As I have just learned XBMC is also usable portable. Does it have any disadvantages to use XBMC portable instead of installed?
If I had known, that you can use XBMC portable, I would have preferred using it instead of the installer version. How could I convert my already installed version to a portable one?
Quote: 1.6 Portable mode
Shortcuts: #Portable, #Portable_mode
If you wish, you may run XBMC in portable mode by adding the -p switch to the shortcut used to launch XBMC. This will then use the XBMC folder itself as the Home folder, which means scripts, plugins, skins and userdata will be located in the 'portable_data' folder within the XBMC folder. This is useful for running XBMC for Windows off a USB stick for portability.
You will, however, have to be careful when upgrading to make sure that the userdata folder you use is not overwritten.
How about just starting with running a portable version next to your normal version to see how it works?
Or how it is different ect.
Thanks MassIV.
Well, I would say, most of the programs generally run well / without problems installing them more than once /using more of one version, some programs do not (different settings overwrite the ones of the other version etc.). The risk to fail and to crash the running version of XBMC I would not want to have. XBMC is extremely hard to set up, get to run properly for me, many problems. So I would say, it is better to ask and much easier just to ask.
Much easier is to try and thus gain much valued experience, all you need to do to safeguard yourself, is to backup the userdata folder where xbmc saves and reads all user definable settings/data.
Asking has no risks, but also presents nothing but a experience you cannot confirm nor deny until you try it for yourself.
uNi
Thanks for these thoughts, uNi,
Yes, but some risk free or almost risk free answers before making this experience by myself wouldn't be that bad. And especially because of my experiences I have learned, that just backing up special data might not help always.
Thanks again.
for my windows installs (usually running on work/play pcs, not dedicated) i use only portable mode. this keeps all the data/info inside the xbmc folder, instead of in my user directory, so if i wanted to let another user account (guest) use xbmc, they would have to re-setup/scrape everything. but since its portable, as long as that user account has write privileges to xbmc folder, it works fine. and when you want to test something, just make a backup of your portable_data folder and play away. when your done, restore your old folder and your good to go. this also makes it easy when upgrading to new versions.. i basically install a new version in a separate folder with version number.. for instance my folder structure:
program files/
...../xbmc-11
...../xbmc-frodo-rc3
...../xbmc-frodo-12.1
after installing the new version, i copy my portable_data folder from the previous install to the new one, and usually there are no issue. if there are, i just use the old install until i get the new one working.. here i get as many chances to upgrade as i need, cause the user data is kept separate. the only issue here is if you use a mysql database, and the upgrade process messes up the database for some reason.. you may have to re-create it. but all your xbmc settings will be saved.. such as view modes, custom menu items and such.
on my dedicated htpcs, i use openelec, which works better for me in the dedicated sense.
Dirki, just in case you are not aware, there is no need to install XBMC again .....I am referring to your "problems installing them more than once /using more of one version" ... all you have to do, is edit the shortcut of your current installation and add "-p" after xbmc.exe ...this will automatically initiate XBMC to run in portable mode (looking for, and creating if it doesnt exist, the folder "portable_data" in your xbmc program directory)..
A backup is only good when you restore it properly presuming its a good backup to begin with, it may seem trivial but when doing it manually there's always room for user error and believe it or not user error alone is 99% of bugs right there.
That said there is no substitute for correcting your own mistakes and experimentation is no substitute for anything. Im not saying dont ask, but Im also not advocating you have to ask questions you can easily answer yourself, especially when its documented and talked about before.
uNi
Many thanks, el_cabong,
Sounds very good, these advantages would be very convinient to have. There do not seem to be disadvantages.
Actually, what I would like to do is to run the portable XBMC on another partition. I have all of my portable programs on a separate partition, no own data on C: (as far as possible). So backing up is very easy and if you set up a new system it can easily be restored. But it sounds like to copy a portable version of XBMC to another partition / hard disk does not work.
Quote: the only issue here is if you use a mysql database, and the upgrade process messes up the database for some reason..
The data base on a hard disk XBMC runs portable (server and client is it called I think are on a single hard disk) is not stored in the XBMC folder? It is stored separately?
Thank you, echo,
Yes, I had read about the "-p". But I wanted the entire XBMC, so with all its data, have on a single partition when I would use it portable.
Quote:A backup is only good when you restore it properly presuming its a good backup to begin with, it may seem trivial but when doing it manually there's always room for user error and believe it or not user error alone is 99% of bugs right there.
That said there is no substitute for correcting your own mistakes and experimentation is no substitute for anything. Im not saying dont ask, but Im also not advocating you have to ask questions you can easily answer yourself, especially when its documented and talked about before.
Hmmm, I am not...OK, thank you for that, uNi.
you can install xbmc to whatever partition you want during install, or copy the installed folder later to a different location. to test things i even copy xbmc/ to xbmc-test/ and i dont mess up my main install. if your using the -p switch to run portable, then all your other settings, local database, thumbnails, profiles will be in the <xbmc install dir>/portable_data/
if you havnt setup a network mysql database, then your databases will be in the portable_data folder tree above.
Ah, super, so I can just start XBMC by this -p switch and then copy the XBMC folder to the partition I want to and that 's it. And then delete the original XBMC folder as long it is in portable mode, so there would not be an uninstallation necessary. Very good option.
I am not quite sure about the data base, but I assume I had left the default setting when installing XBMC.
As you say "test things", I am wondering if it is the same with XBMC like with other programs: e.g. Firefox or Windows become slowlier when installing programs (e.g for testing) an uninstalling them later and there will always stay remains in them which kepp them slowly. Does XBMC behave the same?
After having copied the portable XBMC I do not need use anymore the -p switch to run the copy in portable mode, is it right?
Running in portable mode does not work for me, the add ons, skins do not work anymore after starting XBMC with the -p switch. How could one correct that?
well you will need to move them to where portable mode stores it's files.
Thank you, nickr.
Quote:well you will need to move them to where portable mode stores it's files.
OK, I would have thought this p- switch would makes XBMC completely portable with all the add ons, I will try.
Many thanks, uNi,
Quote:I already told you this is all documented see XBMC_for_Windows_specific_FAQ#Portable_mode
Ah sorry, I must have missed. I only found a few lines there about how to switch to portable mode, nothing regarding the add ons, sorry again. Thanks for the link again.
And of course feel free to post some of the images of your animal collection at any time here if you like it.