I recently blogged about Google Browser Sync not installing on my Portable Firefox on my USB stick. Well if it was only GBS not working then I would have just stopped using it and forgotten all about it. But ALL my Firefox extensions were not working on my Portable Firefox and that obviously needed to be fixed. Firefox is not the same without my extensions. I spend a lot of time customising my Firefox browser so I would like to be able to take it on the move with me.

At first I thought that it was the fault of the USB stick not reading the information properly. But then I was looking at the development website of John Haller (the man who developed the Portable Firefox application, as well as a whole host of other portable apps). It turns out that each portable app has its own FAQ and forum board and it was on the forum board that I found out the fix for getting my Firefox extensions to work on my USB stick.

All you need to do is go into your profile folder in your Portable Firefox and delete "extensions.rdf" and any cache files and any "ini" files. Delete them from the trash bin and then re-start Portable Firefox.

Bingo! My extensions started working and Google Browser Sync is good to go!

I love it when problems finally solve themselves and things start working again. You just can't beat that feeling.

The other day I realised that I hadn't updated the Portable Firefox program on my USB stick for quite some time so I went ahead and did that. It was then that I thought about installing Google Browser Sync on the portable Firefox so I can take my Firefox settings with me. But GBS stubbornly refuses to install.

GBS works fine on regular computers but on USB sticks, it kicks up a hell of a fight. First you have the battle to get it onto the USB stick in the first place (it seems impossible to download the "xpi" file directly to your computer and then drag it to the USB stick which would be the easiest solution) and when it finally gets on the USB stick, it says it won't properly install until Firefox has been re-started. When you do that, it tells you that Firefox didn't close in the first place! Several re-starts later, it sits there uninstalled as if to ask "so when are you planning on re-starting Firefox then?".

Does anyone have any clue how to make GBS work on a USB stick? If I can't get it to work, I may switch to Foxmarks.

On my trip to Scotland in April, I wanted to take Skype along with me so I could check voicemail & chat messages while surfing the net on my dad's laptop. Since there is no official portable USB version of Skype, anyone wishing to carry "Skype On A Stick" needs to make a few tweaks here and there. The good news is that it is easier than you might think to achieve this. In fact, it's child's play which is really good news for a techno doof like me.

First, go into the Skype folder on your computer and look for skype.exe. Normally it is in the "phone" folder. Now right-click on that skype.exe file and copy it to a folder on your USB stick (you can create a directory folder called "SkypeUSB" or something similar). Note, I said "copy" and not "move"! You have to keep the original "skype.exe" file in its usual place for Skype to work normally on your computer.

Now within the SkypeUSB folder on your USB stick (next to your copied skype.exe), create another directory folder called "data" (without the speech marks). Next, using Microsoft Notepad, open a new text file and name it "skype.bat" (again, without the speech marks). Inside this text file, write the following line and then save the document : skype.exe /datapath:"Data" /removable . Once saved, place this text file inside the "data" folder you just created. And then you're done.

Clicking on skype.exe on your USB flash-drive will now run Skype portably without the need to properly install it on the computer you are using. You can log on, make phone calls, start chats, etc just as you would with any regular Skype installation. Even if the computer you're using already has Skype installed and running under another username, you can still run your USB version without the two programs conflicting with one another.

This portable method of Skype works perfectly for me. I plugged the USB stick into an internet cafe computer (despite the cafe owner looking at me worriedly) and Skype instantly booted up.

Just remember to pack your Skype phone or headset and you can make calls at will!