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Using Opera as a CD-ROM front-end

Opera can be used offline as a CD-ROM front-end with the following steps:

  1. Install Opera to a new directory to get a clean install. During installation, disable the "Individual Opera profiles" option you get when choosing a location.
  2. When the install has finished, run Opera, and change the settings to suit your needs. See below for some of the most important tweaks that are necessary to make it work smoothly.
  3. When you have customized Opera to your needs, close it (but remember to see below first, for important information).
  4. In the Opera installation directory, open the file "profile\opera6.ini" in a text editor:
    • Remove all instances of the installation path, for example C:\Test\Opera-CD\. The last backslash ("\") is important. Most text editors have a replace feature which can be used to replace/remove all instances of the installation path.
    • Add the line "Show E-mail Client=0" in the [User Prefs] section to disable the e-mail client.

Important: As indicated above, there are a few important tweaks that need to be done:

  • Disable the Wand in Tools > Preferences > Wand
  • Set Opera to "Use default e-mail client on computer" in Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Programs
  • Disable "Check if Opera is default browser on startup" in Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Programs
  • The homepage can be set in Tools > Preferences > General
  • In Tools > Appearance > Panels, disable: Bookmarks, Contacts, Notes, Transfers. Mail and Chat should disappear automatically when the e-mail client is disabled.
  • Make sure that the e-mail client is disabled by setting "Show E-mail Client=0" as described above
  • Finally, go to the "profile\" directory and delete opera6.adr.*, vlink4.*, global.dat, cookies4.*, download.dat, jswarn.dir, urlwarn.dir, and remove all files from the "cache4\" directory

You are now ready to run Opera from anywhere, such as from a CD-ROM. Simply copy the entire Opera directory to the CD and run it from there.




Instructions for Opera 3

Opera 3 is well-suited as a CD-ROM browser. The main applications are software distribution, technical publications, annual reports and offline magazines in HTML format.

Publishing in HTML format and using Opera 3 as an offline frontend on either ZIP disk or CD-ROM means being able to develop, publish and maintain content quickly and efficiently. Opera's small footprint, customization, speed and versatility make it the only product of its kind for this market.

The major technical benefits are:

  • Opera can run exclusively from CD-ROM. No hard disk installation required.
  • Opera runs on machines that are not so up to date, including on 386SXs with as little as 4 MB of memory (8 MB recommended).
  • Opera is small. The full program with libraries is less than 2 MB.
  • Opera can show inline video and play sounds to improve a presentation. The information can be accessed through the use of a keyboard as well as a mouse giving access to the information for more users in the way they like.
  • Opera has support for local clickable images.
  • This makes it possible to have an advanced user interface for the information.
  • Opera does not require communications software (winsock) to run off-line.
  • Opera has an option to start programs that have been clicked. This useful feature means that
  • Opera can be a frontend for starting programs and applications.
  • Opera is already in use as a front-end to CDs by a number of companies including 'Nasjonalt Læremiddelsenter' and the computer magazine 'Giga'.

If you are interested in reselling, distributing or in using Opera as a CD-ROM front-end, info-kiosk or offline browser, please use this online information page. This will save time and result in a quick response from us.