Amiga Forever by Cloanto
 
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Software Director in Windows Startup Apps

 

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Q: What is the Software Director entry in the Startup Apps? Can I remove it?

 

DISCUSSION

A: Software Director is the shared component used to check for updates in applications by Cloanto and its affiliated entities. Software Director allows you to securely check for updates via an application or within the Software Director app, without sending any information about yourself. It contains no spyware, adware, malware or bloatware, and is completely idle between checks. Nothing is ever installed without your confirmation.

If scheduled checks are set, then Software Director also appears in the system Startup Apps (in System Settings, or in Task Manager) and as an idle process in Task Manager. This can be disabled or enabled as described below.

For full access and transparency, Software Director may also be invoked as a standalone application, from the Start menu or via Control Panel. Select All Items from the Tools menu to view or change the applications that are using Software Director to check for updates. Or select Events to view or clear a list of recent checks and other events.

If (and only if) automatic checks for updates are enabled (e.g. weekly or daily), then Software Director will appear in the list of Startup Apps under Windows Settings. This is an official, visible and system-friendly mechanism for adding such a task.

In Cloanto applications like Amiga Forever and C64 Forever, the setup wizard prompts to confirm the option for automatic checks. This setting can be changed at any time in Help/About. Once scheduled checks are turned off, Software Director disappears from the Startup list and the process is removed from Task Manager.

Scheduled checks can also be disabled (or enabled) in Software Director, under Tools/All Items/Active Apps: right-click any apps that are set to do a check on a schedule, and set them to Off. The application settings (e.g. under Help/About) will reflect this, and vice versa.

Individual applications (e.g. Amiga Forever, C64 Forever) may have a "Check on launch" feature. If this option is enabled (in Help/About), a check for updates is performed when the software is launched (at most once per day).

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Article Information
Article ID: 14-140
Platform: Windows
Products: Amiga Forever, C64 Forever
Additional Keywords: Software Manager
Last Update: 2024-07-01
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