Another Program To Check For Software That Needs Updating [1]

A few days ago I wrote in this column about  Secunia PSI, a free utility that helps to advise you which of the programs on your PC needs updating.  A couple of you suggested that SUMo (Software Update Monitor) as a program which does a similar job, so I have been taking a look at it.

Like PSI, SUMo scans your computer looking for all installed applications.  It then advises which ones have an outstanding update that is available for download but which you haven't yet installed.  You can then choose to download the update (manually or though the SUMo program).  If you don't recognise a particular program in the list of items found on your PC, there's also an option to open the relevant directory/folder in Windows Explorer so you can take a closer look.

SUMo is free, and is a 1 MB download from http://www.kcsoftwares.com/?sumo [3] that's malware-free according to VirusTotal and Web of Trust.  However, be aware that the installable version includes additional adware which will, unless you choose not to, get installed on your computer.  The safest option is to follow the advice on the web site and make sure you download the portable version, which is free of all unnecessary baggage.

As a way to scan your computer for software, SUMo is very useful.  On my particular machine it found about 800 programs.  Unfortunately, many of the programs it detected were not actually installed, but were merely copies of installers that I keep on my hard disk in case I ever need to use them in the future.  So long as you bear that in mind, SUMo is a useful tool to check for software (whether installed or not) that's lurking on your Windows machine.  And if you use the portable version, you can try it very easily.

Warning: [Picture [4]] Download Portable Zipped version only, as the regular and lite installer contains adware.