Add or Remove Programs

[Nick Cady]

I have a question about Add or Remove Programs (in XP Pro). When I
start to remove a program, the Last Used On field usually shows the
date on which a program was installed. How do I fix it so the date
there is actually the date on which I last used the program?

 

[Sharon F]

I have a question about Add or Remove Programs (in XP Pro). When I
start to remove a program, the Last Used On field usually shows the
date on which a program was installed. How do I fix it so the date
there is actually the date on which I last used the program?

I don't know that you can fix it. It is a field that is available for
programmer's to implement. Many do not take advantage of its presence. On
some program's that do seem to interact with the field, the information may
or may not be accurate. My guess is that implementation method or the field
itself is faulty in some way. In other words, the info field is a nice idea
(XP was the first appearance of this feature that I know of) but has shown
itself to be inaccurate and useless for everyday use.

Another example of a shortcoming in tracking application usage: Most
Frequently Used Programs in the Start Menu. This area tracks usage only if
programs are started from start menu shortcuts. Starting from desktop or
Quick Launch shortcuts is not tracked.