Advice Request Best programs for recording registry, folder, file changes made by a new installation?

[conceptualclarity]

Thanks gentlemen. Lots of good info. I have used some of the programs directly and indirectly referred to. The whole business of make a "before" system snapshot and then an "after" system snapshot can be very time-consuming. I love System Explorer, but I found its snapshots too time-consuming. You may spontaneously decide to install a program, say a giveaway that's about to expire, and not want to wait for the "before" snapshot to get finished.

So is there a good program that can accurately monitor installation changes without needing to run a "before" snapshot?

Maybe not. Which ones are quickest with the snapshots?

Total Uninstall will do that. When you install software, it takes before and after snapshots, so it can see exactly what files and registry keys were created or changed. I tested a number of uninstallers which create snapshots, or do monitoring of installs, a while ago and I found Total Uninstaller to be far superior to anything else - including Revo. The only downsides are that there is no free version and when installing software, you need to right click on the installer and select Monitor with Total Uninstall (otherwise depending on the filename of the installer, it may not be monitored). However, you can get it heavily discounted, if you buy it from BitsDuJour.

Total Uninstall - Uninstallation Software Download for PC

Total Uninstall for PC. Uninstallation Software. Completely Removes All Application Traces.

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Thank you roger_m, for alerting us to Total Uninstall. You're very sharp, and I'm always glad to see that you're joining in on a thread.

That BitsDuJour special is for the Essential edition. Here's the features comparison.


Maybe the Standard and Professional are on sale somewhere. On the developer website they are $30 and $40 respectively. I may well do a trial.

 

[roger_m]

So is there a good program that can accurately monitor installation changes without needing to run a "before" snapshot?

Comodo Programs Manager does this well, but has issues under Windows 10 and was abandoned years ago. The new version 9 of IObit Uninstaller Pro and Install Monitor, as far as I know, are the only other installers which actually monitor changes, rather than taking snapshots. However, they need some work and can miss files and registry keys, so neither of them are good options, in my opinion.

Which ones are quickest with the snapshots?

Total Uninstall doesn't take long to create snapshots. It's take just 20 seconds to create a snapshot on my laptop. It helps that my laptop has a SSD.

That BitsDuJour special is for the Essential edition.

I didn't notice that. However, from time to time, other versions are on sale at the same link.

 

[Special]

What about RegFromApp by Nir Sofer? I don't use it so you'll have to test it yourself, but it seems like you want to know what is being written to the registry and this sounds like it does that.

RegFromApp - Generate RegEdit .reg file from Registry changes made by application

 

[roger_m]

@conceptualclarity You can get all editions of Total Uninstall at 20% off the following link.

[20% Off] Buy Total Uninstall with coupon code

Latest Promo Deal in 2019, Buy Total Uninstall at Best price: €39.96 (Save €9.99)

www.colormango.com

 

[simmerskool]

They will be safe to delete.

Why Does NVIDIA Store Gigabytes of Installer Files On Your Hard Drive?

If you're a gamer (or just a PC user) with NVIDIA graphics, NVIDIA's drivers are probably wasting gigabytes of storage on your hard drive.

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thanks for this feedback!