Hack 63. Run Skype from a USB Memory Stick  
You can take Skype with you wherever you go, by putting it on a USB memory stick that hangs on your key ring, and then connecting through any machine having a USB port and Internet connection. Works with: Windows version of Skype. Wouldn't it be nice to take Skype with you, wherever you go? Whether from a business center PC at a hotel, or from an Internet cafeindeed, from almost any PC to which you have access and which has an Internet connectionyou can make a Skype call by carrying Skype in your pocket. USB memory sticks are a popular way of carrying your essential data with you wherever you go. But you can also carry applications on a USB memory stick. This hack will show you how to put Skype on a memory stick, run Skype on a borrowed machine, and most importantly, clean up afterward so that your data is preserved but is not left behind on the borrowed machine.  | Simply running Skype on a machine that is not your own and then logging on to your Skype account is dangerous, because if you fail to remove your Skype datafiles properly, someone else might be able to use your Skype account later. You must therefore be careful to clean up and delete your Skype personal data from the borrowed machine. |
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For this hack, you will need a USB memory stick with enough spare memory to install Skype and some extra files, and to store your downloaded filessay, a minimum of 32 MB. And, unless you are certain the machine you will be plugging your USB stick into has a microphone and sound output, you will also need a USB handset or headset too.  | For the file manipulations that follow, actions you perform at the command line you also can perform just as easily in the Windows Explorer file browser, if you find that environment more comfortable. To find out where the %appdata% environment variable points to just type "echo %appdata%" at the command line. |
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6.5.1. Loading Skype onto a USB Stick Load Skype and your Skype data onto the memory stick by following these steps: Stop Skype from running on your desktop machine (right-click on Skype in the system tray, and then choose Quit). Plug your memory stick into a free USB port. In Windows Explorer, it should appear as a new drive lettersay, F:\. Copy SkypeSetup.exe (which you can download from http://www.skype.com/download/, if you don't have it on your hard drive) to your memory stick's root directory. Create a new directory on your memory stick using this command: MKDIR F:\Skypename, where Skypename is the Skype name under which you log onto Skype. Copy your Skype data from your desktop machine to the memory stick by running this command: XCOPY /E /H /Y "%appdata%\Skype\ Skypename" F:\Skypename.
6.5.2. Installing, Configuring, and Running Skype If Skype isn't installed on the borrowed machine, install it by running the command U:\SkypeSetup.exe, and following the instructions of the Skype setup program. With Skype installed on the borrowed machine, here's all you need to do now to get up and running with Skype: Stop Skype from running on the borrowed machine. Plug your memory stick into a free USB port. We'll assume it maps to drive U:\ this time. Create a new directory on the borrowed machine by running this command: MKDIR "%appdata%\Skype\Skypename". Copy your Skype data to the borrowed machine by running this command: XCOPY /E /H /Y U:\Skypename "%appdata%\Skype\Skypename". Restart Skype and log on as Skypename. Check that the sound device settings are compatible with the borrowed machine (select Skype  Tools  Options… Sound Devices). Tools Options… Connection). Stop Skype from running on the borrowed machine. Copy your Skype personal data from the borrowed machine back to your USB memory stick using this command: XCOPY /E /H /Y "%appdata%\ Skype\Skypename" U:\Skypename. Erase your Skype personal datafiles from the borrowed machine with this command: RMDIR /S /Q"%appdata%\Skype\Skypename". Unplug your USB memory stick.
| Version 1.4 of Skype for Windows introduced a commandline option that enables you to specify the location where Skype will store your personal data. By running Skype like this: skype.exe /datapath:"U:\Skypename" /removable; you can have Skype save your personal data directly to your USB memory stick and so avoid having to clean up on the borrowed machine. The /removable command-line option ensures that nonexistent paths aren't written to the Windows registry and does other housekeeping for running Skype from removable media. |
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If you had to install Skype on the borrowed machine before you could use it, you should uninstall Skype before stepping away from the borrowed machine (select Start Control Panel Add or Remove Programs, select Skype from the list of currently installed programs, and click the Remove button). 6.5.4. See Also There is a method of running Skype from a USB memory stick that maps most of your Skype data onto your memory stick. It uses a thirdparty utility to create Windows "junction points." However, the method works only for NTFS filesystems and requires a fairly highly privileged user account to get working. See http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=25052. If you like the idea of carrying Skype on your key ring wherever you go, but you are not confident of your ability to follow the necessary configuration steps in this hack, commercial products are available. See http://www.mplat.com/ and http://www.echostore.com/.
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