AutoRun LWMenu

AutoRun LWMenu is a portable piece of software that lets users create menus that can be utilized in a variety of workflows, as well as enforce the portabilization of certain semi-portable apps. It does all of that in a functional, to-the-point manner, where most of the tinkering is done within the Autorun.inf file, which the users can edit to configure the program to their needs.

The draw of the program lies in its ability to create and manage menus through it to further convenience when it comes to certain tasks. Its capability to turn non-portable programs into portable ones is just as noteworthy, and it’s worth noting that both of these functions can be parametrized by the user via the Autorun.inf file.

The aforementioned file essentially controls the behavior of the program. More specifically, it manages the entries on the interface, as well as their functions. Though configuring an Autorun.inf file may sound daunting to some, it shouldn't be too hard to pick up the program thanks to the provided instructions.

Back to the menu — it can essentially be edited to accommodate your needs. For instance, you can customize it to provide a series of shortcuts, which can be as many or as few as you’d like. Additional arguments can be added to modify how an entry is to be executed: as an example, you can specify a registry value to create prior to launching a program.

It should be noted that the program’s portabilizer function works best with semi-portable software — as in, software that does not require installation, but leaves traces upon use. To address this, some notable commands are being able to delete certain registry keys, files, as well as simulate the execution of an app to experiment with the current configuration.

Keeping a backup of a portable app’s leftovers, which can later be restored for subsequent uses, is also an option to consider if you’re looking to preserve your configuration for that application. The developer notes this is much like PortableApps, but without requiring a whole project.

AutoRun LWMenu is a tool that can be modified to suit the end user’s needs by offering some functionalities that can be manipulated to good effect. Aside from creating personalized menus, I find its ability to morph some non-portable software into portable programs quite interesting, even if it does require some amount of experimentation to set everything up.