Portable Run!

Portable Run! is an application which has the same functionality as the Run command built into Windows. It lets you run any executable file in a simple manner.

As its name says, this utility is portable. Since it doesn't come with a setup pack, you can drop it anywhere on the hard drive and click it to run.

It is also possible to move Portable Run! to an external hard drive, USB flash disk or other storage unit, so you can run it on any workstation effortlessly.

An important aspect to keep in mind is that the Windows registry area does not get updates with entries, and leftover files do not remain on the HDD after removing the tool.

At initialization, Portable Run! creates a small, horizontal box on the upper part of the screen, where you can input a command line or use the browser button to locate and open a file.

The frame can be moved to any position on the screen, by dragging it with the mouse cursor while holding down the Alt key. Portable Run! also records a history list with searches.

Perhaps the most welcoming options would have been the possibility to make the frame stay on top of any window, minimize to the system tray area and bring it up on-screen immediately using a keyboard shortcut, in order to easily switch to it while working in other tools. Otherwise, Portable Run! offers no extra features, compared to the default Run command of Windows.

The app is light on the system resources, using a minimal amount of CPU and RAM, so it doesn't interrupt user activity. No error dialogs have been shown in our tests and Portable Run! did not hang or crash. It hasn't been updated for a long time.