friendly in that the cluster disk images are only made just before the beginning of the semester. So if after classes start you find need for anything to be added you've got to wait until next semester. So at this point I'll have to find a different way to deal with plug-ins.Your plug in loader looks very useful. From the description at your website, it looks like a perfect addition to the USB disk installation. And I won;t have to wait for the sys admin.
RE: templates. We do use templates. That's one thing that's neat about having a working copy on the USB drive as I don't need to tell it each time I start up what template I want. You tell it once and it remembers.
The weakness of the templates (that I wish they'd fix) is that the tool palettes are not part of the templates. The tools that show up when I start from the disk image version of SU7 are the basic default set regardless of the tools that were in use when the template was made. We have to customize the tool palettes each day of class. The USB drive version gets around this problem.
I've never modofied a shortcut before. I didn't know that a shortcut could address two different locations.
Target: "C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 7\SketchUp.exe" "USB:\SketchUp\my_template.skp".Obviously the first part starts up SU7. The second parts seems to point to a template file. It looks like you might be telling the app to open that file. But won't that just open the template without changing the preference setting for where to find the default template? (which is what I need to do)
Also, can you elaborate a bit on this thought?
"It might also help to add the USB drive folder to the "Start in:" box"The "Start in: box" isn't familiar to me... nor do I understand what this suggestion will accomplish.
Thanks,
John -
John,
click on my link to dowload the compressed.rar file. Decompress it and copy .exe file on your USB stick and run it. Can't be more easy. -
I use it for a week or so and no problem with it.
You can save your template settings without any difficulty.
The only problem is for plugins.
I use Alex's Pluginloader and it works but only for scripts located in the SU plugin directory.
If you have sophisticated plugins with sub directories like JPP, TOS etc... it does not work.
That the reason I ask the question in your thread Alex
Another problem is you have to reload your prefered plugins each time you run SU7 from your USB stick.
But you can group them in a folder to make this easier.
I Alex is able to find a nice trick to load all kind of scripts it would be fantastic !
You can dowload the file SU7-free_portable here: http://pwcj7g.bay.livefilestore.com/y1po3FI_NyoAnttVD0C9XjDOKhEp_yL8hM2OT5Ncf9l67uo5TDfJ3eOaKwiGMX3_eLdg7_dFEy6hMzkHNlLQH4n1Q/SkUp7_Portable.rar?download -
I can't see Frenchy Pilou's reference either. If any of you have seen it, what is he referring to?
@unknownuser said:as Remus said
@unknownuser said:
the pilou's link goes to the french forum, so unless your signed up to it you wont be able see it.
or now see the Jean-Franco post above
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Do you know anything about making it work with a U3 Flashdrive?
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@jperdman said:
The weakness of the templates (that I wish they'd fix) is that the tool palettes are not part of the templates. The tools that show up when I start from the disk image version of SU7 are the basic default set regardless of the tools that were in use when the template was made. We have to customize the tool palettes each day of class. The USB drive version gets around this problem.
as far as I know, the tool palette display and location information is stored in the registry - with your usb trick, if you move to a different computer, will all the palettes actually appear as you previously had them?
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@jperdman said:
My sys admin isn't very Senior college teacher friendly in that the cluster disk images are only made just before the beginning of the semester.
Hi John! Yes, we have the same lab setup. I'll have to make sure I include the plugin during summer imaging, too.
Regarding modifying the shortcut: By adding a "template" file to the target you are loading that file. Unfortunately SU just opens it, so you have to save it under a different name. Also, when you set the "start in" box to a folder with support files, then some programs will use the support files in that folder instead or in addition of the default ones. Just checked it and it doesn't seem to work with SU. This brings me to:
Dear Google, here's my wishlist:
- Allow for new template file extension like "skt" that loads a file as a template.
- Create startup switches for (additional) plugin folder "/p", (additional) component folder "/c", template "/t" and setting overrides "/s".
(This is pretty much AutoCAD functionality, but it is really useful for a lab setup like ours)
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Aha , Thanks Remus
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