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I am looking for a utility / method to install 3rd part applications, such has embedded compilers, into its own isolated environment, including registry. On Mac OS X I use homebrew to achieve this. Being a Mac convert I realize that the two OS are dramatically different, however seeing how useful this would be I hoped that it is achievable in Windows as well. I am on the verge of a new computer, so I will have a fresh clean install that I would like to take advantage.
Current Thoughts
I have looked into two solutions so far:
buildout: which is predominantly used to manage Python installations, doesn't apply in general.
Sandboxie: which is targeted to use as a malware deterrent, but it disallows me to install two versions of the same application. So I need it to be an isolated environment as well as a work-environment to switch between.
Update
I gave Cameyo a shot and would like to report that it does work pretty well for normal applications. I tried it out on ST Visual Develop and Ride 7 (STM8 compatible IDEs) and they opened and ran well. I packaged them on Visa 32bit and ran them on Win 7 64bit with no trouble at all. However, the command line tools such as the compilers did not play so well. I suspect because the CLI(command line interface) tools are embedded in the virtual exe, so far, I am unable to point to their location within the IDE. Without the IDE being able to call the compilers, they are about useless.
I will continue to research this and report any changes.
+1 Feel free to remove your comment; it's added to the question. Oh, and welcome to Super User! :) – Tamara Wijsman – 2011-08-26T21:31:27.637