Batch upgrade your software with AppSnap

Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Batch upgrade your software with AppSnap

by Brad Linder Oct 8th 2007

We did an informal survey recently and discovered that the average Download Squad reader has 3981 programs installed in their computer. OK, we didn't do a survey, but we're betting you have an awful lot of handy little applications on your computer. So many that you probably forget about some of them until you really need them.

So making sure all of your software is up to date could be a full time job. That's where AppSnap comes in. Like File Hippo's Update Checker, AppSnap scans your PC to figure out what software you've already installed. It then compares your software against a master list and decides if your software is out of date. Here's where it gets really cool. While File Hippo Update Checker just gives you a list of links to download updates, AppSnap lets you check a few boxes and it will go to work downloading and installing software for you.

AppSnap's list is far from comprehensive. It found 4 out of date applications on our test PC. But when we ran the File Hippo utility afterward it found another 6 out of date programs. AppSnap also has a list of programs in its database. So if you want to install some applications that you don't already have, just check out the list of uninstalled programs or browser by category.

[via Lifehacker]

Tags: appsnap, file-hippo, update, update-checker

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

knoopx said 7:08PM on 10-08-2007

vista, comic sans... omg xD

kris said 10:52PM on 10-08-2007

it's a pity about the fugly interface; also a pity it doesn't do driver updates which are far more critical.
I use Google update and Driver Genius for that purpose, but it's far from a perfect solution.

nothing comes close to the sheer elegance with which anti-virus programs auto-update -- silently, reliably, and without prompts/popups/reminders, rebooting or getting in the way of your work -- if only ALL software worked so flawlessly...

Ron Moses said 10:51AM on 10-09-2007

Interesting idea, not very well-implemented. The awful* interface aside, it only recognized five installed apps on my system, and misidentified the versions of two of them (including Firefox). Not entirely useful, that.

*Awful not only in terms of being ugly, but in terms of the "um, what am I supposed to be doing?" factor.

Thomas B Homburg said 6:02PM on 10-09-2007

A package manager for Windows is a much needed application
I personally use appupdater and win-get

http://windows-get.sourceforge.net/
http://www.nabber.org/projects/appupdater/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Package_manager

Dr Rumble said 9:00PM on 10-11-2007

Package managers: In every Linux distribution since forever.

FTW.

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