Automatically check your programs for updates

Hands down, this has got to be one of the best pieces of third-party software ever released. Avid computers users such as I often have to go through the pain of updating each individual program to make sure that they are up-to-date. However, many of these programs do not have any update reminders. A possible loophole or vulnerability in old versions of a program can mean trouble for your computer in the future.

To ease the pain of updating all your software, Filehippo has come out with an Update Checker (Download Here.).  The program works on any Windows PC running Vista, XP, 2003, 2000 or 98. FileHippo’s Update Checker scans your computer for installed applications and then compares your version to the latest version in their database. After running the program, you are taken to a webpage that lists all the updates and beta updates for your software. Even better, the green arrows link you directly to the update, eliminating the need to manually navigate to the download link.

The only downfall is that your installed applications must also exist on FileHippo’s servers, otherwise it won’t be recognized. Most of today’s most popular applications exist on their servers anyway, so this shouldn’t be a concern. You can access their website to take a look at the different kinds of programs they offer support for.

Every computer at home, or in the workplace should be running this program. In my opinion, it would be much better if they designed it so it could automatically check updates every so often and alert you from the system tray - something similar to what Windows Update does.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2007 at 11:23 pm and is filed under Tips and Tweaks, Windows Vista. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.