copy from WinExplorer

[Miles]

Attempting to copy the list of programs installed in WinXP, SP3.
Copy/paste does not work to WordPerfect, WordPad or to a few other
programs. Does someone know if there a method to copy this list?
Miles

 

[Tim Meddick]

I'm very sorry, but having looked at this for most of the morning, I have
come to the conclusion, as you probably have, that it's not possible to use
any technique to copy / paste, even a single entry, from the "Add or Remove
Programs" control panel.

However, here follows a method I have devised to get you your list of
installed applications :

1). Open the Registry Editor (type "regedit.exe" into the "Run" box) and
navigate to the key :

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall]

....and from the top menus, choose "File" > "Export" ...to save to a
registry-file [*.reg]

2). Next open a Command Prompt (type "cmd.exe" into the "Run" box) and type
the following command :

find /i "Displayname" x:\path\export.reg >> OUTPUT.TXT

....where x:\path\export.reg stands for the drive / path / filename you
saved the exported registry-file from step (1). The double-chevrons ">>"
redirects the output to a text file, in this example, called "output.txt"
e.g.:
"DisplayName"="Google Earth"
"DisplayName"="Google Apps"
"DisplayName"="ClearType Tuning Control Panel Applet"
"DisplayName"="VDownloader 1.12"
"DisplayName"="WebReg"

3). Open the output file (here called "output.txt") in Notepad and from
the top menus choose "Edit" > "Replace" ..and type into the top box
""DisplayName"=" and click on the "Replace all" button. This will remove
all the matching text and just leave you with a list of Installed Programs
as shown in the "Add or Remove Programs" control panel.
e.g.:
"Google Earth"
"Google Apps"
"ClearType Tuning Control Panel Applet"
"VDownloader 1.12"
"WebReg"

4). To complete the list, you must repeat steps 1-3 using the following
registry-key :

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall]

....as there is a chance that a few installed applications have written
their data to the "Current User" part of the registry instead of the system
area (as in step 1). using double chevrons ">>" in step (2) will append
the output to the same output file.


As I said, I'm sorry if this process is too complex but it's the only one
so far that I've been able to come up with. I do hope this information is
of some value to you.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.

 

[John John MVP]

Attempting to copy the list of programs installed in WinXP, SP3.
Copy/paste does not work to WordPerfect, WordPad or to a few other
programs. Does someone know if there a method to copy this list?
Miles

Define "list of programs". What is this list? If you mean the list of
program folders in the "Program Files" directory you can just get the
list from the DIR command at a Command Prompt and redirect it to a text
file then copy the text file to WordPerfect.

At the command prompt issue the following commands, pressing <Enter>
after each:

dir "program files" /b >c:\programs.txt
C:\programs.txt

John

 

[dadiOH]

Attempting to copy the list of programs installed in WinXP, SP3.
Copy/paste does not work to WordPerfect, WordPad or to a few other
programs. Does someone know if there a method to copy this list?
Miles

If push comes to shove you can always take a screen shot and paste into MS
paint. The result will be a graphic (picture), not text.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

[VanguardLH]

Attempting to copy the list of programs installed in WinXP, SP3.

What "list" of programs? Those listed in the Add/Remove Programs applet
in Control Panel? If so, that does not list all executable files nor
even all programs (which could have multiple executables).

Copy/paste does not work to WordPerfect, WordPad or to a few other
programs.

You are attempting to copy a set of files from Windows Explorer to some
non-file manager application? WordPerfect and WordPad are editors, not
file managers.

Does someone know if there a method to copy this list?

Maybe you are asking how to list the file and folder hierarchy on your
drive and then "print" it somewhere, like saving the output to a file
that you can then edit.

In a command shell (aka DOS prompt), run "tree.exe /?". This lists the
hierarchy as a tree view. Remember that if the path (to the file or
folder) includes space characters that you have to enclose it in double
quotes for proper parsing of the command line. If you want to save the
stdout of the tree command, redirect it to a file. For example, to list
all files and folders under the C:\Program Files folder, run:

tree.exe "c:\program files" > <path>treelist.txt

where <path> is wherever you want to save the output.

If you don't want to deal with using a command shell and redirecting
stdout to edit that output, get something like TreePrint which gives you
an Explorer extension to "print" the tree hierarchy (you can print to a
printer or a file). Alas, PC Magazine used to permit free access to
their free software but now charge for the access while trying to claim
the software itself is free. Yeah, "free" software that you have to pay
to get, uh huh. I don't know if this is an archived copy of TreePrint
or a differnt program with a similar name:

http://www.xcopy32.com/details.php?file=40

There are lots of directory/file lister utilities:

Maybe the folks in the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup could recommend a
truly free and unfettered alternative to PC Mag's TreePrint.

 

[Miles]

* Miles wrote, On 19-May-11 0:19:

Attempting to copy the list of programs installed in WinXP, SP3.
Copy/paste does not work to WordPerfect, WordPad or to a few other
programs. Does someone know if there a method to copy this list?
Miles

Sorry I didn't mention was attempting to copy from Windows Explorer.

Will now try the various methods received. Interesting that MSFT
didn't see fit to allow an easy method of printing WinExpl entries --
hopefully that has changed with Win7.

Now will try the various methods in your replies. Thanks
Miles

 

[Miles]

* Miles wrote, On 19-May-11 8:59:

* Miles wrote, On 19-May-11 0:19:

Sorry I didn't mention was attempting to copy from Windows Explorer.

Will now try the various methods received. Interesting that MSFT
didn't see fit to allow an easy method of printing WinExpl entries --
hopefully that has changed with Win7.

Now will try the various methods in your replies. Thanks
Miles

John's method worked like a charm -- quick & easy and transposed to 4
columns in WordPerfect which was saved and printed. This was needed
as am switching to a laptop, disposing of the old desktop and will
need to know which programs were there-- and of course, I'll checkmark
those that were useful and that should probably be installed onto Win7.

And thanks to you others who offered methods, Tim, Dadi, & Vanguard.

Miles

 

[Tim Meddick]

I really thought that you meant the list of installed programs in the
control panel's "Add or Remove Programs" list!

I noticed that one, indeed, can't highlight the list of installed programs
nor copy it to the Window's clipboard. I spent some time trying to get
round the problem for you, coming up with the procedure in my previous
post.

If you just meant the list of sub-folders in your "C:\Program Files"
folder, then, like any view in Windows Explorer - you cannot just
"highlight" all the folders and then choose right-click > "Copy" - as all
it actually 'copies' to the clipboard is the list in a format that cannot
be pasted into word-processing applications (like WordPad, notepad, etc.,).

Other's suggestions of using a Windows Command Prompt to use the
directory-listing command [dir] to create a list of "C:\Program Files"
and redirect the output of that command to a text file, using the ">"
character thus:

dir /o /-p "C:\Program Files" >list.txt

....(the switches [/o] and [/-p] "order by name" and "do not pause each
screen", respectively).

But, one thing I feel I must point out; The list you will end up with, by
copying just the list of sub-folders in "C:\Program Files", will be quite a
different one from the one displayed in the "Add or Remove Programs" list!
Many installations don't create folders in "C:\Program Files" (e.g. Google
Chrome generally installs to the "App Data" folder within your user
profile).

Plus, if an application does install to "C:\Program Files", it's
folder-name may not make apparent the link between it and the actual
working title of the installed program (e.g. you can install many Google
apps for the PC, but they would all just appear under the one folder name
of "Google").

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.

 

[John John MVP]

dir /o /-p "C:\Program Files" >list.txt

...(the switches [/o] and [/-p] "order by name" and "do not pause each
screen", respectively)

There is no screen output when you redirect to a file or printer.

John

 

[Tim Meddick]

True - the redirectional character ">" (or using ">>" to append an existing
file) will send the entire output that would normally be shown on screen,
to the destination (on the "receiving" end of the redirectional character),
whether that be a filename or printer port.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.

dir /o /-p "C:\Program Files" >list.txt

...(the switches [/o] and [/-p] "order by name" and "do not pause each
screen", respectively)

There is no screen output when you redirect to a file or printer.

John