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Chip Updater: how good is the software update checker?

Keeping your Windows system up to date can be quite the time-consuming task if you do it manually, as you need to check for software updates regularly.

While some programs ship with update checking capabilities, the majority does not. While you could go ahead now and check the websites of the programs to see if updates are available, it would probably take hours to do so depending on how many programs are available on the PC.

Update Checkers automate the process at least for part of the installed software.

The Chip Updater is a new program in the niche that has been developed by the German computer magazine Chip. While the website appears to be in German, the program itself is available in English as well.

Chip Updater scans the installed programs when you start it which can take a while. The results of the scan are displayed afterwards.

chip updater

Update statistics are displayed at the top. Here you are informed about the number of programs for which updates have been found (free and paid), how many programs are up to date, and programs for which auto-updates are available.

Below that is the list of programs starting with those for which updates are available.

The program name, developer, size as well as the installed and latest version are displayed here for each program. The download button leads to the Chip website where the program can be downloaded.

Criticism

When you compare the updates that Chip Updater finds to the updates that popular programs such as SUMo find, then you will come to the conclusion that its database is not large.

Chip Updater found 17 updates on a test system while SUMo found 68.  Functionality-wise, Chip Updater is lacking as well. You cannot block programs or prevent a particular update from being listed by the program.

This becomes an issue if false-positives are detected -- as was the case with the Steam software -- or if you run a program that you don't want to update.

The decision to load the Chip website every time you hit the download button is also less than ideal. It would be far better to start downloads right away when you hit the download button in the software. But that is something that many other update checkers are not handling better.

Conclusion

There is virtually no incentive to give Chip Updater a try if you are already using another software update program. The main issue is the small database of the program, which is puzzling considering that Chip maintains a large download repository on its website.

And even if you are not using another program, you may want to skip the Chip Updater and head straight for a program like SUMo instead which offer better functionality and a larger software database.

This article was first seen on ComTek's "TekBits" Technology News

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