Messages

[UCheck]

I now see that when I select 'portable' applications my subfolders are not visible. To keep a somewhat larger collection of portable apps organized it is really necessary to group them into categories. This seems like a very desirable feature, I'll also post in Feature Requests.

Hi Phoneios:

When I tested Patch My PC v4.5.0 in late 2023 I also found the way it handled portable apps was very confusing and user-unfriendly.  See my 09-Sep-2023 product suggestion at Request for Additional Software and Detection of Portable Apps vs SUMo (which did not receive a response from a Patch My PC employee) and my general comments about detection of portable app updates in Patch My PC in Todd's 26-Oct-2023 Need SUMo Features.

I haven't tested Patch My PC v5.0.0 yet but early feedback suggests that there hasn't been a fundamental change in the way that portable apps are managed in this new version.  I keep my ~ 35 portable apps organized in separate folders on a USB stick at E:\Portable (e.g., E:\Portable\BleachBit, E:\Portable\HWiNFO, etc.) and when I use other software updater apps like UCheck or QuickInstaller (Preview) all I need to do is enter the top-level path to my Portable apps (E:\Portable) in the settings and both are able to check for available updates for many of my portable apps.

Nothing I've tested so far is an ideal replacement for SUMo and I only use software updater apps to check for available updates (i.e, I've never allowed SUMo or any other software updater to actually download and install updates) but there are other options available if the new Patch My PC v5.0.0 still doesn't meet your needs.  I prefer UCheck since it's available as a portable app and detects almost every other portable app I use.  Like the new Patch My PC v5.0.0, QuickInstaller (Preview) must be installed and will ask to install Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime v8.0.x on your system if it isn't already installed.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5011 * Firefox v132.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24090.11-1.1.24090.11 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.2.1.144-1.0.5088 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Patch My PC Portable v4.5.0.4 * 64-bit UCheck Free Portable v5.7.1.0 * QuickInstaller (Preview) v0.3.8859.20616

[UCheck]

... SUMO is not a part of your supported product list. You can review it here : https://patchmypc.com/supported-products ...

Hi Raunauk Desai:

Thank you for the response, but I think you misunderstood Todd's original 26-Oct-2023 request <above>.  As ex-SUMo users, we are asking if features that were available in KCSoftwares' SUMo (Software Update Monitor) could be added to Patch My PC.  We are not asking to have SUMo (which reach EOL on 31-Oct-2023) to be added to Patch My PC's list of supported products.

Like Todd, I posted a similar request in my 09-Sep-2023 topic Request for Additional Software and Detection of Portable Apps (vs SUMo) about how I would like to see Patch My PC support a greater number of programs.  I attached a .txt file to that post that includes a list of 25 portable apps and 7 installed programs that used to be detected SUMo that are not supported by Patch My PC.
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Ex-SUMo users following this thread should note that the developer of Adlice's UCheck software updater I mentioned in my 02-Nov-2023 post <above> has added new features in the past few months to detect available updates for "Community" programs (i.e., where the latest available version is determined from telemetry collected from the wider UCheck community like SUMo used to do) as well as Portable apps. See my 09-Jan-2024 review of UCheck in post # 2620424 of Software Updater or No Software Updater? That is the Question in the AskWoody forum to see if UCheck might suit your needs. The latest UCheck v5.2.2 still needs some tweaking (especially when it comes to false-positive detection of beta updates) but to date it's the closest replacement I've found for SUMo.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3930 * Firefox v122.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23110.3-1.1.23110.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.8.311-1.0.2249 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * 64-bit UCheck Free Portable v5.2.2.0 * QuickInstaller (Preview) v0.3.8787.28825

Hi Todd:

I have the same issue now that SUMo has reach end-of-life, although my main concern is that Patch My PC does not check for available updates for ~ 30 of the portable apps I run from a removable USB stick (see my 03-Oct-2023 reply # 3 in my topic How to Check Portable Apps on Removable USB Stick for Available Updates?).  I've also attached a .txt list of 7 installed programs (Belarc Advisor, Intel Driver & Support Assistant, Karen's Replicator, Macrium Reflect Free, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft OneDrive and Waves MaxxAudio) and 27 portable apps I use that were supported by SUMo but are not monitored for available updates by Patch My PC in my 09-Sep-2023 topic Request for Additional Software and Detection of Portable Apps (vs SUMo).

No one from Patch My PC has responded to my questions or comments so I have moved on and started testing other utilities.  To date the closest replacement I can find for SUMo is UCheck (although the developer is just starting to expand their list of portable apps supported by UCheck), and I hope to test a new utility call QuickInstaller (still in preview / beta) in the coming days.  All I need is a utility that checks for available updates for my installed and portable apps (I have never used SUMo or any other software updater utility to install updates for me) so neither of these SUMo alternatives may meet your own needs.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3570 * Firefox v119.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.5.293-1.0.2181 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7690 * SUMo Free Portable v5.17.10.542 * Patch My PC Portable v4.5.0.4 * UCheck Free Portable BETA v5.0.4.0

[Portable Software]

After installation, launch Patch My PC by double-clicking on its desktop icon or searching for it in your computer's Start menu.

Hi Stuart Watsica:

A Patch My PC scan is able to detect updates for programs installed on the hard drive that create entries in the registry and listed under "Main Software" in the Patch My PC interface, but as far as I can tell it is unable to actually detect the current version number of any portable apps [i.e., apps that are downloaded as a single .exe or .zip file, are not installed in C:\Programs Files or C:\Programs Files (x86), and can be run from any location like removable USB stick] that are listed under "Portable Software" .

See the example in my 13-Oct-2023 reply # 428 in the Wilders Security Forum thread UCheck - Update Your Software in 2 Clicks.  That example shows how I downloaded the current AdwCleaner v8.4.0 portable executable (adwcleaner_8.4.0.exe) to a removable USB stick using Patch My PC and then deleted that v8.4.0 executable and replaced it with an outdated v7.4.2 executable (adwcleaner_7.4.2.exe). Now when I run a scan with Patch My PC it "remembers" that it downloaded v8.4.0 but doesn't actually scan my removable USB to check the version of the outdated executable I am using.

As of today this means Patch My PC (which currently supports only 7 apps on my system) incorrectly reports that I have the latest AdwCleaner v8.4.0 ...



... while SUMo and UCheck ** both detect over 40 installed and portable apps on my system, scan the executables of portable apps on my removable USB stick to check the current version number, and correctly report that I need to update AdwCleaner v7.4.2 to the current v8.4.0.

** Unfortunately, SUMo is reaching end of support on 31-Oct-2023.  As of today UCheck only supports a limited number of portable apps but is planning to expand that list by the end of October 2023.




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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 v5.0.3.0

[6]

I would like to suggest that Patch My PC expand their list of supported software and allow users to scan for updates for portable apps located on a removable USB thumb drive.

I am currently testing alternatives for SUMo (Software Update Monitor) v5.17.10.542 which will be reaching end of life on 31-Oct-2023.   See the recent announcement on the KC Softwares site at https://www.kcsoftwares.com/index.php?download.

I am very disappointed with my initial test results with Patch My PC v4.5.0.4 (see the attached .txt file) which showed that this utility:

• Does not detect 25 portable apps I run from a removable USB that are detected by SUMo (SUMo can do this if I go to Options | Settings | Additional Folders and add the location E:\Portable)
• Does not detect 7 "regular" apps installed on my hard drive that are detected by SUMo (Belarc Advisor, Intel Driver & Support Assistant, Karen's Replicator, Macrium Reflect Free, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft OneDrive, Waves MaxxAudio)

Patch My PC only detects 6 installed applications I currently use (7-Zip, Firefox, Google Chrome, iTunes, Malwarebytes, Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable) while SUMo can check for updates for over 37 unique programs (including my 25 portable apps)   

According to the reply in my 01-Sep-2023 How to Check Portable Apps on Removable USB Stick for Available Updates? in the Patch My PC General forum I can change the download location if I want to install a portable app that is supported by Patch My PC, but there is no way to configure Patch My PC to actually scan for available updates for portable apps that are located on a USB thumb drive.

Comparison of SUMo vs Patch My PC 09 Sep 2023.txt
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3324 * Firefox v117.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23080.2006-1.1.23080.2005 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.1.280-1.0.2117 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * SUMo Free Portable v5.17.10.542 * Patch My PC v4.5.0.4

[portable app download location to D:\Portable]

I'm new to Patch My PC and want to know if I can configure this utility to check for available updates for portable apps that I run from a removable USB stick (D:\ drive).  All these apps are located on the USB stick in a folder called D:\Portable in separate subfolders (e.g., D:\Portable\CCleaner, D:\Portable\Speccy 1_32, etc.).



Is it possible to configure Patch My PC to scan the executables in these D:\Portable subfolders when this USB is plugged in to my computer?  I only want to use Patch My PC to scan for available updates but don't plan to use it to actually download installers or perform updates (I'll do that manually).  I've change the portable app download location to D:\Portable as shown below but Patch My PC still doesn't detect any of the portable apps on my USB stick.



Since revising the download path for my portable apps to D:\Portable the first entry in PatchMyPC.log for each of my scans has changed from "Cannot get portable App path from the registry" to "Using portable App path from the registry: D:\Portable" but scans still don't detect that executables for portable editions of CCleaner, Speccy, etc. are located in subfolders of D:\Portable. I'm assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that the Patch My PC interface would list these portable apps in green text if they are up-to-date and are on the list of portable apps at https://patchmypc.com/home-updater that are currently supported by Patch My PC.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3324 * Firefox v117.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23070.1004-1.1.23080.1005 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.1.280-1.0.2117 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Patch My PC v4.5.0.4