software in windows

software management

#

highlighting gaps & problems from the non software management in windows

installation

#

to install a software in windows, an installer needs to be searched in a browser, downloaded (.exe, .msi…) & executed to download the wanted software

by downloading an installer externally, the chances to install a wrong software, install additional ones or a malware is increased

updates

#

software updates are individuals, each software must search for its update - background apps, when the computer starts etc.

nor the Windows Update or the Microsoft Store will check for the external installed software updates (apps you installed)

uninstallation

#

most of the time, software can be found in the control panel or in the apps section of the windows settings

however, software installed in non common path are not listed alongside those (standalone or portable applications…&)

dependencies installed to use them usually remain after uninstalling the software - how many programs in the control panel are not used…

some improving

#

the Microsoft Store has improved the software management in windows

the software listed are trusted because approved & listed by Microsoft

software are searched & directly downloaded, no risks to download additional software or execute a malicious program online

the software installed from the Microsoft Store can be all updated at once, no background apps etc. (not as catastrophic as each app has its own updates ritual)

however, the ms store apps list doesn’t cover all the wanted users apps

real improvement

#

windows, maybe knowning how software are handled on linux, created their package manager

package managers are tools used to install & manage software w/ their packages/dependencies

linux users use them to quickly install software, update their system, their software & packages whenever they want, and also uninstall software including unused dependencies, folders created for no residuals…

a package manager is a simpler & cleaner way to manage your system software & updates

packages managers can also be used in companies to avoid installing software one by one on hundred PCs, run grouped updates, install specific ver. of a software & more

windows package managers

#

package managers can be found for different purposes

here are some of them, how to install & use them

smooth transition

#

to switch into a package manager easily, all installed apps can be found in the Control Pannel, under Programs, Uninstall Programs

certain other apps can be found in the Settings -> Applications

either, this command can be launched in an admin. terminal to list installed apps - games not include, just the launchers

Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher, InstallDate | Format-Table –AutoSiz

to export the list to a file

Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher, InstallDate | Format-Table –AutoSize > C:\programs.txt

winget

#

winget is the windows package manager shipped with windows 11 - can be installed in windows 10 using a command

adobe products & other microsoft trusted software can be installed quickly & securely through it

with vlc for example, instead of opening a web browser, searching vlc, downloading the installer, executing it, clicking next…
open Powershell & run

winget install vlc

multiple software can be installed at once, to install gimp & vlc for example winget install gimp vlc

winget can search wanted packages too, example with gimp

winget search gimp

list installed packages (yes, usefull, unusual from windows)

winget list

uninstall one or more packages

winget uninstall vlc gimp

upgrade one or all packages at once

winget upgrade --id Adobe.Acrobat.Reader.64-bit
winget upgrade --all

configuration can also be exported if moving from a pc to an other

winget export packages.json
winget import packages.json

ninite

#

leaving the command line, ninite aims to install & update software all at once using a .exe

very usefull after a windows installation to download all your software at once if you don’t want winget

running it more than once will update the selected software

on their website, software to download can be choosen, from that it will generate a .exe to install them

chocolatey

#

most used package manager in windows, appeared before winget in 2011: chocolatey is a more open package manager

more packages are in chocolatey, they are moderated & doesn’t contain malware or bloatware

chocolatey is more open, so more widely used software are present than in winget, those who are not verified yet by windows but by their editors or chocolatey team

a single powershell command can install chocolatey, runned as admin

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

chocolatey has a strong & native gui called chocolateygui to avoid using commandline compared to winget

choco install chocolateygui

using it, all software can be upgraded at once, & its telling you an error if it can’t (standard installers don’t)

the commands are similar to winget with the choco command

i personally use chocolatey when i got to be on windows host & find it more convenient to use, also for new users because of its native gui

list installed software, so you can quickly see your unused apps to uninstall or quickly install your software to a new windows host using chocolatey

choco list

upgrade all packages

choco upgrade all

or upgrade vlc only

choco upgrade vlc

and the ultimate command to remove a software with its dependencies if not use by other software - those commands are the same

choco uninstall package --removedependencies
choco uninstall package -x

if an other software uses the removed one dependencies, chocolatey doesn’t uninstall them & tells you it didn’t

bonus macos

#

the macos software management is different from the windows one

although, homebrew has the same role as chocolatey does for windows