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In search of ... universal download tracker

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barney:
Folk,

Way back in the Win98/Win98SE days, we had a TSR that did naught but record every bit of software, specified in a list, that was downloaded to a particular machine.  Basically, I could go to any given machine in my group and see just what had been downloaded in a given time period.  (The track record was stored on a network drive, so I didn't have to physically visit the machine in question.)

I would like to set something like that working on my home system.  I'd like to be able to pull up a [specified] catalog of everything that was downloaded, organizable by date/time or alphabetically.  This would pretty much be driven by a list of file extensions to record, e.g., .swf, .exe, .jpg, .dll, and the like.  Then the software would record date, time, file name, file extension, size, download origin, perhaps what triggered the download.

My searches have turned up a number of scripts to record downloads from a Website or vendor, as well as a few that were ISP specific for monitoring overall bandwidth usage - basically from recorders.  However, I cannot seem to find anything that will record downloads to a machine other than a few download managers.  (Thought of using a sniffer, something like Snort, but don't think that would work - too much irrelevant traffic.)

Example:  Adobe, in particular, likes to pull stuff down, then tell me it's available.  'Nother example:  Win pulls down updates, then tells me they're available.

There are a few other applications that do much the same thing.  I want to be able to go to the historical record to see when these downloads were accomplished.  It would help immensely with some troubleshooting.

Anyone have any references for something of this nature?

40hz:
Secunia Personal Software Inspector (PSI) comes pretty close to what you're describing. It;s free for personal use.

It's primarily designed to be a version checker/vulnerability assessment tool. But it also keeps track of changes, versions, and updates as part of that process so it should provide you with much of the information you're looking for.

In search of ... universal download tracker

In search of ... universal download tracker

You'd need to enable the logging option if you wanted to keep full change details.

Heavy-duty info on what's already on your machine can be obtained by using Belarc Advisor. It's a PC auditing tool which is also free for personal use. It won't give you installation dates, but it will provide software version information in excruciating detail along with a very useful security vulnerability score.

(partial output:)

In search of ... universal download tracker


Belarc is something many techs run to get the "lay of the land" whenever they get a machine in for service. One of my favorite diagnostic tools.

Luck! :)

barney:
Heavy-duty info on what's already on your machine can be obtained by using Belarc Advisor. It's a PC auditing tool which is also free for personal use. It won't give you installation dates, but it will provide software version information in excruciating detail along with a very useful security vulnerability score.
-40hz (November 28, 2011, 07:09 AM)
--- End quote ---

Roger excruciating detail  ;D :huh: ;D!

Didn't think about PSI.  Run it as a matter of course, but forgot about the logging feature.  I'll set logging on, see what it gives me.  Thanks  :Thmbsup:.

cyberdiva:
Heavy-duty info on what's already on your machine can be obtained by using Belarc Advisor. It's a PC auditing tool which is also free for personal use. It won't give you installation dates, but it will provide software version information in excruciating detail along with a very useful security vulnerability score.
-40hz (November 28, 2011, 07:09 AM)
--- End quote ---

Hmmm....I run Belarc from time to time, and I agree that it can provide some useful information about a computer, but I disagree strongly about the usefulness of its security vulnerability score.  Mine has always been abysmal, but I've never really figured out why or what to do about it.  There are well over 400 items in its Security Benchmark check list, and even in sections where I've had a mix of green check marks and red x's, the score for the section has been 0.00.  It lists 110 items (all with red x's) under "Internet Explorer 8," which I don't even have on my computer.  Finally, off to the side, it says the following:

"How can you reduce your security vulnerability?  The local group policy editor (accessed by running the gpedit.msc command) can be used to configure security settings for your computer.  Windows home editions don't include that editor, but most security settings can also be made with registry entries instead.  Warning: Applying these security settings may cause some applications to stop working correctly.  Back up your system prior to applying these security templates or apply the templates on a test system first."

Sounds like I'd be crazy to let Belarc "fix" the security settings on my computer (which has never had a security problem).

40hz:
@cyberdiva - Advisor's security assessment is geared towards enterprise users on corporate networks rather than home users. I (like you) don't have any personal machines that garner high scores either but I'm (also like you) more than comfortable with the level of security they do have. My corporate client's users, on the other hand, come in as close to a perfect score as I can get - and my clients will put up with.  ;)

For home users, I'd view the security report as more educational than anything else. If it raises your awareness of just how much is involved securing Windows it will have served its purpose. Besides, it also covers a dozen things that are easy to do that sill will make a huge difference in how secure your PC is. Most people aren't aware of half of them.

If it causes major angst feel free to ignore it.  ;D

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