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I have no intention of programming anything, however I need to install the Android SDK in order to use Droid VNC Server. I have about 7 different computers at work that I use and I can't install this on to all of them. Is it possible to run it from a usb flash drive?

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Yes. It's possible to run any application from a flash drive (barring some weird kind of copy-protection-wannabe). Some Windows applications do insist on always running from the same path (which could be inconvenient), but the Android SDK isn't one of them (it's automatically a “portable application”).

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I thought by default programs had to make registry edits and put system file all over the place when you installed them? I thought that only programs that were designed to be run as a portable app could be run self-contained in a thumb drive? Am I crazy? –  matt Nov 24 '10 at 21:21
@matt: Programs don't have to do this, it's just that many do. In the 3.x/9x era, many programs dropped system files all over the place, but this became the exception rather than the rules in the 21st century when more and more people wanted to install programs with non-administrator accounts. –  Gilles Nov 24 '10 at 22:27
Thanks. Is there any way to tell ahead of time which group the program falls into? Is there any particular jargon I'm looking for? –  matt Nov 24 '10 at 22:59
@matt: I don't know, I'm a Windows newbie. If it requires admin rights to install, it's probably dirty. If it's a straight port of a unix program (like the Android SDK), it's probably clean. If it comes in an archive (zip, rar, …, or self-extracting (as opposed to an installer)) with no special installation instruction, it's clean. If it brands itself as a “portable app”, it's presumably clean. –  Gilles Nov 24 '10 at 23:21
Thanks, that's very helpful. –  matt Nov 24 '10 at 23:30
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How to install Android SDK without internet connection

Just put the final folder in your USB drive :)

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Just download this


to get the whole Android SDK in a portable package!

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