Have you ever updated Windows only to have to roll back your system due to an error? Could you never quite pinpoint which update caused the problem? While Windows does its best to give you the information you need from Windows Updates, it is not always the best information.
WinUpdatesList conveniently gives you a more detailed look at Windows Updates by providing with you a host of additional information that can help you figure out just what is going on if an error occurs or you just want more information.
How to use WinUpdatesList
It is important to note when you first download WinUpdatesList, your browser may warn you that the executable file it is may be malicious. If this is the case, you want to ignore the warning and download the installer as long as you are obtaining WinUpdatesList from its website and no other download site.
Once downloaded and installed, you can launch WinUpdatesList from the get go and see just how much easier it makes finding updates.
When you first open WinUpdatesList, you will be greeted by its main screen.
During the first load, it may take a few minutes for it to populate with your Windows updates from the past.
Click “Help.”
Since WinUpdatesList is pretty simple to use, you can view the About information on the program here. Click “About.”
This will give you the latest version number as well as access to the software developer’s website behind WinUpdatesList.
Now, click “Options.”
WinUpdatesList has few options to work with since it is an information-based program as opposed to a reactive program. You can choose what updates to show from here, such as Windows Updates, .NET Updates and Other Updates. You can click on each one to either show or hide depending on what type of updates you want to sift through.
Then, click “View.”
The view options allow you to choose how the updates are displayed.
Depending on the size of your computer screen, you may find it more beneficial to stretch out the window, resize the columns and make everything more readable. You can choose to utilize grid lines, tooltips, mark rows and even generate HTML reports for better reading on your Windows updates.
You can also refresh the WinUpdatesList at anytime from this menu or by clicking F5 to refresh.
Click on the “Properties” link within the View menu.
This will open a separate window that allows you to see more information about an individual update. This can give you an idea of when it was installed, what it did and even more information through Microsoft’s web site for you to digest.
Also from the View menu, you can generate a HTML report on all items in the WinUpdatesList or individual ones. This can help you get a clearer picture of updates outside the scope of the program window which may feel confining to some users.
Next, click “Edit.”
This is actually the surprising bread and butter of WinUpdatesList. From here, you can search, select and copy Windows updates you are looking for. The search feature is the primary reason why WinUpdatesList comes in handy.
If you are trying to pinpoint a specific Windows update, you cannot do it from the traditional Windows Update list Microsoft provides you with.
In order to begin searching, you can click “Find” or click Ctrl + F.
This will open up a familiar search Windows where you can search for a Windows update you would like more information on. From there, you can find out more specifics about an update, and this can help combat a myriad of issues on your system if you suspect an update is to blame.
Finally, click “File.”
This is another area that WinUpdatesList comes in handy for users, especially after they pinpoint where a problem may be with an update. From the File menu, you can choose an update and uninstall it from WinUpdatesList. In order to do this through what Microsoft provides you with in the way of Windows Updates, you have to download a separate tool related to the update or rollback your system with System Restore. The latter method can be problematic for users who do not understand how to effectively use System Restore.
You can also choose to save information on selected items from the File menu, by selecting the items you want to save and then clicking “Save Selected Items” or utilizing Ctrl + S.
This will open up the normal save file window.
From here, you can choose the name of the file, the format and then click “Save” to save it to wherever you choose on your system for access later.
WinUpdatesList gives you more options to work with your Windows Updates than what Microsoft gives you. While you can learn more information about each update you install on your system, WinUpdatesList makes it much easier to get to that information and utilize in than Windows itself does.
Pros of WinUpdatesList:
- Simplistic, easy-to-use user interface
- Quickly find Windows Updates through search feature
Cons of WinUpdatesList:
- Very limited additional information within program itself
- Only basic uninstall option
How useful is WinUpdatesList information compared to that provided by Windows?
When Microsoft provides you with Windows updates, they want you to believe in them, the updates and what they will do for your system. However, this is not always enough for users to want to update their systems. While many Windows users will simply just click-through or automatically update their computer system, not everyone wants to take Microsoft’s word for it.
That is where WinUpdatesList comes in handy. WinUpdatesList allows you to get more information, search through and find out exactly what Windows updates do as well as how to best react if something pops up.
