Solved Find all of my programs so I can move them to W11 computer

When I update to a new computer, I take a different approach than trying to install everything I had. I like to start fresh and first install everything I use every day and depend on. Then, as time goes on, I only reinstall those apps that I actually use. This serves to clean out a lot of dead wood that only serves to take up space and slow my speed.

As always, Your Mileage May Vary.

Uninstallers allow to exports the list easily, separate for apps and store apps.



You can also use winget to export/import (install) supported apps automatically. There are options like WingetUI or PatchMyPC.
P.S. Portable apps do not typically show in installed apps.

glasskuter said:

Go Start menu Location C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
Take screenshot and then print the screenshot. It will probably require 2 screenshots to show all of them.

If you do not see that folder, you may have to turn on "show hidden files and folders" in file explorer.

Click to expand...

Thank you glasskuter, that got a lot of them. I captured them with Snipping Tool, which of course this process did not list. I see that I will have to find them in many ways, most without readable files.

Thank you to all of you who responded to this thread. I hope I have "liked" each of you. I learned from every one of you.

I learned that I needed more clarification in my initial request. I am moving off of a W10 computer because it will not upgrade to W11. I have only one monitor, so I want to make a clean break. I have copied as much as I can to backup drives and will select from that what to load into the new computer.

I appreciate all of the advice to reinstall programs, which I had planned to do for all but the ones I have to carry over, such as the old Snipping tool that I use if I don't need more complex tricks from the newer versions and the video editor that came with my camera, which is the edition that works with that camera. If I had said in my post that I know to reinstall, I would have saved several of you time and concern.

I seem to live in many worlds, so just because I didn't use something recently doesn't mean that i won't pivot to, say, video editing, and like to have all of that stuff before me so that I do not forget that something exists, or find that I have failed to move something I need. That is why I want so much to find everything I use before moving to the W11 computer. The old computer won't physically go away for a while, but I hope to not have to go back to that computer (see "have only one monitor" above) to find stuff.

I learned that to find these program files I will need to use a combination of means. This conversation has shown me many means and many solutions, and I will put them together, mostly as images, to get my lists.

Thank all of you so much. I will consider this thread closed, but I will check it a few times to see if there are new posts.

In addition to the all users' Start menu location glasskuter mentioned, there is a user-specific Start menu folder. The attached PowerShell script should list the files in both places.

TraderGary said:

When I update to a new computer, I take a different approach than trying to install everything I had. I like to start fresh and first install everything I use every day and depend on. Then, as time goes on, I only reinstall those apps that I actually use. This serves to clean out a lot of dead wood that only serves to take up space and slow my speed.

As always, Your Mileage May Vary.

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I do as well. I had a TON of stuff installed on my Win10 computer, it had been in service since 2016, and was truly bloated! I've got less than half the program list of stuff on my new Win11 machines, and I'll just be installing as I go along and need something new.

pseymour said:

In addition to the all users' Start menu location glasskuter mentioned, there is a user-specific Start menu folder. The attached PowerShell script should list the files in both places.

Click to expand...

I think they'll have to enable it first.

Well yes, if they haven't done so. They mentioned in post 1 that they "ran the PowerShell command," but it's unclear if that was a cmdlet or a script.

pseymour said:

Well yes, if they haven't done so. They mentioned in post 1 that they "ran the PowerShell command," but it's unclear if that was a cmdlet or a script.

Click to expand...

Well, in order to run your script, you have to allow unrestricted scripts to run, some might not be that keen on opening that door. :) OTOH, it doesn't seem to offer much security anyway...

No, you don't. You can set the policy to RemoteSigned. That's the policy on the machine on which I wrote it.

That didn't work, I tried that first.

Because you didn't take the MOTW off.

Judy in Texas said:

I am moving off of a W10 computer because it will not upgrade to W11.

Click to expand...

Yes, I had one of those. I took a totally different approach. I made a Macrium Reflect system image of my old unsupported Legacy/MBR Windows 10 laptop and restored its C: partition to a new Windows 11 compatible UEFI/GPT laptop. All my install software came with it

Bree said:

My System One is a UEFI/GPT supported device. It's running a Windows install that started life on my old 'main machine', an unsupported Legacy Bios/MBR machine. To migrate the installed Windows 10 with all my data and installed apps I clean installed Windows 10 on the new machine, made a system image of the old machine, then restored just the C: partition to the new machine to replace the one created by the clean install.

With Windows 10 now running on supported hardware, shortly after that Windows Update offered it the upgrade to 11.

Click to expand...

Bree said:

Yes, I had one of those. I took a totally different approach. I made a Macrium Reflect system image of my old unsupported Legacy/MBR Windows 10 laptop and restored its C: partition to a new Windows 11 compatible UEFI/GPT laptop. All my install software came with it

Click to expand...

I thought a system image would wipe out Windows 11 if I did that?

Judy in Texas said:

I am moving off of a W10 computer because it will not upgrade to W11.

Click to expand...

Had you attempted a supported or unsupported installation?

Judy in Texas said:

I thought a system image would wipe out Windows 11 if I did that?

Click to expand...

Everything about your installed programs and Windows 10 is in the C: partition of your unsupported machine. Clean install Windows 10 on a new machine that is supported for Windows 11, then restore just the C: partition to replace the one created by the clean install. You'll have your original Windows and installed software running on a new supported device. Then it can be upgraded to Windows 11.

Bree said:

Everything about your installed programs and Windows 10 is in the C: partition of your unsupported machine. Clean install Windows 10 on a new machine that is supported for Windows 11, then restore just the C: partition to replace the one created by the clean install. You'll have your original Windows and installed software running on a new supported device. Then it can be upgraded to Windows 11.

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The new computer came wit Win 11 Pro installed

pseymour said:

Because you didn't take the MOTW off.

Code:

ps C:\Users\Archibald\Downloads> & .\List-Start-Menu.ps1

&: File C:\Users\Archibald\Downloads\List-Start-Menu.ps1 cannot be loaded. The file C:\Users\Archibald\Downloads\List-Start-Menu.ps1 is
not digitally signed. You cannot run this script on the current system. For more information about running scripts and setting execution
policy, see about_Execution_Policies at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=135170.

ps C:\Users\Archibald\Downloads> Unblock-File .\List-Start-Menu.ps1

ps C:\Users\Archibald\Downloads> & .\List-Start-Menu.ps1

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Access.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Audacity.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Blend for Visual Studio 2022.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Everything.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Excel.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Firefox Private Browsing.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Firefox.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Microsoft Edge.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Notepad++.lnk
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\OneDrive.lnk

Click to expand...

I have no idea what the MOTW is!