UCheck - Update your software in 2 clicks

I'll try to look at what it means in German, but I suppose it's a bug between for Premium / Portable version. I think it says something like "Cannot auto-update portable, please do manually or download the Updater". Something like this.

 

10500 today

 

Hi dking02:

I've only done limited testing so I'm not sure if that's how Patch My PC behaves on my system with Portable apps, but it definitely does not track the version number of the executable correctly. See my 01-Sep-2023 topic How to Check Portable Apps on Removable USB Stick for Available Updates? and my 09-Sep-2023 feature request Request for Additional Software and Detection of Portable Apps (vs SUMo) in the Patch My PC forum for further information.

I ran a test with Patch My PC on 06-Oct-2023. After changing my download folder for Portable apps from the default (which I recall was C:\Users\<myusername>\Desktop\Portable Apps) to E:\Portable on my removable USB stick, I copied an outdated version of AdwCleaner v7.4.2 to a subfolder on my removable USB stick at E:\Portable\AdwCleaner 7_4_2\AdwCleaner.exe and insured it ran correctly and prompted me to update to v8.4.0, which I declined. My initial scan with Patch My PC listed two available updates in the right panel of current programs for Microsoft C++ Redistributables (red text) but did not detect the outdated AdwCleaner.exe v7.4.2, even though the list of supported app in the left panel showed that AdwCleaner v8.4.0 was available for download (black text).



I used Patch My PC to download the latest AdwCleaner v8.4.0 to my default download location (E:\Portable\AdwCleaner.exe). A second scan then listed AdwCleaner v8.4.0 in the right panel of current programs.





Today I deleted all copies of the AdwCleaner v7.4.2 and v8.4.0 executables from all locations on my removable USB stick. I placed a copy of the outdated v7.4.2 executable at E:\Portable\AdwCleaner.exe and insured it ran correctly and prompted me to update to v8.4.0, which I declined. A fresh scan with Patch My PC still tells me I still have the latest v8.4.0, even though there is no v8.4.0 executable anywhere on my USB drive. Fresh scans with SUMo and UCheck both detect the outdated AdwCleaner v7.4.2 at E:\Portable\AdwCleaner.exe.

It seems that once Patch My PC has downloaded the latest version of a Portable app (in this case AdwCleaner v8.4.0) and that download is logged in the registry (or perhaps the PatchMyPC.log file) then Patch My PC always reports that version as current version (at least until a newer version is released; I'll have to wait until AdwCleaner v8.4.1 is released to test) and is not smart enough to know if you downgrade to an older version.







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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3570 * Firefox v118.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.4.286-1.0.2163 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Patch My PC Portable v4.5.0.4 * SUMo Free Portable v5.17.10.542 * UCheck Free Portable v5.0.0.0

 

I only mentioned PMPC because It is one of the few examples of a software updater that supports portable software and because it only provides notification and download of updates for portable programs, not “installation”. There should be no expectation that UCheck provide automated “installation” of updates to portable programs. Portable programs do not come with Windows-compliant installers.

For supported portable programs, PMPC tracks downloads through its GUI rather than checking the portable executables “installed” on the user’s machine. Also, rather than checking for an update to a portable program every time a scan is performed, PMPC only checks after a new update to the progam has been announced by its publisher and the user has not yet downloaded the update through the PMPC GUI. If the user is up-to-date, there is no need to continually check the machine for an update until the next update is actually announced and available for download through PMPC. It is not readily apparent how you reset this process. You probably have to delete all downloaded update files for the affected program and then wait for the next update then PMPC will find no corresponding downloaded files on your machine needing an update and will stop offering updates unless you manually download the current version through the PMPC GUI to restart the process.

 

In the Description pane on the Download tab of UCheck version 5.0.0.0, the buttons for opening the License Page and Download Page for a program appear to be missing. Actually the buttons are there and active, but the caption "Click to open" is missing on the faces of the buttons. These buttons were displayed properly in previous versions 4.11 Beta and 4.10.

 

Hello,
I'm still getting "double" programs

https://zupimages.net/up/23/41/y1ux.jpg

 

Here is the dialog in English Language:


On my PC, where I am a Premium User and use the Portable Version, I have no chance to see the changelog inside the application.
In my VM I also use the Portable Version, but here I am a Free User.
On both machines I am a Totally Crazy User!

 

Hi Tigzy:

Macrium released an important security update for Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.x on 11-Oct-2023 (Version 8.0.7690) that includes a patch for the CVE-2023-43896 vulnerability in psmounterex.sys.

If and when Macrium Reflect Free is re-classified from an Unsupported (no highlight) to a Community (grey) app, UCheck v5.0.0.0 will be unable to detect available updates for Macrium Reflect Free because it always lists current version number as 8.0 (i.e., it does not show the "patch" number where the version is displayed as "major.minor.patch") and will always report that Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.x is up-to-date (OUTDATED = NO).



Fortunately, SUMo reported yesterday that my v8.0.7279 (rel. 10-Jan-2023) was outdated and I was able to launch Macrium Reflect Free and go to Other Tasks | Check for Updates to install the latest v8.0.7690.


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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3570 * Firefox v118.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.4.286-1.0.2163 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7690 * Patch My PC Portable v4.5.0.4 * SUMo Free Portable v5.17.10.542 * UCheck Free Portable v5.0.0.0

 

Since the Install tab is showing two versions of the programs, try uninstalling the old version. This should remove the entry in the registry for the old version. If the two versions had been installed in the same folder, you will probably also need to uninstall the new version. Then reinstall the new version and do a new scan with UCheck and see if that fixes the problem with double entries.

You can do the uninstalls either from the Programs & Features in Control Panel.or by right-clicking on the item in UCheck Install tab.

 

This is not really a UCheck issue. UCheck should have no problems providing notification of updates to Reflect as long as Reflect is supported either as a community or compatible program. Notification of community-identified updates is currently turned off in UCheck 5.0.0.0 while its DB is being populated so none should be expected until that feature is re-enabled. When notified by UCheck of an update to Reflect, a Reflect user should use the internal updater within Reflect to patch an existing installation.and should ignore the version number of the original installation that UCheck will continue to report as installed even after the program is updated. (See explanation* below for background on how Macrium Reflect is installed and updated.)

Any questions re. updates to Reflect Free specifically will become moot after 1 Jan 2024. Paramount Software UK announced the EOL of the Macrium Reflect Free Edition back in Nov 2022, suspended feature updates, and committed to providing security patches like the one you mention until 1 Jan 2024. After that date, the Free Edition will continue to function (users have a perpetual license to it) but there will be no further updates or support. Macrium expects personal users who want updates or need support to purchase the Home version of Reflect either on an subscription basis or as a perpetual license to Reflect 8 which will provide updates until superseded by Reflect 9.

Ref. https://www.macrium.com/product-support-policy

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* Explanation: When a user first installs Macrium Reflect using the downloaded .msi file, the version of Reflect in that package is recorded by the installer in the registry. Subsequent updates are expected to be installed via the Update function within Reflect which patches the installation rather than doing a full reinstall. This internal updater currently does not change the uninstall data in the registry and thus Programs & Features and UCheck will continue to show the version number of the original installation after an update The updater does update the version number in Reflect's executable file. Since SUMo is able to locate the executable file of programs rather than having to rely on data in the registry, it is able to retrieve and report the updated version number from the updated executable file.

 

Hi dking02:

Thank you for that explanation, but please note that I said "If and when Macrium Reflect Free is re-classified from an Unsupported (no highlight) to a Community (grey) app". I was already aware that Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.x will reach EOS in Jan 2024, but I'm not sure how that is relevant to how UCheck will be detecting and recommending available updates for Community (grey) apps once this feature goes live in stable releases of UCheck.

Here's another example for Mozilla Maintenance Service where using the installed version taken from the registry does not reflect the actual version number of the executable in use. These images were captured with the UCheck BETA v4.11.0.0 (offered in post # 335) on 06-Oct-2023. At the time the Installed tab of this BETA reported my current Mozilla Maintenance Service VERSION was 80.0, the LATEST version was 118.0.1, OUTDATED was YES and LOCATION was missing. The Updates tab recommended a manual update from v80.0 to 118.0.1.





However, If I check the actual version number of my maintenanceservice.exe file today at both C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\ and C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Maintenance Service\ I see that I already have the latest available version (now v118.0.2, installed 10-Oct-2023) that does not require updating.



I am concerned that this mismatch in version numbers will eventually cause confusion for many users as to which Community (grey) apps actually need to be manually updated once Community apps are monitored in the stable release of UCheck, especially if the LOCATION (path) of the "outdated" executable is missing .
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3570 * Firefox v118.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.4.286-1.0.2163 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7690 * Patch My PC Portable v4.5.0.4 * SUMo Free Portable v5.17.10.542 * UCheck Free Portable v5.0.0.0

 

UCheck tells me that Revo Uninstaller Pro 2.4.5 is the latest version, which is wrong because version 2.4.5 is the latest Free version.
Latest Pro version: 5.2.0 https://www.revouninstaller.com/products/revo-uninstaller-pro/
Latest Free version: 2.4.5 https://www.revouninstaller.com/products/revo-uninstaller-free/

 

1. Regarding Macrium Reflect. I assume that UCheck is using at least the Display Name in the registry to distinguish between different Macrium Reflect products, such as Reflect Free and Reflect Home, that require different versioning and/or downloads. It may also be necessary to distinuish between 32-bit and 64-bit editions of a product. SUMo distinguishes between Reflect Free 32-bit (6 users), Free 64-bit (122 users), Home 32-bit (5 users), Home 64-bit (77 users), and plain Reflect (?, 21 users). The latest version is 8.0.7690.0 for the two free editions and 8.1.7675.0 for all other editions (paid). The free version is stuck on minor version 8.0 with no changes planned after 1 Jan 2024. The Version columns in the UCheck Installed tab and in Programs & Features simply display the version as recorded by the installer in the registry. That version will not change if subsequent updates are done as patches rather than reinstalls. The data recorded by the installer in the registry can be incomplete or incorrect and can become inaccurate if subsequent changes are not made through the Windows installation process.

I assume that Macrium Reflect products will be handled as community programs (or possibly compatible in the future). There will be no updates to the Free editions after 1 Jan 2024 but it is probably still useful to track the number of users who remain on the free version thereafter. I see no need to change its categorization from community to unsupported. There simply will be no updates to the product. Any special handling requires added work as well as more knowledge of these products and should be avoided wherever possible.

2. Re. Mozilla Maintenance Service (MMS). MMS is a background process for auto-updating Firefox and has no direct user interface other than thru Firefox Settings to disable it. Its updates appear to be usually handled as part of Firefox updates. SUMo does not even report finding MMS on a machine since it is consider a helper program and not updated by the user.

The version of MMS that appears in the Version column of UCheck or Programs & Features is the same as the Display Version of MMS in the registry. However, there are differences between the Display Version recorded in the registry by the installer and the version in the current MMS .exe files. The reason for these differences is probably similar to the one for Reflect. MMS was probably originally separately installed at the version recorded in the registry. However, subsequent updates of the .exe file were done as part of a Firefox update which simply replaced old MMS files with a new files with no changes to the MMS data in the registry. There also appear to be two instances of the MMS .exe file on my PC, one 64-bit and one 32-bit. Although 64-bit Firefox is installed, updates to Firefox are actually using the 32-bit version of MMS as verified by log file it creates in the same folder as the MMS .exe.

 

Found a little bug:




Counter in the Dashboard is 0, although there is an Windows Update available.

 

Hello @Tigzy !

When do you plan to re-enable Community detection ?

 

Perfect !

 

Hi @Tigzy :

I concur with dking02's observations in post # 438.

I don't know how many changes you are willing to make to the UCheck user interface, but would it be possible to create a new panel on the dashboard called Uninstall that would basically duplicate what user see at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features? This panel would not have a LATEST column and would not indicate if the app was current or outdated. I personally don't think that allowing users to uninstall installed programs from within the UCheck user interface adds a great deal of value to this utility, but I can understand why you would want to retain this feature if this is something that long-time users of UCheck expect to see.

At the same time, you would modify the Installed panel to be named something like Versions that would only show Compatible (i.e., purple installed and supported), Community (grey) and Portable (red) apps but no Unsupported (no highlight) apps. Users would not be able to uninstall apps from this panel but they would still be able to see the VERSION, LATEST and OUTDATED columns and could quickly (and hopefully more accurately) see what apps were outdated.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3570 * Firefox v118.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.4.286-1.0.2163 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7690 * Patch My PC Portable v4.5.0.4 * SUMo Free Portable v5.17.10.542 * UCheck Free Portable v5.0.0.0

 

Tigzy –

In my response to lmacri ( post #438 ), I mentioned that I was assuming that UCheck keys off the Display Name, Display Company and probably also bitness (32 vs 64, x86 vs x64) to distinguish between different programs. I also gave an example of how SUMo was distinguishing different Macrium Reflect editions.

How does UCheck distinguish between different programs, particularly if they have similar names and companies?

How do you handle minor variations, such as spaces, punctuations, capitalization, abbreviations. How about the inclusion of the version number and bitness in the program name? Do you try to normalize these names so they all map to the same program for some of these minor differences?

How do you handle the case where the same program may be released with different names; e.g., XnView and XnView Classic?

How do you handle programs with similar names; e.g., XnView and XnView MP (x64)?

In the above particular case, it appears that UCheck is confused and thinks XnView and XnView MP (x64) are the same product. XnView is a UCheck-compatible program and its latest version is 2.51.5 (3 Oct 23). XnView MP (x64) is a different multi-platform application from the same company and its latest version is 1.6.1 (15 Oct 23). On 15 Oct 23, I received a notification from UCheck v5.0.0.0 of an update to XnView MP (x64) from 1.6.1 to 2.51.5 (see attached screenshot). This happened when running UCheck v5.0.0.0 when community updates were disabled. I selected the download action and the setup file that was downloaded to %TEMP% was for XnView 2.51.5, not XnView MP. I did not install the application since I recognized the problem. Although XnView is a UCheck-compatible program and XnView MP is not, my installation of XnView MP is colored purple on the Installed tab (see attached screenshot). While the Update tab offered an update to XnView MP, the referenced website, download file, and install were actually for XnView. The two programs also differ in bitness, XnView being a 32-bit, Windows-only application.

I had observed this same problem a few days ago when I had updated XnView MP from 1.5.5 to 1.6.0 Ucheck also offered the same update to XnView 2.51.5. I reported the problem on the UCheck forum and Curson agreed to my suggestion to add XnView MP as a separate program on the compatible programs list. That, of course, only addresses this specific case. There appears to be a more general issue about the handling of variations in names that I am trying to raise here.

If the Display Company is used as a key, do you also try to address similar variations in the names of the company/publisher?

 

It's live !

 

Yes it's a bug for "clear" theme, will fix.

Yes, and this is going to happen quite often I believe. Community updates uses generic way of finding currently installed version, that will happen until the software turns into a "Supported" one.

If I understand, we need to distinguish between Revo Free and Pro ?

It's probably because there's double entries in the registry. If they were supported, UCheck would have proposed to remove the older one in the "Updates" tab.
You can find those double entries IMO into the Programs & Features too .

 

Yes, this would be great because there are two different Revo versions - Free and Pro - with two different version numbers, currently 2.4.5 and 5.2.0, respectively.

 

I don't get how it would be very different from the existing Installed tab ? It's just Programs & Features, but with more information.

 

Well that's exactly what the filters are for... Adding a new tab would add more confusion IMO.

 

For installed ? If they have a different uninstall key, then they are different.