"The installer crashes on Windows 7." Solution: Ensure you have the latest Windows Update for SHA-2 code signing support. Microsoft ended SHA-1 support in 2020.

The real secret is the PortableApps.com Launcher (a separate but complementary tool). The installer ensures this launcher is placed in the app’s root folder. The launcher then intercepts API calls from the application. If the app tries to write to C:\Users\Name\AppData , the launcher redirects that write to a local Data folder inside the portable directory.