Does NP++ Mini-Portable cache or save files on host system when run from USB stick

Nommy

Hi, I searched for a while trying to find the answer for this but came up empty.

If I run NP++ Mini-Portable from a USB stick to edit and save a txt file on that stick, will any trace of the file be left on the host windows system?

The use case is I’m considering setting up an emergency recovery USB for a friend with some sensitive passwords and secrets. He’d keep a copy and give another to a family member. It would only be used as a last resort on trusted device if he was unable to log in to password manager & authenticator any other way. It’s an alternative to writing stuff on paper, easier to use (copy-paste) and links. I’m trying to understand if this is feasible and/or an ok idea.

PeterJones

@Nommy ,

When you are running Notepad++, if ?-menu’s Debug Info says Local Conf mode : ON, then all config files and session backups and the like will be in the directory you are running from – so if you are truly running the mini-portable from USB, then it won’t write to the host system.

Aside from that, you will want to double-check your Settings > Preferences > Backup to make sure Backup on Save is set to None, otherwise you will get a .bak file relative to the file you are editing. And if the sensitive file is on the USB (as I think I understood from your description), then even the .bak file wouldn’t be put onto the host system.

Notepad++ only writes the registry if you install it (which you haven’t) or when you use Settings > Preferences > File Association (which you presumably won’t) – and that wouldn’t be any of the data from a file you read.

I would say your use-case will work as you want it to.

Nommy

@PeterJones Thank you for the comprehensive and fast answer!

I checked those things and they were set as you described by default, thanks.

In case anyone else wants to do this, this is what I ended up with so far:

USB Stick
    Recovery Instructions.bat
    npp.8.6.7.portable.x64\
        NP++ files (there's a lot)
        Recovery Instructions.txt

ChatGPT helped me write Recovery Instructions.bat to start NP++ from inside a folder using a relative path (windows shortcuts need a drive letter it seems), making it easier to see what to click when you open the drive:

@echo off
start "" "%~dp0npp.8.6.7.portable.x64\notepad++.exe"

Recovery Instructions.txt is shown by default when NP++ starts.

I’m still not sure if this is a good way to go. I think I’d rather something that asks a bunch of personal questions only family would know and uses the answers as the password to decrypt the info, but I’ve yet to find something simple to setup to do that. Maybe we can get a USB stick that does that.

I’m open to suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks again!

Coises

@Nommy said in Does NP++ Mini-Portable cache or save files on host system when run from USB stick:

The use case is I’m considering setting up an emergency recovery USB for a friend with some sensitive passwords and secrets. He’d keep a copy and give another to a family member. It would only be used as a last resort on trusted device if he was unable to log in to password manager & authenticator any other way.

@Nommy said in Does NP++ Mini-Portable cache or save files on host system when run from USB stick:

I’m open to suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks again!

Well, you could use KeePass, which is meant for the purpose. Since it is entirely local in its default configuration, it should serve your purpose. What you want to use as a passphrase is up to you.

Questions about that program can be asked in r/KeePass or Sourceforge/KeePass.

Nommy

@Coises Thanks!

I’m using KeePassXC, a port maintained on github keepassxreboot/keepassxc (which I don’t have the rep to link apparently).

This is actually very helpful because I see it also generates TOTP codes, which I wanted to do with something portable too. Thanks!

Also I’m shocked how well ChatGPT can write powershell scripts. Just by asking it what to do I got it to make one where you can give it a text file containing a list of questions which it displays in a dynamic form with a text box for each answer and buttons to either copy the passphrase generated from the answers or open up the KeePass database using that as the password! Amazing!

Anyway, cheers for the recommendation!

(Edit) BTW, I’m open to suggestions for a tool or script that makes passphrases from answers like that too if anyone knows one they would recommend, I couldn’t find any when I searched.

Coises

@Nommy said in Does NP++ Mini-Portable cache or save files on host system when run from USB stick:

I’m open to suggestions for a tool or script that makes passphrases from answers like that

Is there some reason you can’t just say, “The passphrase is our mother’s maiden name, the year Lisa’s second child was born, the name of street we lived on in 1993 and our nickname for our aunt on our father’s side, all words capitalized and one space between each part” and let whoever has to use this follow instructions? It’s just as secure (you have to assume anyone who finds the USB stick and wants to crack your passphrase can access and automate any script you write, so that doesn’t provide any extra security) and one less thing to go wrong.

Nommy

@Coises Yeah, that could definitely work.

One advantage of prompting is it’s less thinking, just answering one question at a time, and not having to care about the case or delimiter at all. I was trying to make it as simple as possible. The longer and more complicated the part they have to enter is the greater the chance some small mistake will happen and not be noticed I think.

But that sounds like a good failsafe in case the script doesn’t work for some reason, thanks.

Alan Kilborn

At least the last four postings have been off-topic for a Notepad++ forum, as they have not mentioned Notepad++ once. Let’s try to stay on track here, folks.

Nommy

@Alan-Kilborn So where should this be discussed then?

I would greatly appreciate if anyone did know of some little FOOS tool/script like I mentioned, more reliable than what I’ve hacked together, to help me secure my friends cyber security.

Can people here DM me suggestions?

If there was a discord this could be spun off into a thread.

I’m not sure if it matters to anyone but the suggestions and discussion so far have been really helpful and spot on solving the problem which I’m still using NPP for BTW (such as displaying instructions as we just discussed).

For some perspective, the person I’m trying to help recently lost 7kg in just over a week due to stress and worry from being targeted and harassed by some hacker/scammer that’s been messing with then, trying to take accounts etc for a while now.

I agree it’s not on strictly topic and I don’t expect to discuss this here, it’s just without at least giving a way to continue the discussion elsewhere, given the fact that it’s still directly addressing the goal I initially stated, and the potential consequences to people, it seems kinda callous to just stomp on it like we’re posting cat memes.

So how and where should this be continued, or is that irrelevant?