Before you can use PickMeApp Pro, you should download and install it first on your Windows PC.

You can download PickMeApp Pro from https://www.pickmeapp.com/downloads/PickMeAppPro.

Note: PickMeApp Pro can also be run as a portable application. For more information, see Make a Portable PickMeApp Pro.

To install PickMeApp Pro:

1. Navigate to the location where you downloaded the PickMeApp Pro installer.
2. Click and run the installer.
3. On the Welcome screen, click Next. 
4. Accept the terms of the License Agreement.
5. Click Next and choose the system folder where PickMeApp Pro will be installed.
6. Click Install.
7. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt to confirm that you are allowing the installer to update your device. PickMeApp Pro is then installed to the destination folder.
8. After successful installation, click Finish.

You may launch the program right after installation, although you may need to buy a license first before you can use it. You can also choose to let Windows run PickMeApp Pro automatically during startup. You can switch off this option via PickMeApp Pro settings later.

Note: You cannot install two different PickMeApp products on your PC at the same time. If another PickMeApp product is already installed, uninstall that product first before installing PickMeApp Pro.

PickMeApp is installed to the following directories on your PC.

• Executable: PickMeAppPro.exe is installed to the location specified during installation,
  e.g., Program Files (x86)/PickMeAppPro.
• Data: All data files and system directories are located at %programdata%/PickMeApp,
  e.g., ProgramData/PickMeApp. 

Note: Set your computer to show hidden folders if you cannot see your %programdata% folder.

If you have limited space on your system disk, you can optimize PickMeApp Pro setup. For more information, see Optimizing PickMeApp.

To utilize PickMeApp Pro’s capabilities fully, you should let it run permanently in the background.

Note: When reinstalling PickMeApp Pro, ensure that you close it first to avoid any potential issues later.

To remove PickMeApp Pro from your computer, run Add or Remove Programs, then uninstall PickMeApp Pro. Make sure to close PickMeApp Pro first before removing it from your computer.

Using Add or Remove Programs

The PickMeApp uninstallation process will uninstall all executables and clean up the installation folder. However, it does not remove the data folders located in %programdata%, where custom PickMeApp settings, captured data and other artifacts are kept.

Using the PickMeApp Installation Program

To completely remove PickMeApp and all its files, run the PickMeApp installation program and choose Remove. You will be prompted to remove all PickMeApp files prior to removing PickMeApp Pro.

PickMeApp Pro requires a valid and non-expired license to function.

After PickMeApp Pro installation, a browser window automatically opens to a page where you can buy a PickMeApp Pro license.

Alternatively, click the Buy Now button on the PickMeApp Pro interface to purchase an annual license. You can also go directly to the PickMeApp Pro Shop by clicking here.

After purchasing a relevant PickMeApp Pro license, you will receive an email confirming your order from PickMeApp Support. This email contains your relevant PickMeApp ID/license and the email address to which the license was issued. The screenshot below shows a sample PickMeApp ID/license. 

Your PickMeApp license entitles you to free updates and is good for one (1) year from time of purchase. After your existing license expires, you will need to buy a new license to continue using the program and/or receive program updates.

You are allowed to install and use PickMeApp on an unlimited number of devices.

You need a valid PickMeApp ID to request support, receive updates, and enjoy the many other features available to licensed users.

Note: A PickMeApp Pro license can be used to run PickMeApp Light as well.

You can run PickMeApp Pro like any regular Windows program. However, only one instance of PickMeApp Pro can run on your computer at the same time. To check if it is already running, look for the PickMeApp Pro icon on your system tray.

If PickMeApp is already running for another user who is logged on to the computer, the other user would need to close its instance of PickMeApp . You can then log on to your own account again and run PickMeApp.

Note:  You will need administrative rights on the computer for PickMeApp to work properly. PickMeApp Pro will prompt for privileges in case you do not have administrative rights.

PickMeApp Pro needs a valid license before you can use it. The License window opens automatically when you run PickMeApp without a license. Enter your PickMeApp ID and the email address you used to purchase the license on the window, click Apply, then OK to run PickMeApp Pro. 

Note: Make sure you entered the correct details in case our servers fail to validate your license.

If you do not enter your license information at this time, you will get the following error message. For more information on buying a PickMeApp license, see Buying a PickMeApp Pro license.

If your license is expired, the error message will be different.

In case of incorrect license details, the error message below is displayed.

PickMeApp Pro makes tasks managing your software products as simple as possible with its straightforward program interface.

PickMeApp user interface is divided into the following main elements:

1. Main Toolbar
2. Hint Window
3. Installed Software Programs Panel
4. Installation Software Packages Panel, which can be divided into PickMeApp profiles. There are three built-in PickMeApp Profiles, namely, Captured Applications, My Downloads, and PickMeApp Collections. For more information, see PickMeApp Installation Packages Profiles.
5. Progress Bar Window, with pause, stop, and skip buttons. The upper progress bar shows the status of an action performed on individual applications. The lower progress bar, which is longer, shows status of batch processing actions.
6. Sessions Log Window

Main Toolbar

This is the Main Toolbar.

It contains the following options:

• Settings - Opens a dialog where you can configure PickMeApp application settings 

• Help – Opens your browser to the online version of this User Manual
• About – Opens a window showing the PickMeApp version installed on your computer.
• Support – Opens the online PickMeApp Support page on a new browser window. Online Support is available for all licensed PickMeApp users.
• Buy – Opens the PickMeApp Store on your browser so that you can buy a license.
• Make – Opens the Make Portable PickMeApp window, where you can make a portable PickMeApp Pro application that you can then copy to a USB flash drive or some other storage device for standalone use while you are away from your PC.

• Update – Checks for available PickMeApp updates. This button will turn red whenever a PickMeApp Pro update is available. You can automatically enable check for updates via the Settings >Preferences tab.

Hint window

The Hint window shows you tips and links that will help you learn more about PickMeApp. You can choose to hide this window via Settings>Preferences.

Installed Applications Panel

The Installed Applications panel lists your installed applications.

Note: Some applications may appear twice. This is dependent on how applications are configured by their developers.

Qualified Applications

PickMeApp can perform all types of management operations, including:

• Running stopped applications
• Terminating running applications
• Relocating an application to another disk
• Capturing an application into a package that can be used in installing the application on the same or  another computer.
• Upgrading an application into the latest version
• Uninstalling an application silently
• Repairing an application

By filtering and selecting multiple applications, PickMeApp can also upgrade, relocate, uninstall, capture, or stop multiple applications.

Note: Multiple applications cannot be started or repaired at the same time.

For more information on the operations that can be performed within the Installed Applications Panel, see Using the Installed Applications Panel.

Installation Software Packages Panel

The Installation Software Packages panel shows all the software installation packages that can be installed by PickMeApp, including captured applications.

PickMeApp Pro supports the TAP, PAD, and MSI/EXE installation package formats.

Within the Software Packages panel, PickMeApp can smoothly perform all type of software package management operations, including adding and removing applications collections (Profiles), and installing, upgrading, repackaging, removing, or importing new packages. For more information, see  Managing Installation Packages.

Like the Installed Applications Panel, installation software packages are initially organized into built-in PickMeApp Profiles. There are several built-in profiles, namely:

• My Captured Applications
• My Downloads
• PickMeApp Collection

Note: The built-in My Downloads profile can be disabled via Settings.

My Captured Applications

This is a predefined profile for storing captured applications. Select this profile if you want the applications captured using PickMeApp’s Capture Application feature to be put under this profile. The profile is selected by default at first PickMeApp run. When you run it for the first time, the My Captured Applications profile will be empty. It will be filled up once you start capturing applications to that profile using PickMeApp.

My Downloads

All supported application packages in your computer’s Downloads folder are listed under this profile. If you disable the Make Downloads folder as PickMeApp Profile setting, this will not appear as a profile. For more information, see Install Settings.

PickMeApp Collection

This is the built-in web profile. The profile holds a collection of 120 popular one-click installable programs that can be installed from within PickMeApp. For more information, see WEB Profiles as Applications Collections.

Progress Bar

The Progress Bar window shows the status of the running PickMeApp process: Stop, Capture, Install, Uninstall, Repair, Pack, and Creating Portable PickMeApp.

You may stop, resume, or skip some operations, while other operations, once started, cannot be interrupted, and they are performed until the end.

To stop, pause, resume, or skip the process, click the corresponding buttons on the Progress Bar.

The upper progress bar shows the status of an action performed on individual applications. The lower progress bar, which is longer, shows status of batch processing actions.

Session Log Window

The Session Log window shows a record of the events and outcome of all processes, as well as other relevant messages, from the time you installed PickMeApp. For example, Capture, Install, Uninstall, Repair, Pack, Removal, and the Installation/Uninstallation of an application outside of PickMeApp are all shown under the Session Log window.

It is divided into two (2) tabs, namely:

• Current Session
• Previous Sessions

All actions each time you run PickMeApp are logged under the Current Session tab. If you are running PickMeApp for the first time, only the Current Session tab will display any information. After exiting the program, this information is moved into the Previous Sessions tab and the Current Sessions tab is refreshed/cleared. Next time you run the program, the information logged during previous sessions become available under the Previous Sessions tab and information related to your new session is logged under the Current Sessions tab.

You may hide the session log via Settings>Preferences

Note: The Session logs are written to the history.xml file located in the PickMeApp directory under %programdata%. The PickMeApp Support Team may request for a copy of this file during support calls.

Set the language to be used in PickMeApp Pro under Settings > Preferences. Aside from English, other supported languages are French, German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

The appearance of the PickMeApp UI is configured from the Settings window, which is displayed when you click Settings on the Main Toolbar.

From the Settings window, you can enable showing of the Hint window and Session Log window on the PickMeApp UI. You can also save the position of the PickMeApp UI on exit and run PickMeApp automatically when Windows starts up.

Periodically, PickMeApp Pro checks for the latest updates to the program. Whenever a new update is available, the Update button on the menu turns red.

Note: You can choose to automatically download updates via Settings > Preferences tab.

To check if there is an available update to PickMeApp Pro:

1. Click the Update button. 
2. On the PickMeApp Updates window, click Check Now.

3. Wait while PickMeApp Pro connects to and checks the update servers.
4. If an update is not available, close the PickMeApp Updates window. Skip the rest of the procedure below.
5. If there is an available update, information about it is displayed on the PickMeApp Updates window.

6. To check for the content of the update, click Details.

7. To start downloading the update, click Download.
8. After downloading, click the Install button to update PickMeApp to the latest version.

9. After PickMeApp Pro is updated, click the Restart button.

Upon exiting, if PickMeApp Pro is not restarted automatically, you may have to restart it manually.

If you have updated PickMeApp Pro and you want to go back to using the previous version for some reason, go to Settings > Preferences > Rollback, then click Rollback now.

When you exit PickMeApp, all PickMeApp settings are stored in the settings.xml file located in PickMeApp folder. The settings are ready for use the next time you start PickMeApp.

Note: From the Appearance section in Settings > Preferences, you can save the position of the PickMeApp Pro window on exit so that next time you run the program, it will appear in the same position.

You can create a portable PickMeApp Pro application that you can then use on another computer. You can select the profiles you want to include in this portable version from the PickMeApp Pro currently installed on your computer.

Unlike the PickMeApp installed on your computer, a portable PickMeApp can be copied to a removable drive and run on another computer. It will also save all its data to the same main folder.

To make a portable PickMeApp Pro application:

1. Click the Make… button on the Main Toolbar.

2. On the Make Portable PickMeApp window, click Browse.

3. Select the folder or drive on your computer where the portable PickMeApp Pro application will be created. In the example below, the portable application will be created on a USB flash drive.

4. Click the profiles on the list that you want to include in the portable application. To select all profiles, click the checkbox to the left of the Profile Name column.

5. Click Export. Together with the PickMeApp Pro license, this exports all selected PickMeApp profiles, system files and folders, and settings to the folder or drive selected in Step 3.

Note: The length of time it will take to make the portable PickMeApp Pro application will depend on the number of selected profiles and your computer’s disk speed. The PickMeApp progress bar will show the status while the portable PickMeApp Pro is being created. We recommend waiting until all profiles have been exported before running the portable PickMeApp Pro.

Starting Portable PickMeApp Pro

To launch the portable PickMeApp Pro, open the PickMeApp folder on the drive where you installed the portable application and click the PickMeAppPro.exe file. For the portable PickMeApp Pro to work properly, you will need administrative rights on the computer.

Note: Unlike the installed PickMeApp on your computer, PickMeApp Portable is installed on a single folder. Therefore, you can copy it to a removable drive and run it on another computer.

The Installed Applications panel lists your installed applications.

Managing Installed Applications

PickMeApp can perform the following management operations on installed applications:

• Retrieve detailed information about applications installed on the computer.
• Search and Filter installed applications by name, size, and installation date, and other filter options.
• Run an installed application.
• Terminate a running application or stop some application’s executable.
• Upgrade, uninstall, and repair installed applications.
• Relocate installed applications to another drive.
• Capture an installed application as backup or in preparation for transfer to another PC.

Managing a Single Installed Application

To manage a single installed application:

1. Highlight the application you want to manage.
2. Click the appropriate buttons, e.g., Start, Stop, Upgrade, Uninstall, Relocate, Capture, and Repair on the Installed Application Bar.

Managing Several Applications at Once

To manage several installed applications at once:

1. Check the boxes to the left of the applications.
2. Click the appropriate buttons, e.g., Stop, Upgrade, Uninstall, Relocate, and Capture, on the Installed Application Profile Bar.

To perform supported management operations on installed applications, you should first select applications by:

• Highlighting either a single application or selecting  multiple applications from the list.
• Marking/unmarking all applications appearing in Search View.

Note: If a management operation is not supported for a selected installed application, it will be disabled.

Installed applications on the list are denoted with the following icons:

• Yellow circle: the application is currently running.
• Green circle: the application is already captured in the current profile on the right panel.
• Blue circle: the application is already captured in one of non-active profiles on the right panel.
• Red exclamation mark “!” – an upgrade is available for that application.

The applications in the list can also have different font colors.

• Blue – installed application was relocated to another disk.
• Bold – installed application is a software suite comprising several applications.
• Black – all other installed applications

Software Suites

According to "What is a Software Suite?" from computerhope.com, a software suite is a collection of two or more software programs bundled and sold together. These programs can either share features or have distinct functions but revolve around a similar theme. A notable example is Microsoft Office, which combines Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

After installing software, it's sometimes tricky to tell standalone applications from those in a software suite. Take Python, for example. It installs seven different programs, all with "python" in their names, making it evident they're from the Python suite. But what about apps labeled "Microsoft," "Editor," or "Viewer"?

PickMeApp currently recognizes applications from Microsoft suites, like Microsoft Office. We're working on expanding this detection to other suites. Once a suite is recognized, PickMeApp manages it in its entirety, allowing for various actions like capturing, relocation, packaging, and uninstallation.
 

You can spot suite applications by the "@Suite@" tag in the Installed Application panel. To find suites, use the "<suites>" filter. The application info can show suite members and their statuses. If a member is missing, it likely got uninstalled before.

Actions on a suite apply to its individual members in sequence. For instance, uninstalling a suite result in each member being uninstalled one after the other.

If the last member of a suite is removed, PickMeApp automatically deletes that suite. Importantly, the suite's setup stays consistent, even if PickMeApp is restarted.

Managing apps within suites has its perks. Capturing a suite with PickMeApp is often more space and time-efficient than doing so with separate apps. However, custom software suites can't exceed 8G.

Note: This feature doesn't work with cloud versions of Microsoft Office, like Office 365.

Besides improving suite detection, PickMeApp lets you create custom software suites from installed apps. Users can group apps, giving these groups unique identifiers. Custom suites get the same treatment as regular ones in PickMeApp. If all members are removed, the suite is deleted. Still, the configuration remains intact after restarts. When a custom suite is moved to another computer, PickMeApp ensures all members are reinstalled and the configuration is maintained.

Imagine you frequently use three specific tools for graphic design - GIMP, Inkscape, and Blender. Instead of managing them individually, you can create a suite named 'Graphic Design Tools' for streamlined management."

Custom Suite Management

Add Custom Software Suite

Use the “Add Suite” button located on the Installed Applications Bar. By pressing this, you can initiate the process of adding a custom software suite.
 

Upon clicking "Add Suite” button ", you'll encounter the “Add Suite” dialog, guiding you through suite creation.

Instructions:

• Follow: "Select applications to include in a suite."
• Search Members: Use the "Search” by application name feature to quickly find apps you wish to include in your suite. The search field also has 2 predefined filters <selected> and <not selected>. 
• Application List Section: This displays available installed applications with checkboxes to make your selections easier. You'll see columns labelled Name, Publisher, Version, and Size. A convenient select-all checkbox is available near “Name” near label to help in bulk choice for the filtered installed applications.
• Suite Information Section: Here you can supply optional details for your suite:
  • Suite Name: Use the placeholder to enter a distinct suite name.
  • Suite Version: Define the version of your suite.
  • Suite Publisher: Mention the publisher of the suite.
• Action Buttons: Save your configurations using the 'Save' button or opt to exit without saving using 'Cancel'.

Note: During suite creation, the platform ensures uniqueness. If you enter a suite name and version identical to an existing one, you'll be notified. Adjust the name or version as needed.

Edit Custom Software Suite

Edit Suite Button can be found in the Application Bar of a suite application, this button allows you to change an existing suite.

Edit Suite Dialog is Initiated by the "Edit Suite" button. this dialog mirrors the Add Suite dialog. Using this Edit Suite Dialog, you may adjust suite’s members or change its name or version. (Just Remember to keep it unique)

Note if you deselect all members of the suite and save this configuration, the suite will be removed automatically. 

Also using Edit Suite Dialog, you can remove the suite by pressing the “Delete Suite” button: Found at the left bottom corner, pressing this button prompts you to confirm the suite's deletion. Once confirmed, PickMeApp will erase the suite and its associated data.

For Example

Assuming you've made a suite for 'Audio Editing' which consists of Audacity and FL Studio. However, you later decide that these applications don't need to be in a suite. Simply use the 'Delete Suite' button to remove the suite while retaining the individual applications."
Internal Note: The suite's data is saved to a dedicated file within the PickMeApp system directory on your system disk.
 

Expanded Entry Views of Installed Applications Panel

To display the Installed Application Expanded Entry View, click the profile name under the Installed Applications panel.

By default, the buttons on the Application Profile’s Expanded Entry View are disabled. They are only enabled when you highlight an application or select two or more installed applications.

Note: Each application also has its own Expanded Entry View, which is different from the Expanded Entry Views of the Application Panel. For more information, see Expanded Application Entry View.

Filtering Installed Applications

You can instantly search for applications by using the Filter located on the top of the Installed Applications panel. To filter the list of installed applications, enter the complete name, or part of the name, on the box. The Search View will display the installed programs that meet your search criteria.

As an example, filtering the list by Microsoft displays all installed applications with the word Microsoft in the application name. You can see this in the screenshot below.

At this point, we can already click Mark All to select all applications in the Search view. However, if we only want to capture a single application, we can narrow down our search further by filtering for a specific application name, e.g., Microsoft Visual C++2005 Redistributable.

You can also click the Filter box and select from the following predefined options:

1. <captured> – Lists installed applications that have been captured previously.
2. <not captured> – Lists installed applications that have not been captured yet.
3. <suites> – Lists the software suites recognized by PickMeApp, e.g., MS Office.
4. <selected> – Lists the applications you have marked prior to filtering the list.
5. <running> - List running applications.
6. <not running> - Lists stopped applications.
7. <runnable> - Lists applications that can be run by PickMeApp.
8. <upgradeable> - Lists applications that have newer versions.
9. <relocated> - Lists applications that have been relocated from a disk to another disk.
10. <relocatable> - Lists applications that can be relocated to another disk.
11. <removable> - Lists all installed applications that can be removed/uninstalled.
12. <clear> – Cancels the previous filter and returns to the default display that lists all installed applications.
13.  Applications installed on your system drives on your computer, for example, <C:> or <D:> 

Note: Selecting a different filter or searching for a different program does not deselect already selected applications. To clean previous selections, select the <clear> filter.

The screenshot below shows the predefined filter options.

Note: Filters are disabled when PickMeApp is performing an operation on installed applications.

Sorting Installed Applications

To help you organize your applications for easier viewing, you can sort the list by Name, Size, Time, Age, Used On, Cache Size, Version, and Installer (the list is sorted by Name by default).

This is particularly handy when you have many installed programs on your PC. As an example, when using Installer to sort, you will know what Installer what used in deploying the installed application.

Managing the Installed Application Panel View 

While Windows "Add/Remove Programs" provides a basic view, PickMeApp delves deeper, often uncovering 2-3 times more installed applications on a PC. This granular insight empowers users to make informed application management decisions.

However, the sheer volume of displayed applications might feel cluttered for some users. In response, we've integrated customizable display options to align with the familiar Windows "Add/Remove Software" appearance.

Access these controls via the "List" tab in the "Settings" dialog. The two main configurable settings are:
 

Access these controls via the "List" tab in the "Settings" dialog. The two main configurable settings are:

•     Hide all suite members: Conceals individual software suite components.
•     Hide system applications: Omits applications categorized as: 
  • Redistributables
  • Frameworks 
  • Operating System applications 
  • Auxiliary applications added by primary installations.

These settings are active by default. If specific applications seem absent, you may want to deactivate one or both options. 

To further streamline management, we've added application counters. These metrics provide a snapshot of the selected, visible, hidden, and overall installed applications.
 

Counters are displayed in the format:
#selected / #shown /  #hidden and the total number of installed applications.

Expanded Application Entry View

To display the expanded application entry view, or the Expanded view, click an application under the Installed Applications panel.

Installed applications in the Expanded Entry view show basic information, including:

• Estimated Time (~Time) –The estimated time it would take to perform an operation on the application
• Version – The version number of the application
• Estimated Size (~Size) – The estimated size of the application as installed on the source computer. This is normally the same as the size displayed in Windows when adding or removing programs in Control Panel.
• ~Age – installation date 
• ~Used On – The last time the application was used
• Version – The version number of the application
• Required Disk Space – The estimated size of the installed application.
• Cache Size – This shows the estimated Setup size of the hidden cache left after installing the application. This is unique to PickMeApp, allowing the program to reveal the actual size of installed applications,
• ~Installer – This shows the type of installer used in creating the installation package.

In the Expanded Application Entry view, the Application Bar shows the following buttons:

• Start – Starts the application.
• Stop – Stops the application.
• Upgrade – Upgrades the application to the latest available version.
• Uninstall – Uninstalls the application from your computer.
• Relocate/Restore – Relocates an application to a different disk or undo relocation. 
• Capture – Creates an installation archive that includes the essential elements for setting up and running the application on another computer.
• Repair – Repairs the application. This operation is only applicable to software with a repair feature.

The Extended Application view is responsive, meaning that if you minimize it, it will have navigation buttons on the left and right that will allow you to browse through the rest of the Application Bar’s buttons.

To view more details about an application, click the Application Information text link directly below the application name.

Below is a sample application information screen.

Marking an Installed Application Prior to an Operation

After filtering the list of installed applications in either of the two applications profiles by name or according to the predefined options (see Filtering Installed Applications), check the box to the left of the application.

To select all the applications that have been filtered, click the Mark All button at the bottom of the Installed Applications panel. You can then perform the applicable operation on the marked applications under the Expanded View of the Installed Application panel.

Note: While you can select installed applications without a filter, it is quicker to filter and select the applications before conducting an operation. If you selected multiple applications from the list, you could bring them up by using the <selected> filter. For more information, see Filtering Installed Applications.

Unmarking a Selected Application

After marking several applications (see Marking an Installed Application Prior to an Operation), you can click the Unmark All button to deselect the marked applications. You can also do this manually, by unmarking each box to the left of the marked application.

Highlighting an Installed Application

Click the application from the list under the Installed Applications panel. Once highlighted, the item is displayed in its Expanded Application Entry view.

When capturing an application, essential elements such as application files and registry settings are saved into an installation package, which can then be used to install the application on another computer. It can also be used as a backup copy of the installed application so that you can use it if you ever need to reinstall the application on your own computer.

Setting Up Capture Settings

Before using PickMeApp’s Capture Application feature, you may want to check your capture settings first.

To define capture settings in PickMeApp:

1. Click Settings on the Main Toolbar.
2. By default, the following capture settings are enabled:
   • Allow capturing setup cache
   • Allow capturing of running application
3. By default, the following capture settings are disabled:
   • Capture application with customized settings – experimental feature
   • Save captured application as self-extracting setup executable file.
4. To disable or enable a setting, click the checkbox to its left.

Note: It is recommended to choose non-removable NTFS disks as temporary storage when capturing applications.

Prior to capturing applications, you should set the temporary storage locations that will be used for captured applications. PickMeApp detects all storage disks on your PC and enables them as temporary storage locations by default. PickMeApp chooses the maximal storage space from among the enabled disks. To prevent PickMeApp from choosing a storage location, remove the checkmark on its box. 

Capture Application with Customized Settings

When enabled, this captures the application together with any customized settings.

Allow Capturing Setup Cache

To allow smooth installation of additional components and features, and to facilitate repair, many software programs cache installation files on your PC during installation. PickMeApp can capture and transfer installation caches while capturing the applications. This feature improves application redeployment significantly.

The size of the captured application’s setup file can be 3-5 times larger when capture of setup cache is enabled. With larger file sizes, the time to capture an application also becomes significantly longer. You may need to disable this feature if you need a smaller installation package or want the application capture to be faster.

Allow Capturing of Running Application

By default, PickMeApp allows capture of running applications. However, sometimes, this may lead to issues with missing components in the application. When that happens, you may want to disable this setting.

Save Captured Application as Self-Extracting Setup Executable File

When enabled, this saves a captured application into a stand-alone, self-extracting setup file. When saved as a self-extracting file, it can be used like any other installation package – you just need to click it, then the program will be installed, regardless of whether you have PickMeApp or not.

When disabled, Capture saves the captured application into a single .tap file. In this case, you would need to have PickMeApp to install the program into a PC.

Capturing a Single Application

To capture a single installed application:

1. Search for the application to be captured from the Installed Applications panel.
2. When you find the application, click it to open its Expanded view.
3. Optionally, select PickMeApp Profile on the right panel as the target for your captured application.
4. Click the Capture button on the Installed Application Bar.
   
    
5. Once the capture process is started, PickMeApp will start creating the application package which contains all the data necessary for the deployment of the application. This package is saved inside the active profile of your choice. This can be the built-in My Captured Applications profile that points by default to the TAPPS sub-folder within the PickMeApp data directory (%programdata%/PickMeApp). For more information, see Using Profiles.
   
   Note: PickMeApp Light has only one hidden built-in profile which points to the TAPPS sub-folder.
    
6. During the capture process, the Progress Bar shows how far you are into the process. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
7. Once the capture process is done, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays a Capturing process is finished entry. In addition, the captured application in now listed under the selected profile in the Installation Software Packages Panel.

PickMeApp creates the installation program under the Profile’s destination directory. To go quickly to the destination directory, click the Open Folder link under each Profile Bar in the Installation Software Packages Panel.

Capturing Multiple Applications at the Same Time

PickMeApp can also capture several applications at the same time (this is not available on PickMeApp Light).

1. Under the Installed Applications panel, check the boxes to the left of the applications to be captured. Alternatively, you can filter the list and narrow it down to the applications you want to capture (see Filtering Installed Applications).
2. Optionally, select PickMeApp Profile on the right panel as the target for your captured application packages.
3. Click Capture, which is enabled only when you mark/select one or more applications in the Installed Applications panel.
   
   
    
4. Once the capture process is started, PickMeApp will start creating packages per application. These packages contain all related application data, including the data necessary for application deployment. The package files, which can either be .tap or .exe depending on your Capture settings, are saved inside the selected PickMeApp Profile, which, by default, is the built-in My Captured Applications profile that points to the TAPPS sub-folder within the PickMeApp data directory (%programdata%/PickMeApp). For more information, see PickMeApp Installation Packages Profiles.
5. During the capture process, the Progress Bar shows how far you are into the process. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session. The upper progress bar shows the status of an action performed on individual applications. The lower progress bar, which is longer, shows status of batch processing actions.
6. Once the capture process is done, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays a Capturing process is finished entry. In addition, the captured applications are now listed under the Installation Software Packages Panel.

Note: PickMeApp creates the installation package under the Profile’s destination directory. To go quickly to the destination directory, click the Open Folder link under each Profile Bar in the Installation Software Packages Panel.

PickMeApp can relocate an installed application or several installed applications at once from one storage device to another on the same computer. 

Note: To know which of the applications installed on your computer can be moved or relocated to another location, use the <relocatable> filter.

During relocation, PickMeApp calculates required disk space, identifies application folders that are safe to relocate, moves applications folders to the new destination, cleans up leftover data and confirms application integrity after relocation. PickMeApp may undo any unsuccessful relocation and keep the computer save state throughout the relocation process. In some cases, restarting the computer and running PickMeApp again is required to complete a relocation.

Relocated software works seamlessly with management operations such as running, terminating, capturing, uninstalling, and upgrading installed software. After uninstalling an application, PickMeApp will cleanup any leftover application data and preserve relocated applications. Users can always reverse the relocation by recovering the software and putting it back in its original location.

PickMeApp supports relocating applications on all Windows operating systems with NTFS storage systems, starting from Windows XP SP3 and up. By using PickMeApp to move applications on another disk, users will effectively free up to 99% of system disk space that was previously occupied by installed applications. In future releases, PickMeApp will provide a solution for freeing even more space, which will further prolong the life span of Windows computers with insufficiently sized SSD disks.

PickMeApp starts the relocation of an installed application by ending all running application processes. Make sure you have saved all application documents prior to starting the relocation process.

The relocation may last from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the size of the application and speed of the source and destination drivers. In some cases, you may experience a brief period of desktop flickering. This happens when PickMeApp is trying to release some locked files prior to the relocation.

WARRNING! During relocation, take care that you do not accidentally switch off the computer e.g., pressing the power button, otherwise the application may end up in a non-operational state.

Software suites, e.g., Microsoft Office, are managed as a single application. All applications in a software suite are relocated at once.

In some cases, you may be prompted to restart your computer and run PickMeApp again to finalize the relocation of applications. You may restart the computer once per several relocations.

Note: PickMeApp will attempt to stop the application before relocating it. However, if you encounter any issues during the process, you may want to stop the application first before attempting to relocate it again.

Setting a Destination Drive

You need to set a destination drive for applications to be relocated prior to using PickMeApp’s Application Relocation feature.

To set a destination drive for applications to be relocated:

1. Click Settings on the Main Toolbar (see The PickMeApp Pro User Interface)
2. On the Settings window, click the Relocate tab.
3. Select the destination drive.

4. Click Apply. A message saying that the drive has been chosen as the relocation destination appears on the Session Log.

Note: Only non-removable NTFS disks will be listed as destination storage suitable for relocation.

5. To let PickMeApp create a system restore point prior to relocating an application, check the Create a System Restore Point box.

Note: For the Create System Restore point setting in PickMeApp to work, system protection must be turned on for the source disk, or the drive from where the application is being relocated.

Relocating a Single Application

After setting the destination drive, you can start relocating applications.

PickMeApp starts the relocation of an installed application by ending all running application processes. Make sure you have saved all application-related documents prior to the relocation.

The relocation may last from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the size of the application and speed of the source and destination drivers. In some cases, you may experience a brief period of desktop flickering. This happens when PickMeApp is trying to release some locked files prior to the relocation.

Warning!

During relocation, take care not to accidentally switch off the computer. Otherwise, the application may end up in a non-operational state. To ensure that you can reinstall the application in case of issues, you may want to back up the application first by packaging it with PickMeApp.

Software suites, e.g., Microsoft Office, are managed as a single application. All applications in a software suite are relocated at once.

In some cases, you may be prompted to restart your computer and to run PickMeApp again to finalize the relocation of applications. You may restart the computer once per several relocations.

Note: You cannot relocate an application that is already installed on the destination drive.

To relocate a single application:

1. Search for the application to relocate from Installed Applications panel.
2. When you find the application, click it to open its Expanded view.
3. Click Relocate to start relocating the selected applications to the designated destination drive (see Setting a Destination Drive). The Progress Bar shows how far you are into the Relocate process. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session.

4. Once the relocation process is done, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays a Relocating Product process finished entry. When you run the application the next time, it should start from its new location on the designated destination drive.

Relocating Multiple Applications at the Same Time

PickMeApp can relocate several applications at the same time.

To relocate several applications at once:

1. Search for the applications to relocate from Installed Applications panel.
2. When you find the applications, check the boxes to the left of the applications to be relocated. Alternatively, you can filter the list and narrow it down to the applications you want to relocate (see Filtering Installed Applications).
3. On the Installed Application panel, click Relocate to start relocating the selected applications to the designated destination drive (see Setting a Destination Drive). The Relocate button is enabled when you mark/select one or more applications in the source panel.
   
    
4. During the Relocate process, the Progress Bar shows how far you are into the process. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
5. Once the Relocate process is done, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays a Relocating Product Process finished entry. When you run any of the relocated applications the next time, they should start from their new locations on the designated destination drive.

Note: Restart the computer and run PickMeApp again if at least one application relocation requires a computer restart.

Relocated Applications Filter

You may find relocated applications by applying the <relocated> filter in the Filter Bar.

Relocated Applications Info

To see detailed information about a relocated application, select the Click here for application information link on the Application Bar. The detailed application info available via this link includes:

• The size of the relocated folders (the freed-up space from the original disk)
• The original and destination drives.
• The relocated folders and their status

Restoring a Relocated Application

To restore a relocated application means to return the relocated application’s folders back to their original location. This transfers the application back to its original location.

After an application is successfully relocated, the font color of each relocated application is changed to blue and the Relocate button on the Application Bar is changed to the Restore button.

Note: The Restore button remains disabled for relocated applications waiting for a computer and PickMeApp restart.

The Restore action is like relocating an application. The Restore process may last from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the size of the application and speed of the source and destination drivers. In some cases, you may experience a brief period of desktop flickering. This happens when PickMeApp is trying to release some locked files prior to restoring the application.

Note: The application being restored fails with an error message if there is not enough space left on the original drive.

Restoring applications may require restarting the computer to clean up restored data coming from the relocation. When this happens, PickMeApp prints the information on the Session Log. Since there is no Restart computer message that appears on your screen, make sure to check the Session Log every time you try restoring an application. 

Note: You can only restore applications one at a time. Batch mode is not available for restoring applications.

PickMeApp keeps your installed applications up to date. As a software updater tool, PickMeApp has the following features:

1. Scans and lists your outdated software.
2. Downloads and installs upgrades with just one click.
3. Downloads upgrades directly from the program’s original source.
4. Creates a system restore point that you can use to roll back to the computer’s previous working settings whenever required (PickMeApp Pro only).
5. Supports thousands of software programs via built-in and/or custom app stores.
6. Works smoothly with all Windows versions, including Windows 10/8/8.1/7/XP/Vista.

You can upgrade outdated applications one at a time, or several outdated applications at the same time.

Note: We recommend turning on System Protection in Windows to ensure that you can roll back any upgrades performed with PickMeApp.

Upgrades will be tracked for any installed software programs matching any installation package in the Software Installation Packages profiles. For example, any application from the PickMeApp Collection that has been installed on the computer will be monitored for upgrades.

To make sure that installed software will be monitored for upgrades, you can import its installation package in PAD format to one of the PickMeApp profile using the Import button on the Installed Software Applications panel. The official PAD repository (http://repository.appvisor.com/) contains more than 15,000 software titles.

PickMeApp will always upgrade an application to the latest available version.

To check the location of an application’s installation package, click the Application info link at the bottom of the Application bar.

It is ok to import the corresponding PAD package after an application has been installed.

Note: If you have a licensed application, ensure that your existing license applies to the version to which you want to upgrade. Otherwise, you might not be able to run the application after it has been upgraded. If you have System Protection turned on in Windows, you can roll back to the previous working version of the upgraded application.

Identifying Upgradeable Applications

Installed programs that are outdated can be identified through an exclamation mark displayed to their left. Alternatively, you can find outdated programs by using the Upgradeable filter (see Filtering Applications).

Upgrading a Single Application

PickMeApp can upgrade a single application, or multiple applications, at a time.

To upgrade an application:

1. Once you have identified an upgradeable application (see Identifying Upgradeable Applications), click it to open its Expanded view.

2. Click Upgrade to start upgrading the selected application. The Progress Bar shows how far you are into the Upgrade process. The Session Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
3. Once the Upgrade process is done, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays an Upgrade process finished entry.

Upgrading Multiple Applications at the Same Time

PickMeApp can upgrade several applications at the same time.

To upgrade several applications at once:

1. Once you have identified the upgradeable applications (see Identifying Upgradeable Applications), mark/select them using the Mark All Button.
2. On the Installed Application Panel bar, click Upgrade to start upgrading the selected applications. The Progress Bar shows how far you are into the Upgrade process. The Session Log Window also displays the status of the current session. 
   
3. Once an application is upgraded to its latest version, a message to this effect is displayed on the Session Log.
4. Once the Upgrade process for all applications is done, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays an Upgrade process finished entry.

PickMeApp can uninstall applications from your computer. You can uninstall one or more applications at once, thus saving you time.

Uninstall Settings

To configure the Uninstall settings for your applications:

1. Click Settings on the Main Toolbar (see The PickMeApp User Interface).
2. On the Settings window, click the Uninstall tab.
3. By default, the Guess Silent Uninstallation option is selected. This means that PickMeApp will try to guess the non-interactive, unattended, and silent uninstallation sequence for software installed on your PC.
4. To let PickMeApp uninstall running applications, check the Allow uninstalling of running applications box.
5. To let PickMeApp create a System Restore point when uninstalling applications, check the Create System Restore point prior to uninstall box. 
6. Click Apply to save the configuration settings.

Note: The Create System Restore point setting will only work if you have System Protection turned on in Windows.

Uninstalling an Application

To uninstall an application

1. Highlight the application to be uninstalled from the list. Alternatively, you can filter the list and narrow it down to the application you want to uninstall (see Filtering Installed Applications).
2. From the application’s Expanded view, click the Uninstall button.

3. Click Yes on the confirmation message to continue with the Uninstall process.

4. The Progress Bar shows how far you are into the Uninstall process. The Session Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
5. Once the Uninstall process is completed, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays an Uninstall process finished entry.

Uninstalling Multiple Applications at the Same Time

It is possible to uninstall several applications at once only if these applications do not require user interaction during the uninstall process. Most Applications in PickMeApp support it natively. By default, PickMeApp tries to guess the non-interactive, unattended, and silent uninstallation sequence (see Uninstall Settings). This allows uninstallation of multiple applications. 

While installing multiple applications, installed applications that do not allow unattended installations are identified, their uninstall dialogs opened. And their uninstall skipped. Uninstallation of these applications is left to the user to complete interactively.

To uninstall multiple applications:

1. Select the application to be uninstalled from the list. Alternatively, you can filter the list and narrow it down to the application you want to uninstall (see Filtering Installed Applications).
2. From the application’s Expanded view, click the Uninstall button.

3. Click Yes on the confirmation message to continue with the Uninstall process.

4. The Progress Bar shows how far you are into the Uninstall process. The Session Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
5. Once the Uninstall process is completed, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays an Uninstall process finished entry.

Note: We recommend uninstalling relocated applications using PickMeApp only.

Aside from managing your software programs, you can also use PickMeApp to launch/start/run and stop/terminate applications.

PickMeApp’s detailed knowledge of application components allows it to locate and start any executable included in a software installed on your PC. PickMeApp can also identify and terminate any running process of the selected application on demand. PickMeApp even manages hidden application  services running in the background that are consuming computer resources.

To run/terminate an application, click the corresponding Start/Stop button on the Application bar.

To terminate several applications at once, select the applications you want to terminate, then click the Stop button on the Installed Application panel.

If an application has a single executable, PickMeApp shows the Start/Stop buttons with normal text.

If an application has several executables or services, the buttons are shown in bold text. The Start/Stop buttons may be enabled at the same time for applications with several executables since its executables may either be running or stopped at the same time.

If several executables belong to the same application, PickMeApp allows users to choose which executable to start or to stop.

To simplify management, PickMeApp groups executables by type. The essential application executables can easily be reached with one click while rarely used executables are grouped together by default.

Alongside with starting executables, PickMeApp starts any essential application services needed to run those executables. On the other hand, it is possible to completely terminate an application’s processes and services to save on computer resources.

PickMeApp provides detailed application info about application executables, services, and running statuses, along with information about whether they are set up to run after computer startup.

To filter running/stopped applications for batch management, use the <running> and <non-running> filters. You can then select the applications you want to start or terminate from the list.

PickMeApp CLI interface is extended to support starting and stopping of applications from the command line.

Running an Application

To run an application using PickMeApp:

1. Search for the application to run from Installed Applications panel. Alternatively, search for the application using the Not running filter.
2. When you find the application, click it to open its Expanded view.
3. Click Start to run the application. The Progress Bar shows the status of the application as it starts up. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
4. Once the application is run, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays a Start process finished entry.

Terminating an Application

To terminate an application using PickMeApp:

1. Search for the application to terminate from Installed Applications panel. Alternatively, search for the applications using the Running filter.
2. When you find the application, click it to open its Expanded view.
3. Click Stop to terminate the application. The Progress Bar shows the status of the application as it starts up. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
4. Once the application is terminated, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays a Start process is finished entry.

Terminating Multiple Applications at the Same Time

To terminate several applications at once:

1. Search for the applications to terminate from Installed Applications panel. Alternatively, search for the applications using the Running filter.
2. When you find the applications, mark/select them using the Mark All button on the bottom left.
3. On the Profile bar, click Stop to terminate the applications one by one. The Progress Bar shows the status of the applications as they are terminated. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
4. Once the applications are terminated, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays several Terminated processes finished entries corresponding to the number of terminated applications.

If you are encountering issues in an installed application, you can try repairing it.

To repair an installed application:

1. Select an application from the Installed Applications profile. Alternatively, you can filter the list and narrow it down to the application you want to repair (see Filtering Installed Applications).
2. From the application’s Expanded view, click the Repair button.

Note: This function is only available for applications with repair features.

The Installation software packages panel lists your installation packages in so-called Profiles.

Package Font Color

PickMeApp uses different icons and font colors to distinguish different types of packages.

• Green font - MSI Package
• Turquoise - exe package
• Blue - pad and tad files
• Black – tap files

Filtering Installation Packages

You can instantly search for installation packages and captured applications by using the Filter located on the top of the Installation Packages panel. To use the Filter, simply type the name of the application, or part of its name on the box. The list of installation packages is then filtered to display only the installation packages that meet your search criteria for each PickMeApp Profile.

As an example, filtering the list by Microsoft displays all packages with the word Microsoft In the application or package name. You can see this in the screenshot below.

At this point, we can already click Mark All to select all the filtered application packages. However, if we only want to install a single application package, we can narrow down our search further. Let us illustrate this with an example.

Say we are looking for Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 redistributables only, we can filter the list of application packages by 2010. As seen in the screenshot below, this narrows down the list to two packages. We can then select whichever of these packages we want to install, pack, or import.

You can also click on the Filter box and select from the following pre-defined options:

1. <installed> – Lists all the installation packages that have already been installed on the PC.
2. <not installed> – Lists all the installation packages that are not yet installed on the PC.
3. <selected> – Lists all installation packages that have been marked/selected.
4. <clear> – Cancels the previous filter and lists all installation packages.

Going back to our sample filter where we look for Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 redistributables, we can reset the filter by selecting the <clear> predefined option from the Filter box.

The screenshot below shows the predefined filter options.

Marking an Installation Package Prior to an Operation

After filtering the list of installation packages by name or according to the predefined options (see Filtering Installation Packages), manually mark the box to the left of a package to be installed, packed, or imported.

To select all the filtered installation packages, click the Mark All button at the bottom of the Installation Packages panel. You can then install, pack, and import all the marked application packages using the Install and Pack respectively, under the Expanded View of the PickMeApp profile.

Unmarking Selected Installation Packages

After marking all installation packages (see Marking an Installation Package Prior to an Operation), you can click the Unmark All button to deselect the marked packages. You can also do this manually, by unmarking each box to the left of the marked installation packages.

Sorting Installation Packages

To help you better organize your installation packages, you can sort the list by Name, Size, Age, Used On, Cache Size, and Version.

Selecting Installation Software Packages

You can select an installation package from the Installation Software Packages panel by checking the box before its name. You can select one or more packages using this method. In the same manner, uncheck the box to deselect the package.

To select all the installation packages found by a filter or listed under a profile (see Filtering Installation Packages), click the Mark All button at the bottom of the Installation Software Packages panel. In case you change your mind after selecting all  packages, click the Unmark All button to deselect them again.

Expanded Package Entry View

To display the expanded installation package entry view, or the Expanded view, click a package under the Installation Software Packages panel.

Depending on the sort filter used (see Sorting Installation Packages), the Expanded view may show the following information:

• Estimated Size (~Size) – The actual size of the application when installed on the destination computer. This is normally the same as the size displayed in Windows when adding or removing programs in Control Panel. 
• Estimated Time (~Time) –The estimated time for installing the package.
• Version – The version number of the installation package.

It also shows the following buttons:

• Pack – Creates a standalone installation file for a captured application.
• Install – Installs the application. It is enabled only when the application is not installed on the PC or installation settings allow installing the same or an early version of the application on the PC.
• Remove – Deletes the captured application from the active profile

To view more details about an installation package, you can also click the Click here for support information link directly below each expanded application entry.

Deselecting Installation Packages

To deselect all packages found using the filter or under an active profile, click the Unmark All button located at the bottom of the Installation Packages panel.

To better organize installation packages, PickMeApp introduced Installation Packages Profiles.

Profiles are specific locations where application installers are stored. The locations could be local storage or remote, cloud storage. Depending on the location, PickMeApp Profiles can be one of two (2) main types:

• Local Profiles
• Web Profiles

PickMeApp has several predefined profiles. By default, PickMeApp comes with three (3) built-in profiles:

• My Captured Applications: This is the default profile for captured applications. It saves captured applications to the TAPPS folder under the PickMeApp application directory. When you start PickMeApp, the active profile is always My Captured Applications. Although the default profile cannot be removed, you can change its name, if you like. Its contents can be cleared only when the application packages in the profile have been deleted. If the TAPP folder is deleted, it will always be recreated.
• My Downloads: This profile can be hidden or shown but cannot be deleted. Its contents can be cleared only when the application packages in the profile have been deleted.
• PickMeApp Collection: This is a built-in Web Profile containing popular applications. While this profile can be deleted, it will always be recreated the next time you run PickMeApp.

Creating a User-Defined Profile

To better organize your captured applications and other installation packages , you can create your own user-defined profiles. For example, you can create a Backup profile for packages you want to back up with their own customized settings.

To create a new local profile:

1. Click the Add Profile button at the bottom of the Installation Packages panel.
2. On the Add Profile window, enter the Profile Name and select the location where the applications under the profile will be saved. The location can be a folder under the PickMeApp installation directory, anywhere on your computer, on
3. a removable drive, on the network or on the cloud.
   
   
    
4. ​​​​​Click OK to add the new profile to the Captured Application panel.

Note: Upon adding the new profile, if there are already installation packages in the profile location, these will be added to the profile automatically.

Creating a Web Profile

Web Profiles point to a server somewhere on the Internet.

To create a remote web profile, you should indicate the location of the remote profile. For example, to create a web folder for installation packages from NirSoftTools, enter NirSoftTools as the Profile Name, then under Location, enter https://www.nirsoft.net/pad/pad-links.txt.

In this example, the text file named pad-links.txt contains the list of PAD files for installation packages in the profile.

Editing a Profile Name

The names of the default My Captured Applications profile as well as user-defined profiles may be edited by clicking the Edit button under the profile’s Expanded view.

Removing a User-Defined Profile

To remove a profile and all installation packages belonging to it, click the Remove button on the profile’s Expanded view.

If there are installation packages in the Profile, the following message will be displayed. To go ahead and remove the packages with the Profile, click Yes. Otherwise, click No, in which case the packages will be left behind in the local folder of the deleted profile.

If there are no installation packages  within the profile, you will be asked to confirm the Remove operation. Click Yes to go ahead and delete the Profile.

Note: You cannot remove built-in profiles.

Disabling the Downloads Folder as a Profile

By default, PickMeApp uses the Downloads folder on your computer as another profile, as it contains all your downloaded installation packages.

You can choose to disable the Downloads folder as a profile. To do this:

1. Click Settings on the Main Toolbar. 
2. On the Settings window, click the Install tab, then deselect the Make Downloads folder a PickMeApp Profile option.
3. Click Apply.

Clearing the Built-In Local Profiles

To remove installation packages or captured applications located in the built-in My Captured Applications and MyDownloads profiles, click the Clear button on the Profile Bar’s Expanded Entry View. When prompted, click Yes to continue, otherwise click No.

Hiding Inactive Profiles

If PickMeApp does not find the destination folder of a profile, it marks the profile with a red folder icon and shows it as inactive.

This happens when the path of the profile is located on a disconnected mobile drive, or on an inaccessible network storage.

To hide inactive profiles, click the Hide Inactive button at the bottom of the Installation Software Packages panel.

Selecting a Profile for an Application Prior to Capture

To capture an application into a profile, select the profile from the Installation Software Packages panel prior to running the Capture process. The profile’s destination folder is where PickMeApp will save the created .tap files or exe files (depending on the Capture settings) . In the screenshot below, the application that is undergoing capture is being saved to the My Captured Applications profile.

Note: You cannot capture an application to the same profile twice. If you want to capture an application again, either remove the captured application from the profile or choose another profile for the application.

Note: You cannot use Web Profiles to capture applications.

Importing Installation Packages into a PickMeApp Profile

To import an installation package into a PickMeApp Profile:

1. Select the PickMeApp profile to which the installation package will be imported.
2. Click Import.

3. Select the installation package from your computer or the URL referencing the remote installation package. Make sure to select the appropriate installation format from the list so that you can see the installation packages located on your computer.
4. Click Open to continue the import process.
5. The Progress Bar shows the status of the application during importation into PickMeApp. The Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
6. Once PickMeApp finishes with the Import process, the Progress Bar is refreshed or cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays an Import process is finished entry. The installation package also appears in the list of applications under the designated PickMeApp folder.

The following operations can be performed on installation packages:

• Installing an application. For more information on installing applications, see Installing Applications.
• Packaging one or more installation software into a single installation file. For more information, see Packing Installation Software.
• Remove an installation software package (from a Profile). For more information, see Removing Installation Packages.
• Importing an installation software package (to a Profile). For more information, see Importing Installation Packages into a PickMeApp Profile.

Both Install and Pack can be performed on multiple installation packages at once, while Remove from Profile can only be performed on one package at a time.

Managing an Installation Software Package

To manage a single installation package:

1. Highlight the installation package you want to manage.
2. Click the appropriate buttons, e.g., Installed, Pack, and Remove, on the Application Bar. 

Managing Multiple Installation Packages at the Same Time

To manage several installation packages at once:

1. Check the boxes to the left of the applications.
2. Click the appropriate buttons, e.g., Install, Pack, and Import, on the Application Bar. 

PickMeApp can keep track of all installation packages on your computer as well as remote application collections. As such, it can also be used as an application installer without going through the trouble of looking for the installation package on your computer or the web.

Install Settings

For more efficient management of your installations by PickMeApp, you need to configure your Install settings first.

1. To configure your install settings:
2. Click Settings on the Main Toolbar (see The PickMeApp User Interface).
3. On the Settings window, click the Install tab.

4. By default, the following Install settings are enabled:
   • Guess Silent Uninstallation
   • Create System Restore point prior to install
   • Make Downloads folder as PickMeApp Profile For more information, see Using Profiles.

5. By default, the following capture settings are disabled:
   • Allow reinstall installed programs with the same or older version
   • Install application with customized settings
   • Save installation packages
6. To disable or enable a setting, click the checkbox to its left.
7. MyDownloads is the default download cache location that PickMeApp uses  to save locally downloaded installation packages. To change this, click Browse and select a different profile from your computer.
8. By default, PickMeApp allows searching for installation packages in Web Repository. You can set this to Local Repository so PickMeApp will first look in the MyDownloads cache.
9. Click Apply to save the configuration settings.

Pre-deployment Checklist

It is recommended to upgrade Windows Installer to version 4.5 and up when working with PickMeApp. Many programs require a runtime environment to be installed on the destination system. As of now, PickMeApp does not check if the required environment is installed. Therefore, it is recommended to download and install the following:

• Microsoft .NET Framework (3.5 (and up)) 
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Runtimes (see also VisualCppRedist AIO project) 
• Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Common Controls
• Java Runtime Environment

You can use PickMeApp Applicaiton Collection to install these environments.

Note: Some installation packages may have other requirements aside from the above.

Installing an application

Before you can install an application, you should select the Profile where its installation package is located. If you do not know where the installation package is located, you can filter the list of installation software packages for the application. For more information, see Filtering Installed Applications.

To install a single installation package:

1. Highlight the application you want to install on the Installation Software Packages panel.
2. Click the Install button on the Installation Package Bar.

3. Click Yes on the confirmation message to continue with the Install process.
4. The Progress Bar shows how far you are into the Install process. The Session Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
5. Once the Install process is completed, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays an Installation process finished entry.

Installing Multiple Applications at the Same Time

It is possible to install several application packages at once only if these applications do not require user interaction during the installation process.

By default, PickMeApp tries to guess the non-interactive, unattended, and silent uninstallation sequence (see Install Settings). This allows installation of multiple applications.

While installing multiple applications, installation packages that do not allow unattended installations are identified and their install dialogs opened. Their installation is also skipped. Installation of these packages is left to the user to complete interactively.

To install multiple applications at the same time:

1. On the Installation Software Packages panel, check the boxes to the left of the applications to be installed. Alternatively, you can filter the list and narrow it down to the applications you want to install (see Filtering Installation Packages).
2. Click the Application Bar, then click Install, which is enabled only when you have marked/selected one or more applications listed under the active profile.

3. Click Yes on the confirmation messages to continue with the installation processes.
4. The Progress Bar shows how far you are into an application’s Install process. The Session Log Window also displays the status of the current session.
5. Once all selected packages are installed, the Progress Bar is refreshed/cleared and the Current session tab under the Log Window displays several Install processes is finished entries corresponding to the selected number of installation packages.

Installation packages can be removed from local profiles but not from web profiles, with the behavior differing based on the profile. Thus, packages in the PickMeApp Collection profile cannot be deleted.

On the other hand, packages in local profiles such as  My Downloads profile can be completely removed from your computer.

PickMeApp allows packing installation packages or a captured application into a standalone installation file that can be used on another PC without PickMeApp.

You can also pack several installation packages or captured applications into a single installation file. When you run this file on another computer, it will install all the applications included in the package.

You can use the Packaging feature to repackage expired self-extracted executable setups created by PickMeApp during capturing. The setup created by PickMeApp is limited by the lifespan of the original PickMeApp license. This repacking feature is also available in PickMeApp Light.

Note: TAP files do not required repackaging. They are permanently valid.

Packaging an Installation Package

To create a standalone repackaged installation file for an installation package or a captured application, click the Pack button from the Application bar.

Once done, you will see the installer file created on your destination folder. The installer is an .exe file that works just like your typical application installers in Windows. Double-click on the file to install the application on the target computer.

When packing a captured application, the Session Log window logs it as Packing %s application as self-extracting installation.

Packaging Multiple Applications into a Single Installation File

You can create a single installer file for multiple applications. To do this, select or mark the applications and click the Pack button from the Profile Bar.

You can also click the Mark All button at the bottom to select all applications. If you change your mind, click the Unmark All button to deselect all marked applications prior to capture.

Once done, you will see an installation file with the same name as the active profile, created under the profile’s destination folder. Click on the file to install the bundled applications on the target computer.

Note: PickMeApp does not need to be present on the destination PC when installing a packaged application.

To ease the process of using PickMeApp as your go-to Application Manager, the PickMeApp distribution includes the PickMeApp Collection Web Profile of 120 popular one-click installable programs.

• All included programs are the latest releases linked directly to their original publisher sites.
• PickMeApp can install these applications all at once.
• All installation work is done in the background.
• Applications are downloaded directly from each publisher's official site.
• The applications are installed in their default locations.
• They will not bother you with any choices or options.
• They will be installed without extra junk such as toolbars, among others.
• They will skip any reboot requests from installers, although you might need to restart your PC manually at the end of the installation process.

Each day we review, evaluate, and add programs to our PickMeApp Collection. The built-in PickMeApp Collection Web Profile enjoys automatic updates coming from our growing PickMeApp Collection.

To help PickMeApp recognize PAD files, the files need to be uploaded to one of your PickMeApp profiles. As soon as a PAD file is uploaded to a PickMeApp profile, PickMeApp will read the PAD file’s application description, allowing it to download an application package and run an application installer upon request.

Moreover, if the PAD file includes the special TAD PickMeApp extension, PickMeApp can perform a one-click install of several chosen applications at once.

To use PickMeApp with PAD files:

1. Go to software repositories and download PAD files of interesting applications.
2. Import PAD files to an existing PickMeApp profile or create a new profile with the PAD files.
3. PickMeApp will recognize the files and list those applications on the Right Panel, alongside with other installation packages and captured applications. Note that all standard PickMeApp features are applicable to application descriptors.

T-APP Application Description (TAD) format is an extension of the PAD format. It specifies silent or unattended installation instructions. The current version supports silent installations of the following installer types. 

• Installers: MSI, NSIS , WIZE, Inno Setup
• Command-line directives
• TAP files
   

Specifications

The following xml tags could be presented in PAD file.

<PMA>
    <PMA_Extension_Version>1</PMA_Extension_Version>
    <PMA_Silent_Install>
     <Type>NSIS | INNO| WIZE | MSI | CMD | TAP | </Type>
      <CmdLine> ---silent swithes that should be used if  type is CMD, otherwise ---</CmdLine>
    </PMA_Silent_Install>
  </PMA>

Examples

• 7-Zip TAD extension

<PMA>
    <PMA_Extension_Version>1</PMA_Extension_Version>
    <PMA_Silent_Install>
     <Type>MSI</Type>
    </PMA_Silent_Install>
  </PMA>

• IrfanView

<PMA>
    <PMA_Extension_Version>1</PMA_Extension_Version>
    <PMA_Silent_Install>
       <Type>INNO</Type>
    </PMA_Silent_Install>
  </PMA>

• Opera 16.0.11 

<PMA>
    <PMA_Extension_Version>1</PMA_Extension_Version>
    <PMA_Silent_Install>
     <Type>CMD</Type>
      <CmdLine>/silent /launchopera 0 /desktopshortcut 1 /quicklaunchshortcut 0 /setdefaultbrowser 0 /allusers</CmdLine>
    </PMA_Silent_Install>
</PMA>

PickMeApp PRO  will unpacks the downloaded package in zip format .  It will search recursively executable to run setup by following order
 a) the first TAP file it finds
 b) the first setup.exe file it finds
 c) the first  exe file it finds
 d) the first  MSI files it finds

if PickMeApp PRO cannot resolve the correct name <EXENAME> tag should be added with  the exact name of the executable to run .

Examples

• Paint.net.4.1.6.install.zip

<PMA>
    <PMA_Extension_Version>1</PMA_Extension_Version>
    <PMA_Silent_Install>
     <Type>CMD</Type>
     <CmdLine>/quite </CmdLine>
     <EXENAME>paint.net.4.1.6.install.exe</EXENAME>
    </PMA_Silent_Install>
</PMA>

The PickMeApp Collection of software programs that comes with PickMeApp is an example of a WEB Profile managed on our PickMeApp Server.

To manage your own collection of applications with PickMeApp, you should first create a PAD map file listing all the URLs of PAD/TAD installation packages in your collection.

PAD map is an extension of the PAD specification that specifies the format for publishing application collections. PAD map is a plain text file that lists all PAD URLs for application collection (one URL per row). The PAD map file should be published on a remote server. Server should allow access to this PAD map file through any of three (3) supported network protocols, namely, http(s)://, ftp://, and file://.  
The PAD files can be located on the same server or another server.  For example, you may create your own application collection from a set of PAD files published on The Official PAD Repository (appvisor.com).

To add your Application collection to PickMeApp, create a PickMeApp Web Profile with the location pointing to the PAD map file of the collection. PickMeApp will periodically check for updates in the PAD map and update the contents of the Web Profile accordingly. For more information, see Creating a Web Profile.

To add more applications to your collection, just add the PAD file URLs to the PAD map. These new applications will be automatically by PickMeApp and added to the corresponding Web Profile.

Note: Due to its support for the file URI schema, file://,  PickMeApp allows you to manage your own collection on a local PC without need for a  remote server. The collection will be always monitored and updated by PickMeApp. For example:

1. Create an Application Collection on your computer.
2. Create a text file named padmap.txt with the following PAD URLs from The Official PAD Repository at at https://www.appvisor.com/:
   • http://repository.appvisor.com/info/app-420064784ec9/FreeFileSync_pad.xml
   • http://repository.appvisor.com/info/app-b000ff93001d/PeaZip_pad.xml
   • http://repository.appvisor.com/info/app-b30004c94aa8/DriverFinder_pad.xml
3. Save it to the C:\MyAPPS directory on your computer.
4. Create a Web Profile named MyApps pointing to the file:// //C:/MyAPPS/padmap.txt URL.

Note: For more information on the URI schema, see Uniform Resource Identifier.

List
PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<Email> /l[d][e][p][a] /c([n][q][a][s][f]) [/suite <external suite path> ] [/appname <Name>] [/apppublisher <publisher>] [/thresholdname <threshold value>] [/thresholdpublisher <threshold value>] [/profile <profile folder>] [/log <path to the log file>]

• [d] - Lists product folders of all products
• [e] - Lists exe files of all products
• [p] - Lists all packages that indicate in /profile
• [a] - Export analyses files. such as Inno log, correlation,  all installation NQA. They are in the PickMeApp folder
• /c - specifies customization flag for List
  • [a] - all installed Applications
  • [s] - Suites
  • [f] - Filter/Search installed apps
    • appname - Indicate the name of installed application will be filtered (Distance is over threshold ). Just apply for 'f' switch
    • thresholdname - Threshold to apply appname
    • apppublisher - Indicate the Publisher of installed application will be filtered (Distance is over threshold ). Just apply for 'f' switch
    • thresholdpublisher - Threshold to apply apppublisher
• /suite - Indicate external suite ini file
• /log - Indicate log file output
• /profile -  Indicate profile folder need to list. Just apply for [p]

Example: List all installed apps

PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5d194e14182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.tricuongle@gmail.com /l /ca /suite c:\suite.ini /log c:\log.txt

Capture

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<Email> /g[p] [/c([f][r][h])] <Product ID> /out <Output Folder> [/log <path to the log file>] [/suite <external suite path> ]

• [p] - Packing the grabbed image to installer file
• /c - specifies customization flag for grab
  • f - processes file settings
  • r - processes registry settings
  • h - Indicate that the capturing will be not included MSI Caches
• /out - Indicate output folder
• /suite -  Indicate external suite ini file
• /log - Indicate log file output

Example:

PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5d194e14182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.tricuongle@gmail.com fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com /gp /ch {23170F69-40C1-2702-1900-000001000000} /out c:\test /log c:\test\log.log

Uninstall

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<Email> /u [/c([b][m])] <Product ID> [/suite <external suite path> ] [/log <path to the log file>]

• /c - specifies customization flag for uninstall
  • b - indicate to turn-on creating system restore
  • m - indicate to turn-on Guess mode
• /suite - Indicate external suite ini file
• /log - Indicate log file output

PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com  /u {23170F69-40C1-2702-1900-000001000000} /log c:\test\log.log

Install

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<Email> /i[d] [/c([f][r][k][l][b][m])] <Package> [/downloadpath <path to download folder>] [/log <path to the log file>]

• [d] - Indicate downloading only. Do not perform installing.
• /c - specifies customization flag for grab
  • f - processes file settings
  • r - processes registry settings
  • k - Indicate that the downloaded package will be stored in local machine
  • l - Indicate that the downloading package from local machine (If not parameter, downloading order is WEB)
  • b - indicate to turn-on creating system restore
  • m - indicate to turn-on Guess mode
• /out - Indicate output folder
• /suite -  Indicate external suite ini file
• /log - Indicate log file output
• /downloadpath -Indicate folder to be used to store any downloaded file. (default is current working folder)

PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com /id /ck C:\Pad_Test\KeePass_pad.tad /downloadpath C:\Pad_Test /log c:\test\log.log

Extract

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<email> /e <Destination> <Package 1> [ <Package 2> <Package 3> ]

• <Destination>: output folder and the Extract log will be stored in here.
• <Package 1>:   tap file 1    
• <Package 2>:   tap file 2    
• <Package 3>:   tap file 3    

Example: extract 7-Zip.tap and auto.tap into c:\output folder

PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com  /e c:\output  c:\7-Zip.tap c:\auto.tap

Relocate

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<Email> /r [/c([b])] <Product ID> <Relocated drive> [/suite <external suite path> ] [/log <path to the log file>]

• /c - specifies customization flag for grab
  • b - indicate to turn-on creating system restore
• <Product ID>: Indicate a moving product
• <Relocated drive>: Location
• /suite -  Indicate external suite ini file
• /log - Indicate log file output

Example: Relocate "Orca" to drive E

PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com /r {85F4CBCB-9BBC-4B50-A7D8-E1106771498D} e:

Restore

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<Email> /m  [/c([b])] <Product ID> [/suite <external suite path> ] [/log <path to the log file>]

• /c - specifies customization flag for grab
  • b - indicate to turn-on creating system restore
• <Product ID>: Indicate a moving product
• <Relocated drive>: Location
• /suite -  Indicate external suite ini file
• /log - Indicate log file output

Example: Restore "Orca"

PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com  /m {85F4CBCB-9BBC-4B50-A7D8-E1106771498D}

Pack

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<email> /p <Destination> [/n <outputName>] <Package 1> [ <Package 2> <Package 3> ... ]

• <Destination>: output folder and the Packing log will be stored in here.
• <outputName>: output file name (if not input output name, The name of first package will be used)
• <Package 1>:   tap/pad file 1
• <Package 2>:   tap/pad file 2

Example: Packing 7-Zip tap and KeepPass pad file
PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com  /p c:\test /n testApp c:\test\7-Zip.tap c:\test\KeePass_pad.xml

Start the exe of a product

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<email> /s <Product ID> [/exename <StarterExe>]  [/log <path to the log file>]

• <Product ID>: Indicate a product
• <StarterExe>: indicate exe file name need to be started. (Accept Friendly Name)

Example: start Orca
PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com   /s {85F4CBCB-9BBC-4B50-A7D8-E1106771498D} /exename orca

Terminate the exe of a product

PickMeAppPro.bat /a <PMA Id>.<email> /t <Product ID> [/exename <ExeFile>]  [/log <path to the log file>]

• <Product ID>: Indicate a product
• <ExeFile>: indicate exe file name that needs to be terminated  (Accept Friendly Name)

Example: Terminate Orca
PickMeAppPro.bat -a fdb5444494e182fe832ad5bafbdd380d.myemail@gmail.com  m /t {85F4CBCB-9BBC-4B50-A7D8-E1106771498D} /exename orca

This applies to installation packages created with PickMeApp Pro’s Pack feature, captured applications using PickMeApp Light, and applications captured by either PickMeApp Light or PickMeApp Pro that have their settings enabled with self-extracted executable packages.
 
These applications can be run in interactive mode, as well as in unattended/silent mode using the /S switch.

For example, running "KeePass 2.39.1.exe /S" in a command line to install captured KeePass silently.

The following InstallSilent.bat script, which is found under the Tools directory on the PickMeApp Light program folder, can automate installation of captured software programs.

:: To call installing in silent mode, we can call like
:: InstallSilent.bat "7-Zip 9.38.exe"

@ECHO OFF
start "" /WAIT %1 /SD

Echo.

:: To call installing in silent mode, we can call like
:: InstallSilent.bat "7-Zip 9.38.exe"

@ECHO OFF
start "" /WAIT %1 /SD

Echo.

:: To call installing in silent mode, we can call like
:: InstallSilent.bat "7-Zip 9.38.exe"

@ECHO OFF
start "" /WAIT %1 /SD

Echo.

IF %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 ( Echo The application was installed successfully.
) Else If %ERRORLEVEL% == 1 ( Echo Installation ended with error.
) Else If %ERRORLEVEL% == 2 ( Echo Installation failed.
) Else If %ERRORLEVEL% == 3 ( Echo Permission Denied.
) Else If %ERRORLEVEL% == 4 ( Echo License is Invalid.
) Else If %ERRORLEVEL% == 5 ( Echo Installation canceled. The program is already installed on the computer.
) Else Echo Failed without reason

Echo.

TBD

PickMeApp Light allows you to:

1. Select and capture one program at a time as executable
2. Select and uninstall one program at a time
3. Select and install one program at a time using an executable

PickMeApp Pro allows you to:

1. Select and capture many programs at once
2. Select and uninstall many programs at once 
3. Select and reinstall many captured programs at once
4. Create a single executable installation for several programs at once
5. Select and install many programs at once
6. Manage separate profiles for different captured programs and new installations

Note: PickMeApp Light and PickMeApp Pro support the same set of applications.

TBD

TBD

Unique to PickMeApp Installer is its ability  to analyze if PickMeApp can support an installed software program. Using this feature, it is possible to verify if PickMeApp Pro or Light can capture and transfer your applications without having to purchase a corresponding license.

PickMeApp Installer sends information about the installed software program to PickMeApp servers for analysis. These software programs are compared with all known software programs successfully transferred by PickMeApp.

To send a request for support analysis, complete the following:

1. Click the Analyze button located on the upper bar of the PickMeApp Installer.
2. Provide an email address to where the final report can be sent.
3. Click the Send button.

Once the PickMeApp servers finish their supportability analysis, it sends a detailed report via email.

Note: Only one (1) analysis request can be sent every 15 minutes.

• Check that there is no other install/uninstall operation in progress.
• Check that the application to be captured is not running. While PickMeApp supports installation of a running application, the success of this operation depends on the application.
• Check that you have administrator rights on the computer.
• Check that the application is not listed as Currently not Supported.
• Restart PickMeApp and try again. If the problem persists, report it to PickMeApp customer support.

Note: Some applications cannot be captured / installed due to their dependency on specific hardware configurations.

• Check that the application is not listed as Currently not supported.
• Ensure that there is no other version of the same application on the computer.
• Check that you have administrator rights on the computer.

For better compatibility, we recommend switching off UAC  before running PickMeApp. You may re-enable UAC after the deployment

• Check that the application is not hidden by a current filter.
• Check that you are using the latest version of PickMeApp.

• Check that there is no other install/uninstall operation in progress.
• Ensure that the application to be captured/installed is not running. While PickMeApp supports installation of a running application, the success of this operation depends on the application.
• Restart PickMeApp and try again. If the problem persists, contact PickMeApp customer support.

Restart PickMeApp and try again.

This means that the application has already been captured within the currently active profile. Either remove the application from the active profile or select another profile to where the application will be captured.

It is possible that the application registration entries are corrupted. Try to remove the application using its own uninstall option, or via the Add/Remove Programs option in Windows Control Panel.

• Check that the profile location is accessible, and the profile folder is there. Check that all package files are in the profile location.
• Add the profile again using the Create New Profile button, then supply a path to the profile location.

Many Windows computer users with small SSD system disks (128 – 256 GB) are falling into the same trap: Although the initial hardware requirements for the operating system installation seemed sufficient with these disks (about 20 GB for Windows 7/8 and 40 GB for Windows 10), the continued usage of Windows OS gradually uses up any free space left on the disk.

At first, Windows users feel safe installing software on their default drive, even when it only has 128GB of storage space. In addition, Windows updates, drivers, settings, application and system caches, logs and user files are all saved on the system disk as well. After 1-2 years of running Window OS with a small SSD, most Windows users run out of free space on the system disk.

While it is possible to free space by moving personal files onto an additional larger disk, about 80% of space on the system disk would be still occupied by installed software and system files.

Uninstalling and reinstalling software on a new disk seems like a tedious and error prone solution in this situation. The better solution would be to relocate installed software to a new disk as-is. Eventually, Windows provided a built-in technology that makes such relocation possible. The technology, called junction points, allows a Windows user to anchor the paths of some source folders on one disk to the target folder on another disk. Users can free up space on their system disk by moving application folders’ content to another drive and anchoring their original locations to the new folders. This allows them to keep the rest of their application components like shortcuts, registries, and configurations.

PickMeApp provides an intuitive and user-friendly solution to move installed programs to another disk. Once a user chooses to relocate one or several installed applications, PickMeApp takes on all necessary operations necessary to perform the relocation of an installed software.

PickMeApp calculates required disk space, identifies application folders that are safe to relocate, moves applications folders to a new destination, cleans up leftover data and confirms application integrity after relocation. PickMeApp may undo any unsuccessful relocation and keeps the computer save state throughout the relocation process. In some cases, restarting the computer and running PickMeApp again is required to complete a relocation.

Relocated software works seamlessly with management operations such as running, terminating, capturing, uninstalling, and upgrading installed software. After uninstalling an application, PickMeApp will cleanup any leftover application data and will preserve relocated applications after the upgrade in most cases. Users can always revert the relocation by installing software back to its original installation location.

PickMeApp supports relocating applications on all Windows operating systems with NTFS drivers, starting from Windows XP SP3 and up. By using PickMeApp to move applications on another disk, users will effectively free up 95-99% of system disk space that was previously occupied by installed applications. In future releases, PickMeApp will provide a solution for freeing even more space, which will further prolong the life span of Windows computers with small SSD disks.

PickMeApp as Application Launcher  

In line with our goal to make PickMeApp the ultimate Windows Application Manager for everyone, PickMeApp is adding a new capability of launching and terminating installed applications with just one click.

PickMeApp’s detailed knowledge of application components allows PickMeApp to locate and start any executable of the installed software on your PC. PickMeApp can also identify and terminate any running process of the selected application on demand. PickMeApp even handles hidden application  services running in the background that are consuming computer resources.

You can manage an application’s start and stop by using the “Start” and “Stop” buttons on the PickMeApp application bar. Also, you can terminate several applications at once by using the “Stop” button on the System profile bar.

If an application has a single executable, PickMeApp shows those buttons with normal text. If an application has several executables or services, the “Start” and “Stop” buttons are shown in bold text.

If several executables belong to the same application, PickMeApp allows users to choose which executable to start or to stop. PickMeApp groups these executables by type to simplify their  management. The essential application executables can easily be reached by one click. Rarely used executables are grouped together by default.

Alongside with starting executables, PickMeApp starts any essential application services needed to run those executables. On the other hand, it is possible to completely terminate all of an application’s  processes and services to save computer resources.

PickMeApp provides detailed application info about application executables, services, running statuses and whether they are setup to run after computer startup.     PickMeApp allows you to filter and select several running applications for batch management .

PickMeApp CLI interface is extended to support starting and stopping of applications from the command line. ​