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Old 01-23-2018, 03:57 PM   #1
Ranger
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Default Normal Install vs Portable Install

Hello Forum, I would like to know if there are any advantages or disadvantages using a normal install of Reaper vs a portable install. Does everything in the portable install work (VST's, plugins, hardware, etc)? Thanks in advance.
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Old 01-24-2018, 03:28 AM   #2
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Hah! First off, welcome to the forum and what an excellent first question!
I have been wondering about putting something out there on this for some time, as it comes up time and time again.

A normal install is what it says it is.
Reaper is installed on your system in the standard manner with various files put in various locations on your computer & under normal cirumstances will work just fine.
A portable install is a useful alternative for several reasons, the most common one being for fault-finding your main reaper installation.
What happens when you check the Portable Install button on running the installer is that Reaper will create a whole installation of itself and all anciliary files by default in C:\Reaper on Windows.
Don`t know where it puts it on a Mac but it will doubtless be a separate folder in the Applications folder.

Incidentally if you want to have a full installation of Reaper on a memory stick, you can also specify that location when you do the portable install.

What you will NOT have with a portable install is *direct access to any third party plugins* you may have installed already, which will be picked up by your normal install once you have pointed reper at their location.
THIS is the good part if you are having issues with Reaper either crashing on launch or failing to find any of your plugins. The portable install, if it launches normally, will tell you that there is a problem either with your VST locations list in Normal Reaper or one or more of those plugins.
SO then you can go through and load your plugin locations one at a time into the portable till you find the guilty plugin and NUKE IT!!!
Equally, this will also ferret out any changes made either deliberately or accidentally in your normal Reaper install, since the portable version will be set to "factory default" settings.
Again, you can then load up your original Reaper.ini file where all the basic settings are stored and compare it with the "virgin " one from the portable install.

And of course the OTHER use for a portable install is that you can have a bunch of different Reapers on your computer at once, each with a different setup, without them messing each other up.

This is probably way more than you wanted to know, but hopefully the thread will prompt other discussion and also help anyone else with the same or similar questions. Have fun and dont forget to check out some of the excellent free video tutorials on the front page - reaper.fm
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Last edited by ivansc; 01-24-2018 at 03:39 AM. Reason: typing mistakes as usual
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Old 01-24-2018, 06:13 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranger View Post
Hello Forum, I would like to know if there are any advantages or disadvantages using a normal install of Reaper vs a portable install. Does everything in the portable install work (VST's, plugins, hardware, etc)? Thanks in advance.
There are one or two installable features that aren't available with portable (because they require registry additions such as rewire and rearoute) but other than that, functionally the same. Also, you'd have to register .RPP to be automatically opened by Reaper when clicked manually - and it doesn't create a desktop shortcut for you because it's outside the folder both of which fall into the "no biggie" category.

I've been on a portable version for almost as long as I have used Reaper.
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Old 01-24-2018, 06:16 AM   #4
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Do file type associations and ReWire function the same?
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Old 01-24-2018, 07:44 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karbomusic View Post
There are one or two installable features that aren't available with portable (because they require registry additions such as rewire and rearoute) but other than that, functionally the same. Also, you'd have to register .RPP to be automatically opened by Reaper when clicked manually - and it doesn't create a desktop shortcut for you because it's outside the folder both of which fall into the "no biggie" category.

I've been on a portable version for almost as long as I have used Reaper.
Same here regarding portable installs. I don't actually have any non portable installs on my main three DAW PCs.
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Do file type associations and ReWire function the same?
As Karbo stated above, Rewire doesn't work with portable installs. File associations have to be made once manually but after that, they work fine.
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Old 01-27-2018, 04:32 AM   #6
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I go portable install, so I can have the whole app inside Dropbox and sync it between several computers. Works close to glitch free so far.
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Old 08-17-2018, 06:21 PM   #7
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Default I apologize in case this has been answered thoroughly already m(..)m

Hello!

Since this seems like a relevant thread, I would like to ask you a question.

Theoretically, I believe installing both Reaper and "all of your third-party plugins (the point I am most curious to find out)" on a virtual external drive such as Dropbox or Google Drive shall work fine.

If any of you have done this, do you experience any time lag or glitch of any sort since your third party plugins are not on your local hard drive?

If this works OK, then it could free up space on your local hard drive and also allow you to go anywhere and work with your own settings using the PC that is available at that location.
Of course, the performance will greatly depend on the machine, but it is feasible?


Thank you and I will be waiting for your reply☆
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Old 08-18-2018, 12:31 AM   #8
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Unless you have a really fast reliable fiber connection, I wouldnt even bother trying.And I mean REALLY fast.
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Old 08-18-2018, 04:13 AM   #9
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Can Dropbox or Google Drive even be used as virtual external drives? Don't they need a local synched copy anyway?
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