Portable Vivaldi vs. Vivaldi, multiple Portable installation, copy/past Portable Vivaldi installations
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Hello there, i would like to know more about Vivaldi Portable installation. I have couple of question about this:
a) how do i install the portable installation? Can i choose this during the installation process or is there a special portable installation file?
b) can i have more than one portable Vivaldi installation on my computer? For example on on "C", one on "D" and another one on flash disk "E".
c) can i have installed on my computer both the proper Vivaldi installation and the portable Vivaldi installation? Will be there no conflict between them? Or do they share some common folders or files?
d) can i copy/paste the portable installation soever? Let's say from the disk to the portable disk and to another computer's disk? Will it work everywhere?
Thank you for your replies!
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@xtech It is not a portable version, but you can install multiple different versions as Standalone versions on the same PC.
I install the Stable version for all users, and use the Snapshot as a Standalone version as my default. It is installed on an VeraCrypt encrypted virtual drive.
Install the Snapshot as a Standalone Version so that it does not interfere with your settings for the Stable release.
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Thank you Pesala, but can somebody answer here on all my questions, please?
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@xtech
a) There is no such thing as Vivaldi portable installation. There is a standalone installation which is not portable (although you can carry it around on a stick and run it on anything) because it cannot use your passwords and extensions on multiple machines.b) You may have dozens of standalone installations on one machine. I have six right now.
c) You can have a default-type installation and any number of standalone installations. Standalone is self-contained and does not use any data paths outside its own folder.
d) You can copy/paste whole standalone folders from anywhere to anywhere.
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@xtech Hi, i use the standalone version of vivaldi. i have it in a folder on a usb flash stick. everything stays in that folder and can of course be used on any computer. i also have portable versions of firefox, palemoon and iron browsers on the stick. all easy to use and plenty fast. all can be run sandboxed and that way they wont get updated unless you choose to. i have only used standalone or portable browsers for years and always sandboxed unless i want to change something in them. never a problem or virus or the like. running multiple instances of the same browser is easy like that.
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Hello there, thank you very much for your comments. I have some more question about that:
a1) How do i install Vivaldi Standalone installation?
a2) And can you explain me what is the difference between Standalone and Portable installation, please?
c) So as you claim, Vivaldi Standalone installation does not share any files, folder or extensions with Default-type installation and is completely cut-off from classic Default-type installation. And from Windows registry too?
e) can i run both Default-type and Portable installations simultaneously on one computer? (in FF it is not possible).
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@xtech Please refer to my previous reply. All of your questions are answered there.
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@xtech https://help.vivaldi.com/desktop/install-update/standalone-version-of-vivaldi/
All versions of Vivaldi on a computer may be run simultaneously.
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Ok, so the installation process for Vivaldi Standalone installation is in the choice during the installation proccess.
Anyway, i miss some answers on my questions:
- what is the difference between Standalone and Portable installation ?
- can i run both Default-type and Standalone installations simultaneously?
Thank you.
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@xtech There is no difference between them functionally. One is registered in Windows and the other need not be.
One may have its executable in one directory and its user data in another. The other (standalone) always has the folders containing the executable and the user data in the same program folder. That said, they function exactly the same. They are the exact same product, programmed the same, built the same, designed the same, installed differently.
"can i run both Default-type and Standalone installations simultaneously?"
I fear you did not read my reply immediately above this iteration of your question, where I said: "All versions of Vivaldi on a computer may be run simultaneously." That is the answer. To be clear, All versions of Vivaldi on a computer may be run simultaneously. All versions, all types, all kinds, all instances. They may all be run at the same time, side-by-side. They do not interact or interfere with one another. They do not use any of the same resources. They may be run simultaneously.
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Thank you very much for you detailed answers. And i'am sorry i did ask twice for about simultaneous run of Vivaldi installations.
And last question. Which installation need to be registered in Windows, is it Portable version? Can be also "registered" version copied and moved to another computer?
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@xtech The default-style installation method is supposed to register Vivaldi on Windows so that it can be assigned in the Windows OS as the default browser. There is an option in the installer if you are making a standalone installation to register standalone (so that it can be assigned in the Windows OS as the default browser, as I have done with one of my standalone instances). But if you don't select that option, the standalone doesn't get registered as an app that can be selected within Windows via the registry.
But as to how they can run, it completely doesn't matter whether you register an instance of Vivaldi in Windows or not. You can still copy or move an instance to another machine and it will run. What you cannot move to another machine (and have it work) is login data and extensions. The browser will still work if moved, but it will not be able to read the login data or extension files anywhere but on the machine where it was first installed.
Password and extension data in Vivaldi are encrypted using a key derived from the unique user ID in Windows, so when you move an instance to another machine, you have to start over with passwords and extensions, which will continue to work on the new machine, unless you move it back to the first machine again - or to another machine. Other things, like bookmarks, history, cookies, themes and other settings, are not encrypted and can be moved from place to place to place.
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Thank you for your comment and explanation.
One more related question, please. Where is located User Profile folder/data in Standalone Vivaldi installation? I guess i can copy this User Profile over Default-type User Profile and everything will work (incl. extensions and login data). But vice versa it won't work, is it correct?
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@xtech said in Portable Vivaldi vs. Vivaldi, multiple Portable installation, copy/past Portable Vivaldi installations:
Where is located User Profile folder/data in Standalone Vivaldi installation?
It is located inside the same folder that you installed Vivaldi standalone into.
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@xtech As I stated originally, standalone profiles are located in the SAME FOLDER as wherever you dicate the installation should be performed. That is, literally, what makes them standalone.
When you dictate in install location (and you have to, if you installing standalone), that location is the location of the Vivaldi(whatever) folder. IN THAT FOLDER are the files named "Application" (where the program itself resides" and "User Data" where your data, settings, and everything else for that install reside.
I will note that nearly EVERYTHING I am telling you can be found in the Vivaldi Help files under F1 in your browser. I am describing for you, with my time and effort, word by word, information that is already available to you (though I admit, my explanations are more wordy and detailed).
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Yes, i know that it is inside the same installation folder. But what is the name of this folder that contain all profile data?
And can anyone answer me how about the Profile folder? Can i copy this User Profile over Default-type User Profile and everything will work (incl. extensions and login data). But vice versa it won't work, is it correct?
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@xtech The information is already included in your browser.
If you go to menu/help/about you will see a line that looks like this:
"Profile Path C:\Users(your user name)\AppData\Local\Vivaldi\User Data\ Default "
(my emphasis on the "Default" folder.)
Your user profile is the Default folder.
And as for "can I copy over..." That will only work on the same user profile on the same machine where the data was originally stored.
EVERYTHING will copy/transfer to other machines except login data and extensions. These will copy to a dozen different instances on your original Windows User profile on your same machine where the data was originally stored, but NOT to any other machine or any other Windows user on the same machine.
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Thank you Ayespy for your time and effort with humanizing the answer, it sounds much better, respect;)
Anyway, i am skilled in FF with all of that. But Vivaldi is completely different browser and i can not be sure that it works same here as it works in FF. That was why i asked about those elementary things - how it works in Vivaldi.
So i can copy User Profile from Standalone installation to Defualt-type installation and everything will work. But if i copy Default-type User Profile to Standalone installation everything will work, but except extensions and login data). Is it correct?
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@xtech Not exactly. The direction of the copy is immaterial.
It works exactly the same either way. Everything copies within a given machine and Windows user profile, including login data and extensions - either direction.
Everything copies outside of that, but login data and extensions do not work in the copied version. Again, direction of copy does not matter. At all. (This is a Chromium limitation, by the way, not particular to Vivaldi, but Vivaldi is built using the Chromium engine.)
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@xtech I think you keep trying to differentiate default-installed Vivaldi and standalone-installed Vivaldi. They are not different in any way. Default installation automatically registers in Windows. Standalone installation does not do that automatically. You have to opt for in the installer.