UCheck - Update your software in 2 clicks

I don't have it startup with Windows neither do I want to. Maybe an easy fix would be to not run a scan automatically when it's starting up with windows and run a scan automatically when starting up manually?
Edit: And I don't think user can run scheduled scans on free portable version.

 

I don't think the original question was misunderstood. There is already a General Setting to have UCheck start when Windows is started. If that option is selected and there is an additional option to have UCheck scan whenever it is started, its selection would trigger a UCheck scan whenever Windows was restarted which is undesirable since it will adversely how quickly Windows restarts. Once a UCheck stable (not beta) release is started, it runs continuously in the background while the GUI is closed and in the foreground while the GUI is opened. The UCheck process is not typically repeatedly started and stopped by a user nor is rescanning each time the GUI is reopened always desirable. Expecting the user to manually click the scan or rescan button from the GUI to perform a fresh scan is simple and sufficient.

Also note that while it may be annoying for beta testers to have to manually initiate a scan each time the GUI of the beta version is opened (since closing it terminates the program), for the stable release the data from the latest scan is preserved when the GUI is closed and then reopened.

 

A scan for me takes about 7 seconds. How big of a undesirable effect is this. If there are two options, one to start with windows and one to start when Ucheck starts, a person could always deselect the first and select the second. If they are both options then anyone could select the one they wish to use or select neither if that is what they want.

Bil

 

Just some ideas/remarks to PortableApps

In case of PortableApps it could be that a lot of executables are listed which are preferred to be excluded. Now I need to exclude them one by one with a 2 click confirmation.
A bulk selection with a checkbox on each line and a button to exclude them all in a row would be great.

There's also a little bug: If you exclude Portables they don't disappear from the installed list, even if Excluded is not selected from the filter.

But great job! UCheck is getting better and better!!!

 

I verified, it's properly set. Do you see something in the logs ?

 

First comment that comes to my mind after the first checks regarding the inclusion of portable programs: I am very surprised to see how much progress has been made in such a short time.

Great work guys.

Comments in no particular order:

• After the inclusion of portables, my list grew from 53 programs to 741. Personally, I don't care much about having to exclude irrelevant entries in this list one by one once the program is stable.
  
  
• For a matter of order, it would be nice to have an exclusion list of programs installed and normally detected (the one we have used up to now) and a new separate list that collects these new exclusions deriving from portables. This is because in the first list we might have to reactivate something, while in the second I don't see the point of doing so. Everything would be more tidy.
  
  
• If this is too complicated, perhaps using a prefix could be considered. Currently, programs excluded from the update are marked with an [E], for example:
  [E] AnyDesk
  maybe there could be used a new prefix, for example
  [P] <Flash Launcher>
  or something similar anyway
  
  
• Upon first inspection, out of 24 portable programs I have on my machine, only 3 are not detected:

1. DNS Jumper - DnsJumper.exe - https://www.sordum.org/
   
2. Edge Block - EdgeBlock_x64.exe - https://www.sordum.org/
   
3. RogueKiller - RogueKiller_portable64.exe - https://www.adlice.com/roguekiller

I will add other feedbacks, if any, after further checks

 

If you are willing to share a whold folder with portable apps, that would help. Please PM for the upload link

 

Because UCheck (installed) is started at boot and it's probably not the best to start a scan at boot.
We have scheduled scans if you want. Also we don't want to make the portable version too much different than the installed one by adding extra features

 

Well.... The best will be to make separate folders IMO and only add the one you really have scanned / updated by UCheck. Makes more sense to me

 

Don't you have a "microsoft edge" (without "Update") ?

 

@Tigzy
No problem, just give me an hint on how to do it

 

I secund that. UCheck at this point is agnostic, and lists all the binaries that "may" be portable applications (We'll filters to detect installers, DLLs, and everything not looking like valid apps).
You need to organize a little bit those monitored folders to have better results .

 

Remember UCheck works with program/apps names, not paths. When you exclude a program, all its occurences are excluded.

 

I understand, but you need to know UCheck starts and stays in the tray until the user comes up. And a user can open it for consulting the last report, play with settings, etc... It's not just that easy.
BTW we've added CTRL+S shortcut on the dashboard

 

I PM'd you here, please send me an upload link?

 

It takes 7 seconds when your machine is idling. If you do it at boot, it will easily take the double, maybe more. During that time, it's also slowing down other apps trying to start, and the user will wait for responsiveness.

 

We'll think about a way to do it properly, but it's not guaranteed.

 

@paulderdash
Hi there.
I didn't receive any notification and don't know what to do
Sorry and thanks

 

Regarding the list of Portable soft in Installed, I don't like that either (answering to some comments above).
I think the best will be to maybe do a folders treeview in a separate tab, with ability to collapse/expand the folders you want to see.
That list can be big, so it makes more sense to make it seperate.

 

I don't enable the existing option to have UCheck start with Windows and always start a scan manually (same as I did with SUMo). Another option to have a scan performed automatically if UCheck is manually started later would be OK but really is not saving much user effort (one scan or rescan button click) and would defeat the ability to retain the data from the last recent scan when reopening the GUI during a session. The requirement to perform a scan each time the GUI is opened is a artifact of the beta version, not the stable release.

 

A portable app may include many .exe files and the .exe files may have significantly different program and company names. A quick way to group all related .exe files for portable apps is to sort on Location in the Installed tab. With portable apps, all .exe files reported by UCheck will have a Location provided in the Installed tab. This was not true for installed programs since the installer may not have provided Location data in the registry. Sorting on Location should group all .exe files, primary and supporting, associated with the portable app together on the Installed tab since all files for a portable app must be located within a common folder or subfolder thereof.

 

Indeed, that's a lot of code to avoid just one click...

 

A possible alternative to having to create and then manage UCheck exclusions for supporting .exe files for a portable app or having to manually delete unneeded files would be to maintain a separate custom folder or folders which contain only copies of the primary .exe file (the one which includes the proper program name, version and company of the portable app as embedded property data). This should be sufficient for UCheck to identify an update and the user would then download the .zip file and extract it to the normal location of the portable app as ususal. Once "installed", the new primary .exe file would need to be copied over to the UCheck custom folder to replace the old file in lieu of potentially having to update the exclusion data for the app or delete unneeded files. This assumes that UCheck would not try to "install" an updated portable app.

 

Would it be possible to create a /scan command-line parameter so that users who would like to directly start a scan when starting the e.g. portable version can chose so?
I guess it saves a bunch of code in the UI but also provides the option for those wouldn't like to use it in that way?

 

IMO that's even more complicated, because users need to run a terminal with admin rights (at least 3 clicks). Also we already have a command line version of UCheck, for Technicians.