Is there a good package manager for Windows?

Question

I need to maintenance some computer and I want to see which software is outdated. Ideally it update the software automatically. I have look for a package manager for Windows. I found a large list.

Most of this package manager need to update the database manually. The result is that the software database is outdated.

Is there a package manager or software updater which:

• update it self for example with crawling the different software web sites
• simple adding of missing software
• automatic and manual software with a simple GUI
• a good security concept

Answer 1

Npackd can install, remove and update software. It does it all without requiring from you to click through the installers (there are some exceptions). There is the default database (called repository) of applications with over 200 up-to-date packages, but you can define additional repositories with your own applications.

Answer 2

Windows is not really built with this type of thing in mind, especially for the server side of things. It's a highly distributed system where application developers do not communicate with each other. Software packages do not have a uniform installation mechanism (one of several methods are used) so constructing a universal installation system would be difficult at best. Additionally, most EULAs explicitly prohibit redistribution of software, so a centralized DB is often impossible without violating copyright.

That said:

1. Microsoft Update. This will check for most MS products.
2. Secunia PSI or CSI. This software will scan your computer for software which is insecure or end-of-lifed. It's not comprehensive, and it doesn't install automatically (some things it will, but it's a little flakey IMX) but it's not bad.

Ultimately, your best bet is to use Microsoft Update to check for OS security issues and patches (second Tuesday of every month is patch day), the hardware vendor websites for updated drivers and firmware, and your application vendor support websites for the software you're running.

Answer 3

You can get what you want by re-packaging everything you want to manage with Windows Installer. Many (the vast majority?) of application developers don't use the built-in installer functionality in Windows (instead opting to roll their own installers with varying degrees of crappiness). It's a pretty common practice, for sysadmins, to repackage software into Windows Installer packages to allow for deployment with Group Policy or scripts and to generally make the software easier to manage. Unfortunately, it means completely reverse-engineering and re-implementing the manufacturer's custom installer functionality (which can be extremely burdensome and error-prone).