You can find all the tools listed here in the “Tools” directory.
NSIS
I make my portables using NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System). It is basically an install maker and very easy to use. I’m not a programmer and if you follow my instructions I can assure you that you’ll be able to make your portable launchers whether you are a programmer or not. Installing NSIS is very simple – go to their homepage and download the installer. You can also find a portable version over the internet.
You’ll also need the registry plugin for NSIS. It comes with an installer so it is easy to install. There is a tiny software called Reg2NSIS, which can convert .reg files to NSIS scripts. It often makes writing scripts easier.
Total Uninstall
This software enables to monitor installations easily, including monitoring of registry and file system changes. After the monitoring process registry changes can be exported.
Unfortunately version 3 and upwards Total Uninstall is shareware but I’m sure you can get a “fix” for managing this if you are reading this guide.
Registry Workshop
For registry work I can recommend you to use Registry Workshop. I like this one because it makes registry searching and tweaking easy. It has a nice Undo-Redo feature which is often comes handy.
Icons From File
For extracting icons from the original application is very easy with the freeware tool called Icons From File. It is straightforward to use and does what its name suggests.
SciTE
You’ll need a text editor for making the NSIS script. The built-in Windows Notepad will do but I recommend you to use SciTE. It is tiny but powerful and what’s more, it’s also portable.
Universal Extractor software allows you to extract setup files. This may come handy because you can eliminate the setup process, and thus no modification is made to the system before the first launch. However, it’s drawback is that you have to find out where does it save its settings (registry or in other files).
RegMon
Regmon is a Registry monitoring utility that will show you which applications are accessing your Registry, which keys they are accessing, and the Registry data that they are reading and writing – all in real-time. It is useful when you want to find which registry keys the program is using, where does it store the registration data, etc.
FileMon
FileMon monitors and displays file system activity on a system in real-time. You can use it if you want to monitor your file system (what files were accessed, created, deleted, etc.).
You’ll also need a file manager and you’ll have to have admin rights on your computer but these are obvious, I think.
Of course, you can use other softwares if you wish.
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