![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAiVSx734Pu1TEN6muLVL2-pNjAsIpbLGSrhSXBqYFOukERVQeI7et_19FUGhNrM-QMv7dUJmCMR7M2t8Cho4FOMObGXiGfZtGaeNuQulhDkHTwvo5wx36d_M43l9D35SKtEHp/s400/Installed.png)
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Over the last few months I've developed a method of keeping track of what programs I've downloaded and installed on different machines. It's turned out to be quite useful, particularly when restoring from backups. I have set all my browsers to save their downloaded files in "
c:\users\[user name]\Downloads", so I can find the downloaded file. Once I have run the install, I then move the download to a folder I created called "
c:\users\[user name]\Installed", along with a text file containing any license information such as serial numbers. So in addition to "
edpro50.exe" I have "
edpro50 ExamDiff Pro Registration Instructions.txt". You get the picture.
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This is useful because both
Carbonite and
SyncToy make backups of this folder. If I'm working on setting up another machine and I think "I need to install the latest version o
f Adobe Reader" I don't have to download it again, I just look in the "Installed" folder, and copy the relevant file to the network share or a USB drive. Then I copy it to the new machine's "
Downloads" folder, and once I have installed it, to the new machine's "
Installed" folder. I can then save the relevant new serial number files on the new machine, without them getting mixed up with my current machine.
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The only file that lives permanently in my "Downloads" folder is the
filehippo.com utility "
UpdateChecker" which informs me of any new versions of software that is available for my PC. I don't always use the new versions, but at least this helps keep track of my apps in a systematic way.
2 comments:
I use a similar setup, plus I usually drag a shortcut/bookmark for the download site from my browser to the download folder.
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