Ever asked, "Now why did I uninstall that program?" A tip for you...

[CodeTRUCKER]

Perhaps I'm telling on myself, but I have asked that questions way too many times about the same exact apps! 

Let me encourage you to keep a dossier on all the software you uninstall for future reference.  If you don't now, one day you will reinstall an app only to say out loud after six hours of configure-fiddling, "Aha! now I remember why I uninstalled it!"   

What one uses is not that important.  A simple text file, Outlook "Note" or a few lines in a 3x4 spiral notebook will suffice.  The important thing is use something and don't lose it. 

If you adopt this methodology, you will avoid that dumb look on your face you will eventually experience if you don't. 

Hope this helps someone.

[MilesAhead]

Your comment reminded me of this thread:

http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=15916.0

I haven't checked out the tool so I'm not sure if it's apropos.
I find as my memory deteriorates pictures help a lot. Guess that's the reason for Icons in the first place.  I should probably keep screen shots of annoying programs so I can avoid them in the future. But I'm not that organized.

[CodeTRUCKER]

Your comment reminded me of this thread:

http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=15916.0
...
I should probably keep screen shots of annoying programs so I can avoid them in the future. But I'm not that organized.

Yes, you can avoid the programs that have fallen out favor, but you won't know "why?" 

Not knowing "why" probably won't stop you from reinstalling.  Remember there was a good reason "why" the (rejected) app was installed in the first place and it will probably be an undoing as the remembered favorable provocation will overpower the doubt concerning why it was rejected.  I speak from senile experience.

[barney]

Having had this heartache before, I started logging every install on a new laptop - even the Firefox extensions   - with CintaNotes.  It's kind of a PITA, but doesn't take much ... just the program name as note title, version - and any other significant data, such as removal date, reason, and more - along with appropriate tags to indicate why/where/how any action was taken.  Doesn't slow me down that much, and has been extremely helpful with some driver issues.

Drawback:  this process does not take into account automatic updates, nor potential conflicts, since it relies upon manual entry.

I've been hunting for some kind of logging system for the last couple of decades - that, my friends, would be worth gold - lot's of it.  Ideally, such an app would recognize several varieties of installs/upgrades, then log time, date, version, name, and optionally, comments.  I suspect that would be a fairly large order, even larger if appropriately cross-platform - I'd certainly hate to try to create something that could keep up with the *nix habit of compiling and installing on the fly  .

All that being said, I'd be really interested to meet the dev that would be willing to tackle such a project  .

[JennyB]

Having had this heartache before, I started logging every install on a new laptop - even the Firefox extensions   - with CintaNotes.  It's kind of a PITA, but doesn't take much ... just the program name as note title, version - and any other significant data, such as removal date, reason, and more - along with appropriate tags to indicate why/where/how any action was taken.  Doesn't slow me down that much, and has been extremely helpful with some driver issues.

Drawback:  this process does not take into account automatic updates, nor potential conflicts, since it relies upon manual entry.

I've been hunting for some kind of logging system for the last couple of decades - that, my friends, would be worth gold - lot's of it.  Ideally, such an app would recognize several varieties of installs/upgrades, then log time, date, version, name, and optionally, comments.  I suspect that would be a fairly large order, even larger if appropriately cross-platform - I'd certainly hate to try to create something that could keep up with the *nix habit of compiling and installing on the fly  .

All that being said, I'd be really interested to meet the dev that would be willing to tackle such a project  .

It still doesn't help with automatic updates, but it should be possible to make a drop target that opens a log file and records date, time and filepath before it runs the file that is dropped on it. Any help?

[barney]

It still doesn't help with automatic updates, but it should be possible to make a drop target that opens a log file and records date, time and filepath before it runs the file that is dropped on it. Any help?

That would be a consideration if there were some way to derive version information.  At any given time, there may be several versions extant of an installed application.  When troubleshooting, that version info can be valuable.  Total Uninstall does a lot of what's wanted, but is abominably slow .  Inctrl, an old PC Mag utility, is somewhat faster, but I don't think it'll catch everything on Win7.

Hm-m-m ... I wonder if I could create that drop target with VB?  Maybe I need to install it, dust off my VB coding skills ... thanks for the concept !

[MilesAhead]

I have a TreePad file generator that may be helpful if you are already behind the curve.  The concept is to generate a TreePad file for an entire folder with a node named for each file. Then just manually enter notes for each node. The original impetus was for commenting my downloaded files, but it's a general way of annotating files without touching the original file or embedding it in another storage.

For example when I download a chromium nightly builds zip file I change the name from "chrome-win32.zip" to "chrome-win32_nnnnn.zip" with build number inserted.

After running TreePadGen there's a node in the TreePad file for each file in the folder.  I think if it sees an .hjt(TreePad) file already named for the folder inside the folder, it offers to append nodes to it. (It's been awhile since I used it.  Sometimes I get tired of testing stuff so I don't want to use it once it's stable.  A bad trait I guess.)

http://www.treepad.com/conversion_utilities/

Just search TreePadGen.

edit: The TreePad Lite version works with it fine.  The main limitation of Lite is no graphics.  But for logs, tips, notes it works well.  You can search it for terms, and I believe you can drag & drop nodes, append subtrees, from one TreePad editor instance to another etc..

[barney]

Thanks.  I've used it before, but don't think it'll do particularly well for this.

This is the [tentative] list of requirements I can envision:

• file name
• file date/time
• install date/time
• file version
• path, installed from
• path, installed to
• path(s), data and auxiliary file(s)
• install notes (purpose, nature (portable, fixed, temporary, etc.), warnings external requirements)

I think that will cover most information needed.  Then either store in a database or individual flat files that can be reviewed as needed, edited in the event of an uninstall.  I'm kinda partial to a database, mostly for the sort/query ability, so that would need additional fields:

• uninstall date/time
• uninstall reason
• product review
• product recommendation (Think I just creeped my own scope .)

Hm-m-m ... what's been missed?

Really don't know that my skill set is up to this, but should -  - be fun trying .

[MilesAhead]

Your comment reminded me of this thread:

http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=15916.0
...
I should probably keep screen shots of annoying programs so I can avoid them in the future. But I'm not that organized.

Yes, you can avoid the programs that have fallen out favor, but you won't know "why?" 

Not knowing "why" probably won't stop you from reinstalling.  Remember there was a good reason "why" the (rejected) app was installed in the first place and it will probably be an undoing as the remembered favorable provocation will overpower the doubt concerning why it was rejected.  I speak from senile experience.

There's nothing to preclude text with the picture. Plus I don't believe you can copyright titles. I have a program Quick Click and just saw one on one of those review pages where the click is spelled as "Cliq" .. not that it matters. But remembering by name can be misleading as time passes.

[MilesAhead]

Thanks.  I've used it before, but don't think it'll do particularly well for this.

This is the [tentative] list of requirements I can envision:

• file name
• file date/time
• install date/time
• file version
• path, installed from
• path, installed to
• path(s), data and auxiliary file(s)
• install notes (purpose, nature (portable, fixed, temporary, etc.), warnings external requirements)

I think that will cover most information needed.  Then either store in a database or individual flat files that can be reviewed as needed, edited in the event of an uninstall.  I'm kinda partial to a database, mostly for the sort/query ability, so that would need additional fields:

• uninstall date/time
• uninstall reason
• product review
• product recommendation (Think I just creeped my own scope .)

Hm-m-m ... what's been missed?

Really don't know that my skill set is up to this, but should -  - be fun trying .

It sounds like the easy way to do it would be to automate MyUninstaller and add the list info to DB before removal.

[barney]

So many apps, so little time  .

Thought I was familiar with - read aware of - most of NirSoft's elements <sigh />.  Wonder what else I've missed .

Yep, much easier  .  Use PHP to extract data from the generated HTML file, store in MySQL or SQLite, then create [an] edit form(s) for the data on "Why did I do that?"

Have to research SQLite ... I wonder if it has a built-in server?  Ah, well, I foresee a[nother] trip to Google  .

Thanks, and a tip of the barney bowler to MilesAhead.