I thought Portable meant Portable - It Doesn't

[BetterRed]

On Vista, Win7 and Win8 the Documents and Settings folder is a junction to the Users folder, unless you tweak Windows you don't normally see it. It's there to facilitate backwards compatibility for older programs that use hard coded paths.

If you have a folder such as C:\Users\BetterRed\AppData\Roaming\calibre on Vista etc, or C:\Documents and Settings\BetterRed\AppData\Roaming\calibre on XP, then you either created it yourself (unlikely), or at some time you installed one of the 'regular' versions of calibre (most likely). When calibre is un-installed it does not remove that folder. This is by design, it means that if calibre is re-installed the old settings are used. Occasionally problems are solved via an un-install/re-install sequence.

If you only want to use the portable version of calibre then if it exists the ...\AppData\Roaming\calibre folder can be removed.

@Vortex - if you locate any additional libraries within the Calibre Portable folder itself, then you wont run into the drive letter issue. So your Calibre Portable folder might contain the following

...\Calibre Portable\Calibre
...\Calibre Portable\Calibre Library
...\Calibre Portable\Calibre Settings
...\Calibre Portable\calibre-portable.exe

...\Calibre Portable\Magazines Library

BR

[Vortex]

Searching through my computer I found the remains of an old Calibre install that I thought was long gone, could be the cause of some of my problems, time for a complete clear out and new install.
So how do we get a genuinely portable install on a HDD? Install on a removable drive and then transfer it over?

[itimpi]

You can install the portable install direct to the HDD without problems as the install ask where you want it placed.

Note, however, that you need to steer clear of any locations that might have access restrictions.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Vortex

Searching through my computer I found the remains of an old Calibre install that I thought was long gone, could be the cause of some of my problems

I have been running calibre portable on my hard drive for years alongside a calibre 64 standard installation. I have never had the two interfere with each other.

Originally Posted by itimpi

You can install the portable install direct to the HDD without problems as the install ask where you want it placed.

Note, however, that you need to steer clear of any locations that might have access restrictions.

Just follow itimpi's guidelines. Keep in mind wherever you install calibre portable any Calibre library you plan to use should be moved inside the tree as BR indicated.

Example:

Default setup:
\Calibre Portable\Calibre
\Calibre Portable\Calibre Library
\Calibre Portable\Calibre Settings
\Calibre Portable\calibre-portable.exe

Other libraries added:
\Calibre Portable\Test Library
\Calibre Portable\Magazines Library

I run calibre portable in Dropbox on my home and work computers. Both instances have completely different paths and it has always worked perfectly. Additionally when I wanted to take it over to show my son I simply copied the complete calibre portable folder to a flash drive. It worked from the flash drive without a hitch.

[RBraverman]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

What docs and settings?

We'll agree to disagree in regards to how a portable install works - but to answer your question - "users\{user_name}\appdata\roaming\calibre"

[RBraverman]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

On Vista, Win7 and Win8 the Documents and Settings folder is a junction to the Users folder, unless you tweak Windows you don't normally see it. It's there to facilitate backwards compatibility for older programs that use hard coded paths.

If you have a folder such as C:\Users\BetterRed\AppData\Roaming\calibre on Vista etc, or C:\Documents and Settings\BetterRed\AppData\Roaming\calibre on XP, then you either created it yourself (unlikely), or at some time you installed one of the 'regular' versions of calibre (most likely).

******************** snip ****************

I know that by stating that things happen differently is driving you {not just you} mad, but I DID delete that folder, never had the "full" version installed and the folder was recreated - I have the folder structure and always have had that you pointed out under \\program files (x86\calibre.

What can I say - Yes I do un-hide everything, and yes I meant \users\ just accustomed to saying \\docs and settings\ as I still service a whole lot of XP machines.
BR[/QUOTE]

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by RBraverman

Just changed Notebooks - the only S/W change is it went x64. I use Calibre Portable -on purpose.
I copied over the c:\program files\calibre-portable folder to c:\program files (x86)\ and even (which should not be there!) users\appdata\calibre and NONE of my settings are there, my specials sets nothing, it wants me to start from scratch.

What did the author do, that apparantly made this semi-portable?

OR of course what did I do wrong.

I have discovered, and verified on my system, why you are having the issues you describe.

Surprise! You are not running calibre portable.

To run calibre portable you are suppose to run the calibre-portable.exe not the calibre.exe file. If you run calibre.exe it will create a settings file exactly where you found it. If you run calibre-portable.exe it will launch calibre.exe with the proper variables and use the settings within the calibre portable path exactly as we have all described.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by RBraverman

- I have the folder structure and always have had that you pointed out under \\program files (x86\calibre.

@RBraverman - The conventional use of the Program Files (x86) folder is the place, on a 64bit Windows, where 32bit versions of installed software are located.

If you have put the portable version of calibre in there, then maybe that's making calibre behave as if its were regular 32bit install. In which case it will recreate the configuration folder over in Appdata/Roaming if it can't find it.

Can I suggest you try installing Calibre Portable some place other than the Program Files (x86) and Program Files folders. And as DoctorOhh has advised make sure you run calibre-portable.exe

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

If you run calibre.exe it will create a settings file exactly where you found it.

I never knew that - never occurred to me to run it.

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I never knew that - never occurred to me to run it.

It never occurred to me either, but something had to be amiss. So I tried running calibre.exe and I ended up with the welcome wizard setting up a brand new install with the settings placed as the OP sees them. Additionally, my install is nowhere near the programs folder.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

It never occurred to me either, but something had to be amiss. So I tried running calibre.exe and I ended up with the welcome wizard setting up a brand new install with the settings placed as the OP sees them. Additionally, my install is nowhere near the programs folder.

Which makes sense considering the whole point of that entire folder is to actually be the regular calibre executables.

calibre-portable.exe is an upgrade to the previous system of using a batch file to run the regular calibre executables after setting the environment variables for the settings folder and startup library to point to relative locations inside the "Calibre Portable" folder.

It doesn't matter where a program is installed to, "Program Files"/"Program Files (x86)" is just a convention. Many programs actually offer to install elsewhere. Environment variables (usually "%APPDATA%") control everything.

Um, what ELSE was running the regular calibre.exe supposed to do?

@RBraverman, multiple times people have suggested making sure you are running the calibrePortable.exe, can you confirm you are doing that?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

@RBraverman... multiple times people have suggested making sure you are running the calibrePortable.exe, can you confirm you are doing that?

@eschwartz - the name of the executable as shipped is calibre-portable.exe, not what you said - did you rename yours due to a love for camelCase names, or do you not run this (← click) version.

But you are correct regarding the 'multiple times', first one was in post #2 from BookJunkieLI

BR

[eschwartz]

Love of camelCase (within my post), possibly. More likely, though, I forgot/never cared what it's named. It's just an icon on the PortableApps menu.

EDIT: I think the PortableApps version uses camelCase, actually. I do use their launcher.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

EDIT: I think the PortableApps version uses camelCase, actually. I do use their launcher.

PortableApps has its own version of Portable Calibre?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

PortableApps has its own version of Portable Calibre?

Apparently.

I believe it may have been first written when Kovid was distributing a batch file. It has a pretty mouseover in the menu.

[RBraverman]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

I have discovered, and verified on my system, why you are having the issues you describe.

Surprise! You are not running calibre portable.

To run calibre portable you are suppose to run the calibre-portable.exe not the calibre.exe file. If you run calibre.exe it will create a settings file exactly where you found it. If you run calibre-portable.exe it will launch calibre.exe with the proper variables and use the settings within the calibre portable path exactly as we have all described.

Bloody 'ell - you're right. Somehow when the transfer took place the new x64 Win 7 grabbed calibre.exe and ran it - Not paying attention (too poor) I NEVER saw it.

Not just 1 Kudo, but 3!