Zero footprints on host PC when using TC on USB stick ?

[IBBTC]

Hi,

I am considering using Total Commander as a portable application on my USB stick. However, since I would use it on several different computers (eg at work), I would like it to leave zero footprint on the host PC (recent documents etc...)

Is it possible?

Thx

PS: cross post with the French section, hope it's OK

[ghisler(Author)]

Yes, as suggested in the French section, use one of the two USB installers from our homepage:
http://www.ghisler.com/usbinst.htm

[IBBTC]

Thanks for answering

Maybe I was not clear enough. My concern is not how to use TC on a USB device, it was pretty easy thanks to your USB installer. My concern is how to make the use of total commander invisible for the host PC, meaning leaving absolutely no trace of TC's activity on the host PC.

Currently, TC does leave traces on the host PC (eg, history of recent documents). I'd like to know how to avoid that (and any other possible footprint that I'm not aware of)

Hope it is possible

[karlchen]

TC does leave traces on the host PC (eg, history of recent documents)

The recent documents history is not populated by T.C. itself, but it is a Windows feature to populate the list.
Therefore, whether the recent document history is updated or not is governed by a Windows setting (actually 2), not by a T.C. setting.

Code: Select all

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoRecentDocsHistory=1
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoRecentDocsHistory=1

(NoRecentDocHistory=1 => history off, default=0 => history on)

Karl

[petermad]

TC does leave traces on the host PC (eg, history of recent documents)

All of TC's history is kept in the wincmd.ini file which should reside on your USB device.

Make sure that these settings does NOT point to any location outside the USB drive:

wincmd.ini
[Configuration]
1. IgnoreListFile= "Conf" -> "Ignore list" -> "Save in"
2. ThumbsLocation= "Conf" -> "Thumbnails" -> "Database Location"
3. LogFile= "Conf" -> "Log file" ->"Create a log file"
4. listname= Right click on file in a FTP list -> "Add to download list"

wcx_ftp.ini
[General]
1. LogFile= "Conf" -> "FTP" -> "Create a log file"

And delete all files in the %TEMP% directory when finished working with TC - or at least delte all FTP*.tmp files plus _tc and _tc_ directories

[IBBTC]

That's what I feared...

I thought it whould be possible to avoid this, because any program (eg winamp) will not add files opened "inside" the program the the windows history... I hoped TC would be able to do the same (even though I understand it is not TC that opens the document, I guess the difference is here)

So, it seems impossible to avoid that history to be populated, except by changing the registery, or cleaning this list.

What other trace does/could TC leave?

[petermad]

2IBBTC

What other trace does/could TC leave?

See previous post.

[IBBTC]

wincmd.ini
[Configuration]
1. IgnoreListFile= "Conf" -> "Ignore list" -> "Save in"
3. LogFile= "Conf" -> "Log file" ->"Create a log file"
4. listname= Right click on file in a FTP list -> "Add to download list"

Those lines do not appear in my ini file, and the other one has a relative path (%COMMANDER_PATH%), so I guess it is ok

wcx_ftp.ini
[General]
1. LogFile= "Conf" -> "FTP" -> "Create a log file"

And delete all files in the %TEMP% directory when finished working with TC - or at least delte all FTP*.tmp files plus _tc and _tc_ directories

I do not have wcx_ftp.ini in TC directory...

And what is this %temp% directory ? Is it a temp directory for downloaded files ?

[IBBTC]

2IBBTC

What other trace does/could TC leave?

See previous post.

So, apart from this recent document list, if every path is relative in the *.ini, I should be safe ?

[petermad]

2IBBTC

I understand it is not TC that opens the document, I guess the difference is here)

Well, what is the difference whether you used TC or Explorer as the shell for opening those documents by third party programs.

[petermad]

So, apart from this recent document list, if every path is relative in the *.ini, I should be safe ?

Yes, AFAIK - Of course if you save your tab settings in a file make sure it is on the USB drive too.

I do not have wcx_ftp.ini in TC directory...

Then you must have it somwhere else (if you ever used FTP) - you can check where in the Menu -> "Help" -> "About Total Commander".

Use this line in your wincmd.ini:
UseIniInProgramDir=7
then wcx_ftp.ini will also be saved in your TC directory.

The %TEMP% directory is the Windows (DOS) directory to place temporary files in.

Run DOS from TC - type:
set temp
press enter - then you can se the location of your temp directory - you should delete what's in the temp dir once in a while - the content can really take up a lot of space.

In the good old DOS days, temp was usually placed in c:\temp - Now Windows XP really hides it by default in "C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Local settings\Temp" (different if you are using a non-English Windows)

[ghisler(Author)]

UseIniInProgramDir=7

This is set automatically by tc2usb, so there should be no traces on the PC from using Total Commander. Some plugins may write their data to the windows dir, though. The cache in thumbnails view should also be disabled.

[silencer]

Kind of an old thread, but it was exactly what I am looking for. With 8.5 comming up, i've made myself a project by creating a new & clean tc config, which also is going to be clean install on the USB. So now i've created all paths relative with %COMMANDER_PATH%, but this TEMP dir is still an issue.

I found this parameter in the help:

Code: Select all

WipeDir= Path to the temp directory used by TC (and to wipe when re-opening TC)
Ignored if not containing $wc or (in TC7) \_tc

But I cannot get it to work (or i misread the whole thing...)

I've added WipeDir=%COMMANDER_PATH%\_tc to the wincmd.ini, but when starting TC the config is cleared (added line has disappeared) and standard TEMP path is still used.

So, is there a method to make TC use a temp dir in the commander path temp dir?

[petermad]

2silencer

About WipeDir - see http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=143741#143741

[silencer]

2petermad thanks! Must have made a typo when searching for wipedir then.. there are a lot of threads with wipedir explanation

So this wipedir cannot be used, is there another way to change the temp folder?