Is there a way to "Record" a .exe file? So I can see what files it extract and change.

If you wonder why I want that, it's because I'm trying to make a program portable on my USB so I don't have to install it to the hard drive every time I want to use it.

There are a number of free portability wrappers out there that allow you to make software that normally has to be installed to C:\.... with registry hooks etc portable for single exe execution. I like Cameyo which was presented on a Hak5 episode a while back.

http://www.guidingtech.com/5493/portable-apps-virtualization-cameyo/

Depending on whatever you need to make portable you might need a larger size USB thumb drive as for all dependencies are replicated to the thumb drive so that it can run as a portable app.

I tested this out on Open Office and it was like 560MB in size with all dependencies self contained.

This might save you from reinventing the wheel I can take a look at it, it seems quite good, and a 32GB USB doesn't cost that much. I can't try it until I get home, but can you also see all the files that the program change? It isn't necessary now, but might be good if I find a file that looks strange.What App are you trying to reverse engineer ? ?It's an older version of Skype.

Edit: My antivirus didn't like the file that much, but VirusTotal GAVE few hits, so I guess my antivirus is to paranoid. Cameyo didn't work, I "recorded" the install on my D:\ drive, and now I must run the application on a D:\ drive to get it to work. I'm trying to see if I can by pass that, but so far no luck.

Edit:
Well that's my guess, I just keep getting an "Unknown Drive" error.You guys should increase the time for editing post.

Anyway I THOUGHT it might be something on my computer that did block or corrupt something. So I thing ongoing on my secondary computer, it's Win xp with basic of basic stuff. And on that computer it wouldn't even start.

And it doesn't help that somehow I GOT a Windows update notification and told me that I needed to restart my computer (I got the choice for when to restart aka 4 hours). But I clearly told it last time that only tell me when update are ready to download, I even went to the policy to disable things there. It worked FINE until today.

And now I can't "Eject Mass Storage Device". I can press it and lose access to the USB, but the USB is till on and have connection to the computer.