Software Updating

Calendar Of Updates
Information Only Last Reviewed: 2012-05-25
Updated Daily
Links to software updates listed by calendar date. Color-coded and very useful.
Anchor Link Filehippo Update Checker
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2012-11-29
Version: 1.040 – Released: 2012-11-29 Windows: All, incl 8
File Size: 258 KB Portable version available on-site
“The Update Checker will scan your computer for installed software, check the versions and then send this information to FileHippo.com to see if there are any newer releases. These are then neatly displayed in your browser for you to download. Please note that not all programs are supported.”
Anchor Link PendMoves and Movefile
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2013-02-07
Version: 1.2 – Released: 2013-02-05 Windows: XP, 2003 and higher
File Size: 135 KB
“There are several applications, such as service packs and hotfixes, that must replace a file that’s in use and is unable to. Windows therefore provides the MoveFileEx API to rename or delete a file and allows the caller to specify that they want the operation to take place the next time the system boots, before the files are referenced. Session Manager performs this task by reading the registered rename and delete commands from the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\PendingFileRenameOperations value.
“This applet dumps the contents of the pending rename/delete value and also reports an error when the source file is not accessible.”
Anchor Link R-Updater
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2012-03-09
Version: 1.2.22 – Released: 2010-08-22 Windows: 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7
File Size: 2.89 MB Portable version available on-site
Both 32- and 64-bit compatible
“R-Updater is a handy solution that helps you keep all of your software up-to-date with as little or as much user intervention as you’d like. R-Updater was created by R-TT as a lightweight alternative to the multiple software update programs that typically bog down a system’s resources. R-Updater allows you to keep tabs on the latest major releases, beta versions and updates for all of your programs, regardless of the developer or distributor. Here’s how it works:
1. Download R-Updater for free and install on your machine.
2. Launch R-Updater. The first time you run R-Updater, the software will automatically populate a list of your installed software.
3. Select the programs you’d like to update. You can select all or pick and choose which software updates to install.
4. Click Update to download the latest version.
“It’s as simple as that. R-Updater functions perfectly out-of-the-box without any tweaking of the default settings. R-Updater will run unobtrusively in the background when Windows starts and automatically notify you of new software updates when it’s available. For advanced users, you can customize R-Updater’s notification settings, schedule updates (daily, weekly, monthly or at each system startup) and configure R-Updater to work via a proxy.
“As an added bonus, R-Updater also gives you access to the Give Away of the Day, which lets you download full versions of commercial software for free. In this way, R-Updater not only keeps your existing software up-to-date, it also lets you expand your software library with new, useful programs that will increase your productivity. If you’re only interested in updating your current software, you can simply disable Give Away of the Day notifications.”
Anchor Link Secunia PSI
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2013-05-04
Version: 3.0.0.7009 – Released: 2013-05-03 Windows: XP, Vista, 7, 8
File Size: 3.1 MB Both 32- and 64-bit compatible
“The Secunia PSI is an invaluable tool for you to use when assessing the security patch state of software installed on your system. It constantly monitors your system for insecure software installations, notifies you when an insecure application is installed, and even provides you with detailed instructions for updating the application when available.
“It is NOT the purpose of the Secunia PSI to detect whether your system has already been compromised or if local changes, settings, or missing requirements could cause the Secunia PSI to report incorrect results. The Secunia PSI relies on the meta-data of executables and library files. The Secunia PSI does NOT conduct an integrity check of the individual files, rather, it checks whether a specific program is vulnerable according to the reported version numbers and not whether the files have been compromised or replaced by other users or programs.”
Anchor Link Secunia Software Inspector
License: Free Online Last Reviewed: 2011-04-20
Version: 2.0 Windows: XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, 7
Requires: Sun Java
Both 32- and 64-bit compatible
“Feature Overview — The Secunia Software Inspector:
» Detects insecure versions of applications installed
» Verifies that all Microsoft patches are applied
» Assists you in updating your system and applications
» Runs through your browser. No installation or download is required.
“The Secunia Software Inspector relies on carefully crafted ‘Secunia File Signatures’ to recognise applications on your system. The detected applications are then matched against our Secunia Advisory Intelligence to determine whether an application is up-to-date or not. The results are then used to advise you on how to update to more secure releases of the insecure applications.”
Anchor Link Security Product Vendors
Information Only Last Reviewed: 2011-02-13
Frequently Updated
“Security Product Announcements. New products, new releases, revisions, upgrades… Not to be used for discussion of a particular product.”
Anchor Link SUMo Portable
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2013-04-09
Version: 3.5.5.198 – Released: 2013-04-07 Windows: All
File Size: 926 KB Portable
“SUMo stands for Software Update Monitor. Thanks to SUMo you’ll be able to keep your PC up-to-date by using the most recent version of your favorite software!
“Unlike the default auto update features, this application will inform you if updates are available before using the software in question. Some key features include:
√ Automatic detection of installed software
√ Detects required updates / patchs for your software
√ Filter / authorize Beta versions (user setting)
√ Ignore list : only tracks software YOU want to track
√ More compatibility and less false positive than other Update Monitors
√ Internationalization support.”
Anchor Link SysInternalsUpdater
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2011-02-13
Version: 1.0.0 – Released: 2011-01-05 Windows: XP, Vista, 7
File Size: 796 KB Portable
Both 32- and 64-bit compatible
“SysInternalsUpdater is an Graphical User Interface which allows you to simple update utilities from SysInternals.”
Anchor Link The Software Patch
Information Only Last Reviewed: 2011-02-13
“The patches on this site have been categorised according to the type of software to which they will be applied. The updates will appear sorted by operating system or company. For example, to download a patch, service pack, or upgrade for Windows XP or Windows 2000, click the Windows button.
“The newest patches to download are listed on the top of this page. If you are new to the site, the easiest way to keep up-to-date is to bookmark this page and return on a regular basis. It is also important that you read the Disclaimer and Copyright section.”
Anchor Link Update Notifier
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2011-02-13
Version: 1.1.6.141 – Released: 2009-05-09 Windows: 2000, XP, Vista
File Size: 453 KB Portable
“The Update Notifier is a small utility that scans your computer for installed software and displays a list of updates. Also you can see the latest updates for applications from your Watch List. You can see the status of ALL of your installed software with direct download links for each one. No installation needed, low memory consumption, run in background.”
Anchor Link UpdateStar
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2012-12-05
Version: 9.0.1169 – Released: 2012-12-05 Windows: XP, 2003, Vista, 7, 8
File Size: 5.5 MB Both 32- and 64- bit editions
“UpdateStar is the program that lets you stay up-to-date with all of your personal software you are using on your computer. This way you make sure to always use the most up-to-date software, maximizing your every-day user experience. UpdateStar covers all of your freeware, shareware, demos, commercial software, and includes special offers.
“It’s free: UpdateStar is Freeware. Please feel free to ease your software life using UpdateStar. If you like UpdateStar, please recommend us to a friend. There is always space for another UpdateStar user.”
Anchor Link Windows Server Update Services
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2012-03-09
Version: 3.0.SP2 – Published: 2008-02-07 Windows: XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, 7
File Size: 80.5 MB Both 32- and 64-bit versions
“Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) enables information technology administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates to computers that are running the Windows operating system. By using WSUS, administrators can fully manage the distribution of updates that are released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network.”
Anchor Link WinUpdatesList
License: Freeware Last Reviewed: 2012-03-09
Version: 1.31 – Released: 2011-05-07 Windows: All
File Size: 42 KB Portable
“WinUpdatesList displays the list of all Windows updates (Service Packs and Hotfixes) installed on your local computer. For hotfix updates, this utility also displays the list of files updated with these hotfixes. In addition, it allows you to instantly open the Web link in Microsoft Web site that provides more information about the selected update, uninstall an update, copy the update information to the clipboard, or save it to text/HTML/XML file.”