Not free!!! it has a time trial on it??? Works on Vista Ultimate.

Updating my comments #29 and #48, Hronos does appear to see as many windows as PC Fare Meter, but WinLog Assist misses some (such as interactions with my security software). PC Fare Meter probably doesn't need a reboot after installation, some initial apparent lack of functionality was probably due to my missing some hidden UI features (the UI design is poor).

People keep asking about WinLog Assist's AutoPause settings--that's almost certainly the same as PC Fare Meter's Inactivity Seconds setting (AutoPause can only be set in minutes). The setting determines how long a window is considered to be actively in use after the last user interaction, and may account for some of the differences I observed between timings. Hronos doesn't have an equivalent setting. WinLog Assist and PC Fare Meter both have options for continuous monitoring. PC Fare Meter also has the ability to use total project time (although not tracked per window), even when Inactivity Seconds is in use.

Vista users can access their VirtualStore, typically it's in
C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\VirtualStore

#43, mike, only a fool would turn off Vista UAC. It definitely does increase security. As I said, TweakUAC eliminates the most annoying prompts, but leaves UAC on, and you'll still get prompts in security-critical situations. I don't want to get into the browser-wars issues, but most claims about how Firefox security is great and IE sucks are way overblown, particularly in Vista. Firefox is a little better, not a lot better, security-wise. Many so-called browser security holes don't affect PC's which have decent security software, and many don't impact Vista UAC IE users, where Internet sessions run in protected mode. In fact, Vista will automatically send Internet web requests to protected-mode IE instances, and local web files to unprotected IE instances.

PC Fare Meter is astonishingly versatile, but as I said, it's not for people who need their hands held. Here are some hints. While visible UI elements generally have tooltips, many apparently static elements are actually active UI elements (poor UI design). Try clicking not only on rows, but on different places in rows, such as leading elements, items in different columns, etc. Some rows have at least four different "hot" zones. Also, there are differences between the UI features that are available when a project's timer is running and when it isn't (you can do a lot more when it isn't). Of course, column headings are generally active elements. People who haven't used PC Fare Meter don't understand just how much better it is than most of the competitive products. True, it won't give you a pie chart of user activity per process (although it can export its logs in useful formats for analysis), but that's not particularly useful information. You may have used your browser a lot, but what were you using it for? PC Fare Meter can automatically (after you set it up) categorize different types of activity. You can, for example, record Giveaway of the Day browser activity separate from work or webmail activity. It matches process names and window captions against text or regular expressions (selectable) which the user defines (and there's a handy search feature which helps you refine the strings). You can manually start and stop timers for different projects or tasks (also from the tray icon's context menu), assign task names within projects, change start and stop times later, re-scan logged activity later (after you've changed the auto-move rules), etc.

Another user-activity tool is the Google-search history. If you use a Google account (and stay logged-in), then under your Google Web History, you can get interesting information on your Google searches over selectable periods of time (click on Trends, then select the time period). I use the Google Toolbar beta, but I think a Google account may be sufficient.

#6 "Outdated Junk. If it doesn’t support Vista, it’s worthless to me.
Comment by Goskyhi — May 15th, 2008 at 3:13 am"

You know, I do not know about anyone else, but I am getting real tired of comments like this. Just for the record Goskyhi, not everyone is on Vista. My personal opinion of that piece of OS is that is needs ALOT of work before everyone will sing its' praises. Why is it we all have to bow down to Vista users? If the software does not work for you...DON'T USE IT.
As for the software...downloaded fine, activated fine, seemed to work ok, pretty easy. Nothing I need, but if you need a clock watcher, this one works.

This is a useful little app for logging time spent. I can understand that it is not everyone's cup of tea (and comments about spending more time logging the time spent are, to a certain extent, valid!)

It is something you can set and forget and it will log time spent on all active apps. The Report function is well done (if you have Excel installed - I haven't tried to see if it can be set to use OpenOffice).

By way of Help there could be, at least, some explanation of the Project window and what Auto Pause does. There is no information, even, under 'Features' on the web site.

Even though, as a time management tool, it should help one use time more efficiently/profitably, I feel that it is very overpriced for what it does. I found that PCFareMeter (freeware from Sourceforge) http://projecttimer.sourceforge.net/ has much more functionality if one needs to assign costs to one's activity (and even if one does not). If the two were offered at the same price, I would buy PCFareMeter.

Hronos is a similar app (and very small, being just an .exe file) but does not have the facility to export results to Excel or to assign tasks to projects.

#16, There is no right to privacy when using your employer's equipment. They acan legally look at anything on your machine. Even personal emails. Now here is something that might be scary... the new digital copiers are capable of storing digital images of eveything that is copied.

But as to the software, it might be useful for monitoring children's computer usage.

Seems pretty good so far,
Keeps a DB with every day's logs.
Can show a graphic report.

Installed and registered perfect.
I turned off Auto-Pause because I have no idea what it does.

There is no Help that I could find. Help menu only shows "About", where is the help on "Auto Pause" feature???

Very good overall, can't beat the price!

This is great, must test it to see if it truly works.

I was thinking of building my own application for Exactly this...
"useful for those people who spend a lot of time working with the computer and want to know what they actually spend their time on."

I know somebody who plays a lot of Solitaire on the PC, and would love to show them the hours they are spending on those games... this will be fun! :D

I've had this program on for most of the day and in all fairness the report this program puts out is excellent. The detail is outstanding, coupled with the pie chart there's is no argument over where a users time was spent. For those of us who work for ourselves visa vie home office, this is a good tool to have. If you don't have Excel then you may be out of luck. As for some of the commenters who for whatever reason can't see any value with a program like this, here is some food for thought, "do you know where your kids are?" Or perhaps your significant other isn't as significant as you think they are.

@#26:

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Spying on children is not going to get you anywhere, and it's very easy to turn this program off.

I'm sorry, but this has to be the most useless piece of software on offer to pc users since the invention of the computer. Can anybody explain what practical use there is to log, and time, every keystroke you make on your computer usage (Other than spying on yourself!!) Most people would be happy to use their own brain rather than pay $34.95 to remind themselves what they have been doing on their pc. Thanks for the offer gaotd, but I'll happily pass on this one today.
At least you gave me a good laugh!

Expanding on my comment #29, WinLog Assist, Hronos, and PC Fare Meter all return different durations for some applications, very close on others. PC Fare Meter is configurable, but is primarily designed for tracking actual work. When used in that mode, it's generally the most accurate, as it only records interaction with windows/applications (even if you're reading, you'll generally be scrolling, paging, or following links). It also appears to be the best at picking up all window interactions (better than both WinLog Assist and Hronos, assuming some differences weren't due to a difference in start time). However, PC Fare Meter is task/project oriented, not application-oriented; WinLog Assist and Hronos are primarily application-oriented.

Re #27, and countless comments in past GOTD offerings:
The terms state 'Strictly personal usage', not 'Use at a business forbidden'. I think this is open to interpretation; I choose to interpret it to mean that my use of the program cannot be on account of instruction from my supervisor or a requirement explicit or implicit in my job description, nor can my employer benefit from my having used it. But installing and using the program for my own personal "amusement" is fine. Demonstrating the program and its output to coworkers who I believe may be interested in acquiring a copy (personal or business), is wonderful. (Whether there is a difference between "personal usage" and "strictly personal usage" is too hard for me!)
Ultimately, we're all on the honor system to respect the GOTD terms and the original EULAs of these and the other programs we use. If I were the developer, I think my opinion would be a) usage that leads to sales is usage that I approve of; b) usage that does not lead to sales and is in violation of the EULA, I do not approve of; c) usage of competing products motivates me to improve my product, my service, or to adjust my price or license terms. As a casual observer, I'd guess that for every lost sale due to unauthorized non-personal use, a dozen sales are lost because potential customers discover alternatives that are superior in some way (principally price or quality). Response from Almeza?

What if I mainly surf the web all day? Can it detect which sites I visit so that I can decide that I'm spending too much time on certain sites?

Or will it simply say that I used Firefox for 10 hours today?

Works great. It really shows you where you spend/waste time. Looking at the logs, it would appear that I am a lazy, time wasting goof off. Up until now, that has only been an unconfirmed suspicion amongst my employers who have mostly paid me to play "Bejeweled" during business hours. So if you dream of becoming a slacker, this app will provide you with the necessary feedback to perfect your routine (or not).

cant wait to see what my little brother is always doing on my pc... =)

Winlog Assist is minimal, & if you want more motivational bells & whistles then the suggested RescueTime may be for you... You can even compare how you’re doing against other users.

For tracking Winlog Assist appears to only track which window is active. At least one of the alternatives suggested only tracks when there are keystrokes or mouse movement etc., which may or may not appeal to you - I think it would be useless when you’re reading &/or referring often to a doc, but that’s my opinion. Bringing up another window, like Notepad, would pause tracking in your word processor while you took a call, but, as everyone’s said, Winlog Assist is minimal & if you need more features look elsewhere.

Winlog Assist by default installs in the Program Files folder, just like 99.999999...% of Windows apps. Set-up also allows you to choose your install folder (just like 99.999...% of Windows programs), & Winlog Assist allows you to move the program folder near anywhere if you don’t mind repairing any short cuts (if you use them).

Totally off-topic (mentioned in #29 comment), UAC is something you should research *if* you’re among the minority of home-based Vista users with it turned on. It has it’s uses, but as Microsoft employees (coders, mgr’s etc) have written, it’s purpose is less to keep *You* safe, and more to force developers into writing safe code. I’m not saying this - Microsoft is.

Winlog Assist is almost a portable app - it does some minimal writing to the registry in the HKCU\Software|Almeza key that, if it concerned you, could probably be stopped with one of the Portable App suites like [http://www.mojopac.com/portal/content/hellomojo.jsp] or [http://portableapps.com/] ... Registration keys are stored in a key file in the program folder, which can be moved, archived etc anywhere - of course shortcuts in the start menu or on the desktop (if you use them) would have to be changed. For anyone concerned about installing another program they were unsure they’d use, this portability means you can set a restore point in Vista or back up as nec in XP, copy the installed program to a safe location, and put everything back the way it was - Winlog Assist will run just fine, and take up less than 2 meg on your hard drive or USB memory stick.

Programs like Winlog Assist are often used to help with time billing, but can also help with anything from documenting what you were doing, when, to self improvement - “I spent how long on ebay or playing that game”?

There are programs that do the same thing, better, but given the portability & near zero impact Winlog Assist has on your system, you might want to give it a try.

@#26 Peachykeen

You may want to check out the McGruff SafeGaurd. It's free and might be something that you could use and help ease your mind a little.

www.gomcgruff.com/m/faqs.asp

Thanks. This app is zero percent useful.

@ #21 David,
I realize that and I was posting in joust not knowing if it was offered before. It was an observation not to be taken seriously. But I'd hold back on that wager, the votes are at times higher within the first 5 minutes sometimes when it's a first time offer.

I'm more to suspect that some use the thumb voting to express mad dissatisfaction that their favorite “screen saver” wasn't being offered. To be honest I have no use for a program like this though I'm familiar with others like it. So would it be fair for me to give it a user’s thumb down if I'm not going to try it first? Well some do. It's not a yes or no "Do you like this type of software" It's called a "User rating" Use it, try it, rate it.

Some just click because the buttons are toys for their amusement.

Also notice days were the User Rating doesn't come close to matching what's being commenting.

I wouldn’t be surprised that some will vote a bias thumbs down on a repeat offering only because now GAOTD wasted their time and now they have to wait till tomorrow to see what freebie is waiting for them.

Keeping in mind all that I've said, it would be more helpful for me and others that those who have used this the first time it was offered, to comment on why they did or didn't like it. Really give us an idea to try it or not, instead of just voting a second time on a repeat offering.

Does this only track which applications are open or does it actually track the actual time you are interfacing (typing, mouse movement, etc) with each application. Or does it do something in between such as track the time that an application window is active, which can be inaccurate if you have an application active and then have, for example, a 20 minute phone call where you are not actively using your PC. If it only tracks which apps are open, or which windows are active, then this isn't much use to me as I leave, for example, Outlook and Word open all day long so that I don't have to keep opening and closing them all day at work. This would be great if it can track actual time spent actively using applications.

This program is just another way to be able to spy on workers.

RE:#30 (Scott) Not if you're a lawyer. :)

Hi,

I'm assuming this will be read by an admin rather than published here, so please forward this message to the correct person.

Could someone please contact me regarding payment? Giveawayoftheday has not made any payment as of yet as promised (almost half a month later) for featuring a product, and no one is responding to any e-mails, even to say something like 'we make payments as promised on such and such a day'). Please contact me at the e-mail address published here. I can provide you with further details if you wish then.

Thanks.

#4 people can know this program already because they bought it or because they tried it from GOTD in the past or tested it free somewhere else, so no need to download and install to know a program is good or bad

El software hronos es sencillo, pero no realiza las funciones que si puede hacer Win Log Assist. A mi me basta la funcion de hronos. Saludos

#5 Muy buena opcion y no requiere instalacion, ademas es muy pequeño. Saludos

This is my first time posting on GAOTD. I truely appreciate all the programs that have been offered since I joined. The comments from all the members are so valuable to help me make decisions. I am not a newbee whatsoever to trying programs. I was on computers before there was an "Internet". It was then called "NETWORKING". By-the-way, I pumped "Ethyl" GAS for 10 cents a gallon. (Notice: NO PUN INTENDED). The "NETWORKING" cost me about $25/Minute. Computers have come a long ways BABY!!!

#25 - I can't even see a real value for this in an office environment. It's more important to DO work rather than spending time being anal retentive about how many minutes and seconds we spend on particular programs.

To the people complaining about registration--you have to restart WinLog Assist (as it tells you to) for it to show up as registered.

OK, I decided to compare some of these.

WinLog Assist 2.1--it's storing its database into Program Files, which is a big no-no (although not uncommon), especially in Vista (Vista will virtualize it, and you may not have convenient access to it). There doesn't appear to be a way to delete old entries from the database, but you can delete the entire database. Views are for calendar days. Excel export requires Excel to be installed.

It's primitive in terms of the way it tracks things. There's no breakdown by time of day. Projects and applications are lumped together. You can sort by the column headings--Applications (plus Projects) and Time (actually, duration). It auto-hides when you switch to another application. Only entire applications can be moved into projects, even if the application was used for different projects. Within a session, it appears to keep usage of the application with its project, but in a new WinLog Assist session, it appears to treat usage of applications as default, rather than any projects they were previously moved to.

Hronos 1.3 (free) is extremely simple, strictly tracking usage per application since session start (but it does display application icons). It's standalone (no installation), with almost no registry entries. It should be run as an administrator under Vista.

PC Fare Meter 0.97 (free; indirectly linked through my comment #7) is vastly more sophisticated and useful than WinLog Assist or Hronos. It appears to require a reboot after installation (at least under Vista) to function properly. It has far too many features to describe. It's for people who have some brains, there are some tooltips but no help (unless there's some documentation on the website). It can print invoices, with charges.

RescueTime may be useful, but there's no way that I'm going to use an application which tracks all of my activity and sends it to an Internet service.

Some recent updates related to other GOTD giveaways:

AnVir's products have been updated to version 5.1, but only for paying customers (you can't update your free version).

Disk recovery: iolo Search and Recover 5 (paid) has been released, free for version 4 users, but it's still inferior to the free Recuva 1.13, which has now added sector-scanning. Recuva still won't filter out unrecoverable files, nor will it sort by file type.

I think people have mentioned this, TweakUAC (free) can be used to turn off the endless UAC prompts in Vista, without turning off UAC (although Windows will complain that UAC is off, even though it isn't, when you log on).

A Problem - How does this program know what project I’m working on? Can it differentiate? On the task bar under “Settings” you will find “Options” and “Projects”. The options pane lists “General”, “Projects”, and “Administration”. The “Projects” pane, which is identical to the pane you'll see when you select the stand-alone “Projects” in the settings, is blank. Ok, so I select new project and enter a name. Then I do a repeat and create another project. Now what? Good question! So I go back to work and after 30 minutes I check what has been logged. The two new projects I just created are listed but the corresponding times spent are both at zero, and I don’t have so much as a clue in figuring what is going on. That is not a good thing! And what about Reports? Their hype says reports are generated in Excel format, great, but what if a user doesn't have Excel? Is there a viewer that can be used? Are there any open source applications that will work (aka OpenOffice.org Calc)?

I come to discover that the no help, “Help” file is by intent. This products hype is about simplicity, set it, and forget it. I can understand where they're coming from and what they're trying to accomplish, but without ANY rudimentary information about the program features, all of the time spent in development goes right out the window (along with any hope of making money). If I’m in a position where I have to effectively manage my time because of a heavy workload, then the last thing I’m going to do is spend a lot of time working with a program in the hopes of deciphering through trail and error (or by playing ring around the email with tech support or community forums) how in blazes does this thing work. Instead of a program that helps me manage my chaos, it has become a program that only adds to it (not to mention the irritability factor).

As for my query about differentiating projects with this program, that's on hold. I don’t have that much time to spare right now to hunt down that answer. ;)

#4 - I give it a thumbs down because the software is useless outside of a business. If you re-read the terms, you may discover that GAOTD's software offerings are licensed only for private use.

I can't legally take this software into my office--not that I would even want to! I also give it a thumbs down on basic principle. Office environments are oppressive enough without more software to further enslave workers with micromanagement.

As the mom of a middle schooler, I'm thinking of lots of possibilities this program has for me - especially when DD figures out how to erase her internet history! :-)

As a retired, strictly home user, I can't for the life of me see any reason to need a program of this type. In an office environment however, it could be priceless.
The free ware alternate posted by #5 does support Vista and looks to be very similar. The actual link for it is:http://www.bisystemslab.com/tools/hronos

Now people will waste even more time when looking at the reports on how they spent there time before.

Downloaded and Installed per the Read Me. Installed fine, and registered and restarted the program. When accessing the "Help" and selecting "About" it still shows as being an UNREGISTERED program. Course, the "Buy Now" is very prominent!~!~! I like the program's "job duties" but this registration thing bothers me because I followed the instructions to a "T" and it still shows up as Unregistered gives me a clue the program coding or registration needs a bit of work. The program DOES, however, work as described. Thank you GAOTD.

2->#17 - Fair enough. Then I'd say rather go have a look for yourself. I see you got your article from the Guardian. Well there's articles about RescueTime in PCWorld, BusinessWeek, lifehacker and so forth if awards don't cut it.

But actions speak louder than words. Try RescueTime for yourself. It's worth it. http://www.rescuetime.com/

@ #4, it's not at all messed up. This software has already been offered here once before, so I would wager that the people who thumbed down (or up) so early are folk who already dl'd this program before.

As for myself, thank you GOATD team, but I will pass today. I was one of the ones who sampled this software the last time, and wasn't impressed.

It's a co-incidence that this program came today as I am having a problem with Windows Update installing KB947864 and just this morning got e-mail from Microsoft asking for my log files and sent them of,just an aside MS gets slagged of put its support is first class.

Thanks John McPhearson, I'm ALWAYS game to work with Freeware before paying to it. Especially with the cost of fuel these days!

As a userthat only does for me this is not needed. If I was needing to keep track of time to get paid for the time then this may nelp. Then that would be using it for comercial purposes so there is a delima there.I will say no.

2-> #10 - don't get too impressed with 'software awards'. It's easier than falling asleep. How about the text file with an exe extension that won sixteen awards all buy itself? WinMeStars:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/23/guardianweeklytechnologysection.it3

Great software if "Little brother" wants to keep track of employees who aren't being productive, but does a company have to notify employees of its existance? You know, the privacy act thing. I can't use this myself, but hope others can deploy todays offering.

Unable to install (Vista Ultimate). After download, at OPEN, error replace existing file:DELETEFILE failed Code 5 Access Denied.

For some unknown reason I'm having trouble pasting in the rego number, and when i tried typing it, the length defeated my attempts to do it without errors. Couldn't reinstall either. Got mysterious error # 5. Weird.

So, To John, #5, Thanks for recommending Hronos. It's great. I don't feel quite so doomed now.

Great program if you want to record all your activities on your PC on the other hand Windows XP and Vista incorporates its own logfiles and does the same thing so it is a bit of a overkill to do everything twice.

It has a good quick use for employers who want to track the employees.

A very simple to use program. Installs everything(except shortcuts) in Program folder.
Groups program log by process name and can export to excel db. Low resource usage (as the description states). Minimizes to tray. Nothing else.
I'm going to keep this for a few days and see if this gets used for anything. Can't see any real use for it now..

Comment: The prog downloads, installs and activates [XP latest updates] within seconds. I have previously used Outlook's Journal but today's Giveaway is easier to use and covers a greater range of use.

In Use: Simply run - 'fit and forget'. Double click on the tray icon and a window pops up telling you which progs have been running and for how long. So what? I have to create reports and the prog allows me to confirm when I worked on the report - date, time; view or export these results to Excel. Its simple and effective.

The helpfile doesn't help [not that you really need it] merely referring you to the, not particularly helpful, homepage. Also it appears that it includes, 'records' ALL progs usage - I am not that fussed, personally, but it does allow others to review what you have been 'working' on (or playing games, surfing [recording which page/s you have visited and for how long] or whatever) though opening up e.g. Notepad and typing text it doesn't record key strokes [not a logger] - there is, though, a password feature to restrict viewing by others of the progs usage. Finally there is an 'auto pause' option - it's not clear if this stops the timer for individual open, though not actually being used progs. or stops all time measurement for all progs when the PC is not actually being used and it's not clear if time recording starts up again when the prog detects PC actiity.

In conclusion, I have a use for this, it's easy to work with but the helpfile [lack of it] lets the prog down. I wouldn't pay the amount asked for. Thanks to GAOTD and Almeza.

A good alternative is RescueTime at http://www.rescuetime.com/ which is free time management software which also requires no data entry. A small memory footprint and it has won numerous awards. Of course with RescueTime one has to be connected to the Internet.

Win Log Assist is good for people who are not connected to the Internet that often.

Almeza Company seems to be a trust Worth Pulisher now thanks to GAOTD. First "MultiSet" then 3 days ago "LeaderTask" and now "Win Log Assist". I wud really appreciate GAOTD's offers if i were Almeza. From nothing to a HUGE sumthing! Props to GAOTD & Almezer publishers!