After installing many recommended programs, many of them will have been uninstalled and removed because they were deemed unnecessary and not useful, while others will remain on the computer. Managing the programs of a Windows PC means keeping the installed software in order with a summary screen in order to immediately recognize which ones are useful and which ones can be eliminated.
Managing the programs also means keeping them updated so as to take advantage of any new features and, above all, to receive the security patch.
Since one is not that he can keep up with all the software updates that are released every day and one cannot remember in mind to check if there are new versions, then it takes a program that does the management of the programs in a more or less automatic way .
At the same time, it is necessary to have a real software uninstaller that removes any files related to them, something that uninstalling Windows often does not.
Furthermore, especially when dealing with many computers or if you often reformat your PC, it is useful (as is the case on Linux) to have a single tool to automatically install all the programs, the essential or indispensable ones that allow you to take advantage of a computer at full power.
So let's see a nice list of tools for Windows PCs that allow, in various ways, to install all the important programs at once, to manage the installed programs, to perform automatic software updates or to uninstall them completely.
1) To install many programs together we have seen several software including:
- Ninite
- FreeApp
- Essential Software Installer.
All these programs contain a list of software that can be included in a global and fast installation, without wasting time downloading and installing them one by one.
The applications included vary according to the package chosen, some are more numerous, others more essential.
2) To manage the programs, install and uninstall them with a click, without having to go and look for them one by one, you can use the Windows Package Manager tool.
WPM automates the download, installation and uninstallation of applications on the Windows PC with minimal user intervention.
There are currently more than 100 applications in multiple versions and it becomes a nice repository to draw from as appropriate.
The software database can be customized by modifying or recreating the xml file that contains the Windows Package Manager repository.
This way you can use WPM as a free distribution system, for example, in an office or in a small business.
3) Regarding the management of the programs installed on Windows, it is important to always use the latest version, the most updated one.
Almost all programs have an autoupdater, that is, they warn if a new version is released.
As useful as this may be, it becomes inconvenient and insecure for anyone who owns a firewall to have to give permissions to all these programs.
Much better is to use a single tool that scans and updates programs automatically .
In another article, the best Windows tools to automatically update programs .
5) To uninstall programs by completely removing all the files I had written about Revo Uninstaller and the like.
For this function I wanted to add Comodo Program Manager, a free program that allows you to monitor installed programs and keep track of software changes on your computer.
This feature is included in Revo Uninstaller only in the paid version.
Personally, I found Comodo Program Manager not too simple to understand and a bit heavy on resources.
All in all, a program manager that is alternative to that of Windows is absolutely necessary in order not to get lost in the midst of the many installations that you make.
The choice of one tool over another depends on personal needs, which can be oriented towards cleaning and uninstallation or regular updates.
