It should be noted up front that this method only covers software that is registered in Add/Remove in Windows. Other software (like PuTTY or JkDefrag which are standalone executables) won’t show up in a list like this. But if it’s in Add/Remove, it will.

Why would you want to do this?

There are several good reasons:

• You plan on upgrading from XP to 7 and need a complete list of all your software for reinstallation after 7 is installed.
• You’re going to buy another computer and want to clone it as close as possible to your old computer the manual way; this requires a complete installed-app list.
• You plan on doing a backup of all your installed software and want a nice simple list to make this process easier.

I’m sure you can think of a few more. The ability to generate a list like this will come in quite handy from time to time.

What versions of Windows should this work on?

This is known to work in XP, Vista and 7. As far as Win2000, I haven’t tested it because I don’t have it – but if you do have that, feel free to test and post in a comment below whether it worked or not.

How it’s done

This is yet another instance where we’re going to go to the good ol’ command line to get things done.

In XP: Start, Run, type cmd, press Enter.

In Vista/7: Windows logo, type cmd in search box, right click cmd in list above, Run as Administrator.

When the black Command Prompt window appears, type the command:

MKDIR C:\MyList

..and press Enter.

(Note: Don’t put a space in the folder title. Type as MyList and not My List)

Then type:

wmic

..and press Enter.

In XP, you will probably get a notice that states "wmic is being installed" if you’ve never run this command before. Should this occur, just wait a moment or two while it installs itself.

There is no such notice in Vista/7.

Your command prompt will change to:

wmic:root/cli>

Next what we will do is create a simple text file in the root of C that we can open with Notepad when generated.

Type the following command and press enter:

/output:C:\MyList\list.txt product get name,version

Pay strict attention to the slashes and spacing. /output is a forward slash. C:\MyList.. and so on uses backslashes. Also note that name,version has no spaces between those words separated by the comma.

The time it takes to create this list depends how much stuff you have installed, but it shouldn’t take longer than 1 minute to complete. During this time your hard drive light will be active while the list is being written.

When finished, a new line will appear that simply states:

wmic:root\cli>

At that point, type:

exit

..and press enter.

This is what your Command Prompt window should look like to this point in Vista/7:

In XP it would look something like this:

At this point, type (again):

exit

..and press Enter. The Command Prompt window will close.

Now we have to open our newly created text file to see what’s in there.

Click Start (or Windows logo), Run, type C:\MyList and click OK. It will look like this:

A Windows Explorer window will open. The only file there should be list or list.txt. Double-click the text file to open it. You should see something like this:

From here you can examine the list, then when finished close Notepad. The list file can then be copied or moved anywhere you like, or left as is.

Important note:

If you want to go thru this process periodically on the same PC, you can skip the "MKDIR C:\MyList" on the second time and each instance after that as you will have already created that folder previously (that is unless you delete it.) Any old list.txt file will be overwritten with the new one.

Generally speaking, most people are smart enough to know what’s real and what’s b.s. But when it comes to an internet “most” list, this is where people go completely stupid, simply assume that what they’re reading is absolutely 100% true, and never bother to ask why certain things on a “most” list are higher or lower.

Example 1: Most stolen car lists.

Lists of this type can be found easily, such as this one, this one, this one, this one, and so on.

A huge reason rarely mentioned about why certain cars are stolen more than others is because some are left outside while others are garaged. Obviously, the ones left outside will be stolen more often because they’re more accessible to thieves. And most-stolen lists don’t account for owner stupidity, such as leaving the car unlocked, windows rolled down, etc.

Example 2: Most used OS lists.

This one particularly applies to Linux users. On lists of most-used Linux, Ubuntu is usually on top. But that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Maybe Fedora, Slackware or openSUSE is better suited to what you want and/or need. Following the lemming mentality of “If everybody else is using [this distro], I will too” concerning the Linux you choose to run may work against you.

And if you’re asking, “How would I know which to pick then?”, the best answer I can give is to examine the community forums for a particular distro to see the typical problems reported, and moreover how the community treats those who need help. You can also do the old-fashioned way of trying out distros until you find one that suits you best.

Example 3: Most used application lists.

Rarely do I trust any “top” or “most” list for apps because it oftentimes skips software titles from SourceForge or other open source alternatives.

The best example I can give is instant messengers. Searching for most used instant messenger on Google will not reveal (not in plain sight anyway) multi-protocol software titles like Trillian, Pidgin, Digsby, Miranda, Adium and the like, so you really have to know what you’re looking for in that department, so to speak.

Explained better: Just because many people use the Windows Live Messenger service does not mean everybody is using the Windows Live Messenger app. Several could be using one of the multi-protocol software titles above and connect that way.

Other most-used app lists will show paid titles first (and sometimes nothing else).

The next time you’re reading a “most” list, use common sense and don’t take it as absolute truth. Granted, some of these lists have legitimate proof to back up their claims (and I sincerely appreciate that when it happens), but many of them don’t.

Didn’t get enough games in part 2? Here are some more!

Neverball

Described as “Tilt the floor to roll a ball through an obstacle course before time runs out. Neverball is part puzzle game, part action game, and entirely a test of skill.”

Basically speaking you keep rolling a ball by tilting the table before time runs out.

Nexuiz

This is a first-person-shooter, 3D, “deathmatch” style and has been around since 2005.

Here’s a video of the gameplay:

Pretty cool if you asked me.

Pingus

If you know Lemmings, you know Pingus.

Runescape

Runscape is role-playing style game – and the cool part is that it runs completely in the browser. For those with higher-powered computers, let me tell you – it’s not too shabby once you go full-screen with it. Very few in-browser games do a good full-screen mode, but Runescape does.

To note: While it’s free to play there are paid options as well. But at least you can play for free to see if it’s your thing or not.

XEvil

This is a 2D side-scroller game with possibly the most interesting description of the lot:

O.K., kids… let’s get this straight. XEvil is not for meek, peace-loving, “I love you, you love me…” types of people. The fans of XEvil enjoy it because of its shameless displays of blood and violence, of people getting lit on fire, getting shot, being ripped up by chainsaws, getting high on drugs, and burst open by aliens.

If that doesn’t say “wholesome”, I don’t know what does.

Did you get your fill of games from part 1? We didn’t think so! So here’s part two.

Freeciv

This has been mentioned on PCMech before and definitely gets a spot on this list because, well, it’s the best Civilization clone there is – and very addictive.

Freecol

If you liked Civilization, you probably liked Colonization as well. Freecol is a clone of the old Sid Meier classic.

Frets On Fire

Ever hear of Guitar Hero? Then you know what Frets On Fire is.

Globulation 2

This game is billed as “…an innovative Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game which reduces micro-management by automatically assigning tasks to units.”

For those that like strategy-type games, Globulation 2 will fit the bill nicely.

Gunbound

No, this is not a first-person-shooter. It’s a turn-based game and very “cutesy” in nature.

Strong warning: Highly addictive.

Stay tuned for part 3!

Here’s a list of free games you can get right now. All of them are ready for download and don’t cost a dime.

I’ve made a point to choose games that are at least somewhat recent (if not very recent concerning releases) so that they run a-okay on your computer.

Note: Many of these games run on Windows, Mac OS X and/or Linux. It’s not just “Windows only” stuff here.

Continued

Yes, I was a cubicle dweller and lived it up (read: down) in the corporate lifestyle for several years. It is the land where the most exciting thing that happens all day is when the server goes down (again).

1. The decorations on someone’s cubicle offends you for no reason at all.

You walk by someone’s cubicle and see all sorts of decor they’ve bought for it. Plants, Garfield figurines and so on. It makes you mad because.. why? You don’t know. But it does.

2. When someone so much as moves your lunch in the “community” refrigerator in the break room, this enrages you.

What? Someone dared move your lunch bag to the lower shelf?! Heresy! You must find this person and destroy them quickly. Maybe it Bob in accounting. Or Marsha in Accounts Receivable. Yeah, it was her… the one who wears perfume that’s too strong and stinks up the whole office. Had to be her. I will move her lunch bag to the bottom shelf even though I can’t prove it was her that moved my lunch bag.

3. You think everyone in the marketing department lives in a place called Happy Fun Land.

In rare instances your cube might be near the marketing department. And every time you go past that place, the people there are laughing and smiling all day long and you can’t figure out why. Don’t worry, nobody else can either.

To note: The IT department always hates the Marketing people because they use Macs when the entire rest of the company uses Windows. Never is there an easy problem to fix whenever Marketing calls. Example: “Hey tech guy, Carla in Sales needs QuickTime on her PC. Well.. yeah I know.. but.. listen, I don’t care if it’s not ‘allowed’ software, my Mac uses QuickTime and she needs it to view my presentation on her Windows sojustgodoitokaythanksbye [click].”

4. You purposely take walking routes that (in)conveniently go around the cubicles of certain people.

The route you take to your cubicle after coming back from the break room looks like you’re playing a game of Radar Rat Race for the Commodore 64 in real life. People give you funny looks whenever you walk thru, but you don’t care because Marsha from Accounts Receivable ticks you off. AVOID AVOID AVOID.. must avoid..

5. The fact your superiors can “get away with anything” bothers you.

A standard conversation statement that happens in every corporation in the world: “How [manager's name] get his/her job I’ll never know. S/he does nothing all day!” The answer is simple as to why they can. The guy or girl who got the job applied for the job, got it, and you didn’t.

6. You lock the file cabinet in your cubicle as if anything matters in there.

To you, pen theft is a class felony, punishable by a kick in the face to whomever does it.

7. When you are forced to park on the far end of the parking lot, this bothers you even though you are completely able to traverse the distance.

You have become so lazy that it bothers you to walk an extra 100 feet to get to the office even though you are completely capable of doing so.

8. When someone is walking slowly in front of you, this bothers you.

You’re making your standard trip to the laser printer to grab a document (probably your résumé you’re going to mail out later) and are forced to wait an extra 30 seconds because another employee is in front of you walking slowly. The only thought that crosses your mind is a wish to able to take down this person rugby style and toss them upside down in a trash can, because.. well.. they’re in your way. And you got other companies to apply to, damn it.

9. You have purposely studied every single way to get around corporate firewalls at home before going into work.

You know ‘em all. Google Translator, proxies, tunnels, “cloaker” sites, etc. Heck, you might have even set up a private tunnel on your PC at home just so you can surf freely without the almighty “WebSense” blocking you at every turn. When you are finally able to bust thru you are overjoyed because you finally can get some entertainment at work.

Is it any wonder why there are so many iPhone users in the office?

Is it also any wonder why all cell phones are “banned” in the office?

10. You hate the I.T. department.

People who work in I.T. are very aware that most people hate them because they can seemingly (and sometimes literally) “do anything” on the corporate internet connection. Yes, they know this. And they also know that if you cop them an attitude you will be placed at the bottom of the stack in their to-do list when you call in with a problem. What’s that? You don’t know your asset tag? And you didn’t call the help desk first to assign a ticket number? Well.. guess you’ll just have to follow the rules then…

For the people that don’t work in I.T., you only call these guys when you absolutely have to, otherwise you want nothing to do with them. If your database app crashes 9 times a day you just deal with it. Better to deal with the app than the “computer guy”, right? It doesn’t matter if the “computer guy” is the nicest person in the world because then you’re going to be forced to go to another cubicle and work on a computer you “don’t know”, right?

I know what you’re thinking. “If the ‘computer guy’ had to do MY job, he’d see how important it is!” Well, he doesn’t. Hate not the computer guy. Hate the company that doesn’t pay you enough for all the work you put in… except for the times you’re busting the firewall to apply for other jobs.