Installation without admin rights (Windows)

[paulotex]

I have a work computer without admin rights, and I was able to install Calibre simply by extracting the msi file. Any other installation process (using a local folder, disabling several installation options) failed.

Note that this way is a bit limited, you don't get file extensions associations with Calibre nor entries in the start menu.

Assuming you downloaded the installer to your usual Downloads folder:

1. Open "cmd":
Start -> type "cmd" and select it. A black window with a command prompt should open.

2. In that window, type
cd Downloads
and press enter.

3. Copy and paste this in the black window and press enter:
msiexec /a calibre-64bit-5.32.0.msi /qb TARGETDIR=c:\users\<username>

Replace "calibre-64bit-5.32.0.msi" with the exact filename of the Calibre version you downloaded. Replace "<username>" with your Windows username (your home folder name).

You should see a progress window for a few seconds and then it disappears.

You can now close the "cmd" window.

4. Using File Explorer navigate to your home folder and inside it you should find a folder called "Pfiles" with the folder "Calibre2" inside. This is what you just extracted from the msi file.

5. Inside this Calibre2 file you'll find the file calibre.exe. Double click on it to run Calibre.

[aborel]

Interseting, but wouldn't it be easier to use the portable calibre version https://calibre-ebook.com/download_portable ?

[DNSB]

Perhaps the OP prefers running the 64 bit version of calibre? The portable installer is 32 bit.

[Quoth]

That's a flaw in Windows that you can install at all ever in any fashion without admin rights.

Also in days of NT 4.0 (and to an extent XP) users in properly run offices, schools and colleges couldn't install software. Only Admins. Oddly easier to lock down NT 4.0 completely than XP (NT 5.1). MS reduced XP security to make it easier to install and run improperly written win9x applications.

[paulotex]

Originally Posted by aborel

Interseting, but wouldn't it be easier to use the portable calibre version https://calibre-ebook.com/download_portable ?

I was not aware that it exists! Does it allow to install plugins? I haven't tried on my "installation", but I do need the Kobo plugins...

Thanks for the suggestion...

[paulotex]

Originally Posted by Quoth

That's a flaw in Windows that you can install at all ever in any fashion without admin rights.

I don't think this is a flaw. I extract the contents to my home directory. By chance calibre can run like this. To now allow this to happen, Windows would have to remove permissions to write and execute from my home folder, which is quite important.

Another possibility would be to not allow to extract files from msi installers.

[aborel]

Originally Posted by paulotex

I was not aware that it exists! Does it allow to install plugins? I haven't tried on my "installation", but I do need the Kobo plugins...

I don't see why it wouldn't accept plugins - so I guess yes

[theducks]

Yes it allows plugins. The only thing you can't do is place Libraries in random locations. That does not stop you from 1 time switching to externals, just that it won't put them on the switch list

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

Yes it allows plugins. The only thing you can't do is place Libraries in random locations. That does not stop you from 1 time switching to externals, just that it won't put them on the switch list

If you put a symbolic link to a library folder in the calibre portable folder, calibre will see it as if library were in the calibre portable folder.

BR