Our computers and laptops have third-party software installed, and new versions are periodically released. Many programs themselves check for updates on their official resources and offer to update. But not all of them do it, and sometimes the very smart ones for some reason “forget” to warn.
Program for automatic program updates
For such cases, there is a special program for automatically searching for fresh updates for programs known to it (more than 150 and is being replenished).
Everything works very simply: the programs installed in Windows 7/8/10 are read and checked against their own database. Then FullUpdate checks the current versions on the official websites and divides the programs into two groups:
Nothing new was found, just shows the current version
Updates: those programs for which there is a new thing
To update all installed applications, click the "Install" button. By default, all applications are highlighted. If you need to update only one program, then click the rest with the mouse, leaving only it. Or you can go to the official sites and download the installer with your own hands, if it will be calmer.
The update process is as follows: the utility downloads the distribution kit and launches the installation wizard in the same way as if you did it yourself. That is, no invisible installations. In general, watch the video:
Library for installing new programs
FullUpdate can also install any of those programs that it can check for updates. Just select any in the "Library" tab. Today there are more than 150 of them.
If you click on the gear, you can enable the check for beta versions and updates for the paid programs that you have installed. Beta means a version with new functions, but not yet fully debugged, but works
Hello dear visitors. In this tutorial I will show you a couple of ways how you can update all programs on your computer quickly and easily.
Some users will ask me a question, why update programs at all? Everything is very simple.
In new versions, various bugs are fixed and new features appear. Therefore, I do not see anything wrong with the new versions! On the contrary, if an update has appeared, then the developers have done a good job!
You can update programs on your computer either manually, opening each one individually, or automatically using a special program. Let's consider both ways!
Update programs with FileHippo App Manager
Using a convenient program FileHippo App Manager you can update all programs installed on our computer in a semi-automatic mode. Now I will tell you how to do it correctly.
First of all, download FileHippo App Manager from the official website and install.
Immediately after installing and launching the program, it will prompt you to select an operating mode. Select the third item I’ll do it manually (I’ll do it manually) and click OK.
Immediately after launch FileHippo App Manager will scan all our programs and will show on the Updates tab the software that can be updated. In my case, there are 17 programs.
To update any program, there is a Download and Run button opposite it.
WARNING! Don't try to update all programs. This is especially true of paid programs that were activated by a key found on the Internet. If you update such a program, then the activation may fail. Be careful!
As you can see, I have 17 updates, but I will not install everything completely. Let me just update some of the programs.
For example, I have updates for the CCleaner program. This is a great program for. To update it, I click Download and Run and wait a few seconds while the latest version is downloaded.
Upon completion, I will be prompted to update by installing a new version of this program.
I have updated some other applications in the same way.
This program is convenient in that it allows you to see all applications for which updates are available in one single window. But of course, you can also update programs manually, let's look at this method.
Manual software update
Any program can be updated manually. Of course, the process in different utilities may differ slightly, but the essence is the same everywhere, and let's look at a few examples.
To update the Google Chrome browser, click on the tools button and in the menu that opens, select Help - About the Google Chrome browser.
The program is already checking for an update, and if there is one, it will automatically install them and ask you to restart the browser.
To update the Mozilla browser, you need to open press the Alt key and go to the Help menu that appears, then About Firefox.
If there is an update, it will download and install.
To update the Avast antivirus, you need to click on the gear.
Then open the Update tab and at the bottom in the section Program click Refresh button.
To update Skype, run this program and click the Help menu - Check for Updates.
To update uTorrent click on the Help menu - Check for updates.
Like this update programs manually... Apply these tips and update the programs you need to take advantage of the latest developments.
That's all, I wish you luck!
Any conscientious software developer monitors errors that users find during their work, and promptly fixes them by releasing updates. If, in addition to fixes, there are no significant changes in the program, then the new version is usually assigned an intermediate number, for example, "5.1.14". This numbering allows the user to decide whether to update the program or not. If the application is stable, it is hardly worth spending your time searching and installing a newer interim release. However, when the program closes with an error or conflicts with the hardware, then an update is simply necessary. Another reason to keep track of updates regularly is the security issue. If the program stores sensitive user data (for example, a password utility, browser, antivirus, or an application for working with electronic payment systems), it should be updated as often as possible. The number of applications installed on a computer can be in the tens or even hundreds. Most of them receive regular updates. And even if you stick to simple logic and update applications only when necessary, you may not always notice the release of a fresh version. It's good if the program has a function to automatically check for updates every time you start it or at a specified frequency. But if it is not there, constant monitoring of the release of new versions takes a lot of time, because you need to regularly visit the official website of the program and look for an update in the corresponding section.
In most cases, the developers of a particular program offer to subscribe to the manufacturer's newsletter. This service can be provided on the official website of the program and is offered during its installation. This option is convenient, but not without its drawbacks. Emails with notifications of this kind are often identified by anti-spam protection as ad junk, so to find the desired email in your spam folder, you need to waste your time again. In addition, in addition to information about updates, the mailbox may receive really useless messages, for example, about the presentation of a new utility or about discounts on the purchase of programs. However, there is a simple, but very effective way to solve the problem of finding and installing software updates - using special applications to monitor new software versions.
Update Checker 1.032
Developer: FileHippo.comDistribution size: 154 kb
Spreading: free This project was implemented by the popular online software directory - FileHippo.com. Update Checker is a tiny client that allows you to use the portal's online service. Update Checker has no interface as such - it uses a browser window to display information. For the program to run, the Microsoft .NET Framework must be installed on the system. After launching Update Checker, it searches the system for a list of installed applications, and then sends a request to the FileHippo.com website. By comparing the versions of the programs from the list with those in the catalog, the service generates a list of outdated programs, indicating next to each download link. On the page with the list of programs, you can see the latest version of each application, as well as the one installed on your computer. Beta versions of popular programs are shown in a separate list on the page.
SUMo 2.6
Developer: KC SoftwaresDistribution size: 1.5 Mb
Spreading: free This utility was created by the same developer who made a lot of other useful utilities, including such well-known ones as VideoInspector, KFK, AVIToolbox and others. The somewhat unusual name of the utility - SUMo - is actually an abbreviation and stands for Sofware Updates Monitor. SUMo allows you to search for updates on the Internet both for a single application and for all programs that are installed on the system. If you need to manually check the availability of an update for a particular utility, just drag its executable EXE file into the working window, then select a new item in the list and select the "Check" command in the context menu of the program. Likewise, you can "open" DLLs and ActiveX files in a program.
SUMo can also scan for installed applications. The scanning process will collect data on the version number of the installed version and compare it with the latest available version. Scanning can be done in two modes - normal and advanced. The second option allows you to more accurately determine the list of installed software, but it will take more time to use it. In the list of detected installed software, you can see the current version number and the name of the developer company. If the program detects that the installed application can be updated, the phrase "Update available" will be displayed in the "Update" column of the list of tested software, and the update number will also be displayed.
For clarity, each program in the list is marked with its own icon, which makes it possible, after a quick glance at the list of applications, to quickly determine which of the installed utilities have been updated, for which updates are optional, and for which, on the contrary, it is highly recommended. Downloading updates is not very convenient - in order to download an update, you need to perform several steps. If you select the command in the context menu of the "Refresh" program or use the button of the same name in the SUMo window, the utility will send it to the project page, where several links will be generated. Contrary to logic, these are not download links, but search queries, mainly in various large software catalogs. As a result, a somewhat strange picture is obtained - Sofware Updates Monitor detects an update for an application, but the user often has to search for the update distribution kit on his own. If the list of installed programs contains those for which you do not need to search for updates, you can create a list of applications prohibited for monitoring.
AppSnap 1.3.3
Developer: Ganesh viswanathanDistribution size: 5.2 MB
Spreading: free AppSnap uses its own database to monitor new versions of applications. Unfortunately, the number of supported programs is not very large, so it is possible that in the "Installed" section you will not see even half of the software available on your computer. The fact is that the program searches the system only for those applications for which it can show the availability of fresh versions. This is a very big drawback, although, in fairness, it should be noted that the small list of programs for which AppSnap can track updates is well chosen. Indeed, it contains the most common utilities - 7-zip, Winamp, Firefox, uTorrent, Opera and other popular programs (only a few hundred).
You can download and install updates directly from the AppSnap window. During the boot process, a progress bar is displayed on the screen.
The developers entrusted the replenishment of the program base to the users. So, in order for the utility to check the update of a program that is not in the database in subsequent versions, the "unknown application" must be entered manually by filling out the appropriate form on the official AppSnap website.
UpdateStar Premium 4
Developer: UpdateStarDistribution size: 4.8 MB
Spreading: shareware UpdateStar's interface is presented as a ribbon with tabs, each with its own settings and tools. The program has multilingual support, including Russian. To make monitoring updates as convenient as possible, the program developers have endowed it with a number of features. Firstly, UpdateStar users will not need to search the network for software distributions, since the utility redirects to a page where there are download links. Secondly, the program has one very convenient function - sorting applications according to different criteria. These criteria include, for example, "Security level". This parameter is shown as a set of asterisks and characterizes how urgent the problem of data confidentiality is for this application. Obviously, programs with a higher priority (with more asterisks) should be updated first.
By identifying the software installed on a computer and providing information about programs (latest version number, application safety rating, etc.), UpdateStar relies on its own online database. Despite the huge number of applications indexed by this utility (about three hundred thousand of all kinds of names - from graphic editors and antivirus programs to professional packages for application development, engineering design, etc.), errors and inaccuracies are not excluded in the process of work, which can be related as with erroneous entries in the system registry, and with the fact that there may be no entry about the found application in the database. Even so, UpdateStar provides a workaround for the problem. So, for example, a program that the program has not identified can be marked and a request can be made for it to the UpdateStar developers. After a while, it will already be included in the database for monitoring updates, the volume of which, by the way, is constantly increasing. The accuracy of determining installed applications is quite high, but still, before starting a system scan, it will not be superfluous to use the integrated registry cleaner tool. If, as a result of incorrect removal of the application, unnecessary entries are left in the system registry, this tool will allow you to remove them. To be on the safe side, before deleting "garbage" entries in the registry, you can make a backup copy of the deleted data in UpdateStar. In this case, if there are unplanned errors, you can import the data into the registry, returning to its previous state.
In order to keep track of the release of new versions of programs, it is not at all necessary that they all be installed on a given computer. You can check for the latest releases using the previously exported list of programs. This list can be saved in the native format of the UpdateStar utility or as an HTML file. If, say, the update rating used by a program by default does not coincide with the user's idea of which programs should be updated first, he can use an additional criterion - his own rating. By setting each program to its own priority, it will be possible to quickly determine in the future which of the programs in use should be updated. It takes some time to compile your own rating. If you are too lazy to do this, you can simply focus on the average rating of applications, which is defined as the average data on user priorities in UpdateStar. The program also presents statistics of data about installed applications in the form of a visual diagram. UpdateStar keeps a history of updates. In the program, you can view statistics that contains data on the installation time of a particular application.
After launching UpdateStar, it analyzes the system and determines the versions of the installed programs. After creating a list of installed software on the "Programs" tab, opposite each application whose version is outdated, the utility generates a link to download a more recent release. After clicking on this link, a browser window will open, which will provide detailed information about the selected program - screenshots of the application's working window, a link to the developer's official website, training videos demonstrating the program's capabilities (if any), and, of course, a direct link to download the new version. UpdateStar can be automatically downloaded with the system and provides the ability to start checking for updates on a schedule. The built-in task scheduler allows you to automatically monitor for updates daily, every week or every month, at a specific time. To download information from the Internet, the program can work with the specified proxy server settings, as well as use a secure SSL connection.
Conclusion
At first glance, the SUMo program looks the most attractive. It contains all the tools you need to quickly search for and download software updates, while it has a Russian interface and, importantly, it is distributed free of charge. However, there is a "fly in the ointment" - inconvenient loading of discovered new versions of programs. If we close our eyes to the fact that UpdateStar Premium is a commercial product, of all the programs for automatically detecting updates, a small advantage remains with it. It is the only program that allows you to automatically monitor application updates on a schedule. Unfortunately, most of UpdateStar's features are only available for the commercial Premium version. So, for example, in the free version there is no registry cleaner, there is no possibility of creating a list of programs, updates for applications are shown only the most significant, and checking for new versions is much less frequent. And yet, even the free version of UpdateStar can make things easier for a lot of people. As for AppSnap, this program can be useful only for a collection of "emergency" flash drives. Some users believe that it is not worth installing a new version of the program if the previous release works without problems and suits in all respects. This definitely makes sense, because, as mentioned above, most intermediate versions do not contain fundamental changes, but only eliminate inaccuracies in the application. Well, as to whether or not to install a new release - everyone must decide for themselves. The main thing is to remember: "new" does not mean "better".To keep pace with the times and use the computer more efficiently, each user needs to constantly update the software, i.e. install newer (fresh) versions of frequently used programs.
Well, what program is the most used by almost every user? Of course, a browser is a program for working on the Internet. Therefore, in this lesson, let's talk about how to update the program using the example of updating the browser.
But before we start updating, let's see how updating a program differs from a regular installation.
Updating the program means installing a new version of the program over the old one. With this installation, the program retains individual settings from the previous version. Those. if we update the program, then all our settings, bookmarks, panels (and so on) will be saved. If we first delete the old version of the program, and then install the new one, then all settings and bookmarks will need to be restored again and manually.
Therefore, keep in mind the following - if the program works stably and we do not notice any deviations in its operation, then the program can be simply updated, and if the program began to work with malfunctions (for example, after changing its settings or installing add-ons), then it may be more correct will reinstall such a program (uninstall and reinstall).
With this sorted out! Now let's proceed directly to the update.
In this lesson, I will update the Internet Explorer (IE) browser - I will install the 9th version over the previous version (I have IE 8).
Before installing a new version, you need to download it. It is best to do this on the official website of the manufacturer, so download the IE 9 installation file from the Microsoft website.
To do this, we find the button there Download:
In the next window, first of all, we select the language and version of our operating system so that the version that is suitable for our computer is downloaded. To do this, select the desired item in the drop-down list (I have it in Russian 32-bit Windows 7), and then boldly press the button Download:
If you probably do not know which Windows is installed on your computer, you can find out this information by right-clicking on the icon My computer and selecting the item Properties... On Windows 7 it looks like this:
After pressing the button Download a window will appear in which we press the button Save(to save the downloadable file to your computer):
In the next window, select a location on the hard disk where we will save our file (I have this folder IE on the Desktop):
Now click on the file icon to start the installation process. In the window that appears, we agree with the installation by clicking the button Install:
After that, just wait for the installation to complete:
When the installation is complete, we will be prompted to restart the computer to make the changes. We reboot (watching at system startup how changes are made to the operating system settings) and launch the updated IE 9 browser.
As you can see, everything is very simple!
Now, according to the same principle, you can update any other browser, as well as most of the programs that you use on a daily basis in your computer activities.
But keep in mind that this update method is only suitable for free or purchased programs, so if you are using a jailbroken version of a licensed program, then it is better not to use such an update. After all, by doing so, you will install a licensed version over the cracked program, for which you did not pay, and therefore the program will be limited in its capabilities or the term of its use (and a message will appear stating that your program is not registered).
In addition, remember that new is not always better than the old - sometimes a version tested over the years works more stable than a hastily released "raw" version, so before updating an important program for you, ask the forums about the reliability of its new version.
As part of its work on introducing Windows to the mobile market, Microsoft once created the Windows Store, a single source of content for the operating system, where users can comprehensively install all the software they need. Today, the Windows Store is home to minimalist apps, games, and extensions for the Microsoft Edge browser. Only. Microsoft's ambitious plans to transform the Windows Store into a single web market with a huge assortment, where users could also get acquainted with desktop programs (just get acquainted, and download from the developer's site), alas, so far have remained a project, not implemented. So far, the Store is not a viewing platform for software that works with the desktop environment of the system, and it is still scattered all over the Internet - on the websites of development companies, software portals, torrent trackers, etc. All these resources have to be contacted not only once to download program installers, but also periodically in order to update them, if this process is not provided automatically by the developers. Below we will talk about updating third-party Windows programs - how often they need to be updated, how to do it manually and using special tools.
1. Why and how often do you need to update third-party software?
Updating third-party software is less useful than updating Windows itself, but in some cases this process can be significant for the performance of programs or their individual functions. And some old programs that are not currently supported by developers may not even be installed in modern versions of Windows, since by default they do not provide for the activity of the software platforms necessary for their operation. For example, as is the case with. In software updates, developers fix errors, eliminate conflicts with the hardware, adapt to changes in the operating system and software environments on the basis of which these programs operate, add new features.
How often do you need to update third-party software? Versions of programs and games are often represented by a sequence of numbers like "xx.xx", for example, Counter-Strike 1.6. Programs and games can have intermediate versions, which have a sequence of numbers like "xx.xx.xx", for example, CCleaner v5.24.5841. Intermediate versions, as a rule, do not contain any significant changes, except perhaps minor fixes that are unlikely to be noticed by a wide audience of users. If the program or game works fine, you don't have to waste time updating to each intermediate version. The only exceptions can be programs such as antiviruses, password managers, clients of banking and payment systems, etc.
Their creators are trying to turn cardinal updates of large software packages into a significant event in order to attract the attention of the masses. Such software packages may have readable and memorable version numbers, for example, Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X10, or contain the release year, for example, Acronis True Image 2017 in the name. purchase of a new license key.
2. Updating third-party software manually
Software that does not provide automatic updates may simply offer a function to check for new versions. In classic programs, this is usually the last section of the Help menu. If this is not even possible, in the same reference section of the menu you can find the address of the program's official website, visit it and check if a new version has appeared.
3. Updating third-party software using special programs
To simplify the procedure for tracking and installing updates for users who want to have only the latest software on their computer, you can use special programs. Such programs usually scan the system, identify the software installed in it and, if there are new versions, offer to download them and install them on the system. And some programs even examine non-system drives to find updates for portable software. The delivery system of the fresh distribution kit for different programs for updating third-party software is equipped in different ways. Some can download the distribution kit of the latest software versions directly from the official websites of the developers, and some update the software using a single database of some kind on the Internet (as a rule, a database of large-scale software portals). The latter usually offer the user a larger list of support for the updated software, but, alas, even they are not a panacea, because there are a lot of programs and games for Windows.
Consider below three programs for updating third-party Windows software.
3.1. Kaspersky Software Updater
The free utility Kaspersky Software Updater from the eminent creator of anti-virus products - Kaspersky Lab - was created to promote paid software, but in the good old traditions of supplying quality software products, regardless of the terms of their payment. The utility is created according to the "Take and Use" principle, it has a user-friendly interface and easy-to-use controls. Quality often leads friendship with minimalism, so the creators of the utility found it necessary to limit themselves to only a hundred supported programs from among those demanded by a wide audience. Immediately after installing Kaspersky Software Updater, we can start searching for updates for the software available in the system.
Kaspersky Software Updater Based on the scan results in the utility window, we will receive a list of programs for which there are new versions. And then we can start the process of updating each of the detected programs by clicking the "Update" button. The update process will be carried out automatically.
Kaspersky Software Updater Other features of Kaspersky Software Updater include batch updating of all detected programs in one click, adding individual programs to the list of exclusions (they will no longer participate in the scan), selecting the update search mode (all in a row or only essential ones), and automatically starting a scan according to a configured schedule. Kaspersky Software Updater registers itself at startup and monitors new versions of the software available in the system in the background.
3.2. FileHippo App Manager
FileHippo App Manager is a program from a number of software installers working in conjunction with a single database, it is the client software of the FileHippo.Com software portal. The program can be used for free. The frequency of scanning for new versions of the software available in the system is configured immediately when the FileHippo App Manager is installed. The program is loaded with Windows, runs in the background and notifies of the appearance of updates to the software available in the system with a message from the system tray.
As a result of the system scan, in the FileHippo App Manager window, we will see a list of programs for which new versions have been found. By clicking the Download & Run button, you can download new versions and start installing them into the system.
FileHippo App Manager The downloaded distributions of the new versions of the FileHippo App Manager software are stored in a special folder. If necessary, its path, set by default on the C: \ drive, can be changed so that distributions are stored, for example, on one of the non-system partitions.
FileHippo App Manager 3.3. SoftSalad Monitor
SoftSalad Monitor is a client program for the Softsalad.Ru soft portal. Other client programs work with it, but SoftSalad Monitor has the advantage of being able to use it for free. True, during the installation of the program, it is necessary to carefully monitor so that companion programs are not installed into the system along with it.
Like other programs for automatic software updates, SoftSalad Monitor, during installation, registers itself at startup and performs its work in the background. After installing the program, a system scan will automatically start to look for new versions of the software available in the system. Possible actions will be available in the scan results near each of the programs in the list - downloading a new version, ignoring for the future and going to the Softsalad.Ru page with a description of the program. Downloading new versions is possible in batch mode.
The process of installing new software versions is launched directly from the SoftSalad Monitor interface.
If necessary, in the program settings, you can change the preset storage path for the downloaded distribution.
SoftSalad Monitor Of the three participants in the review, this one is the most functional solution. SoftSalad Monitor scans the system for outdated versions of not only installed programs, but also portable programs. SoftSalad Monitor is also a directory for downloading and installing new software. In the "Popular" tab, we will find several thematic collections of the most in-demand software. And to search for specific programs, you can use the internal search engine SoftSalad Monitor.
Have a great day!
