How can I detect if Microsoft Edge is installed?

How can I detect if Microsoft Edge is installed? - c#

I'm writing a windows form application (c#) and I need to detect whether the user have "Microsoft-Edge" installed in his/her machine or not.
I'm currently using this registry location:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\PackageRepository\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_20.10240.16384.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe]
"Path"="C:\\Windows\\SystemApps\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
With a regex after the "Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge". If the "path" exist then I know edge is installed.
Is there a better way to detect edge? would it be better if I detect that I'm running on Windows 10 and by default Win10 come with edge? What is the best way for that?

In case you want to have a small program getting that version number:
static void Main(string[] args)
{
string EdgeVersion = string.Empty;
//open the registry and parse through the keys until you find Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge
RegistryKey reg = Registry.ClassesRoot.OpenSubKey(#"Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\PackageRepository\Packages");
if (reg != null)
{
foreach (string subkey in reg.GetSubKeyNames())
{
if (subkey.StartsWith("Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge"))
{
//RegEx: (Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_)(\d +\.\d +\.\d +\.\d +)(_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe])
Match rxEdgeVersion = null;
rxEdgeVersion = Regex.Match(subkey, #"(Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_)(?<version>\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+)(_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe)");
//just after that value, you need to use RegEx to find the version number of the value in the registry
if ( rxEdgeVersion.Success )
EdgeVersion = rxEdgeVersion.Groups["version"].Value;
}
}
}
Console.WriteLine("Edge Version(empty means not found): {0}", EdgeVersion);
Console.ReadLine();
}
Thank you for the registry link for finding the version number.

If you're on the desktop or mobile version of Windows 10 then Edge is pre-installed and can't be uninstalled.
To detect if running on Windows 10 use the System.Environment.OSVersion property or the Version Helper functions. (See also https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms724832(v=vs.85).aspx)
If you want to detect the default browser you should see How to determine the Windows default browser (at the top of the start menu)

Relevant to 15.11.2016:
The only way that I found working is to use this registry location:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\PackageRepository\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_20.10240.16384.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe]
"Path"="C:\\Windows\\SystemApps\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
With a regex after the "Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge".
If the "path" exist then I know edge is installed.

In reference to other answers: my installation of Windows 10 does not have this key: Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_20.10240.16384.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe
In:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\PackageRepository\Packages\]
Instead, it has the following keys:
Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_38.14393.0.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe
Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_40.15063.674.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe
The following code could be used to detect if Edge is installed:
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var edgeFound = false;
using (var key = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.ClassesRoot.OpenSubKey(#"Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\PackageRepository\Packages\"))
{
if (key != null)
{
foreach (var subkey in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
if (subkey.StartsWith("Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_"))
{
edgeFound = true;
break;
}
}
}
}
Console.Write(edgeFound);
Console.ReadLine();
}
}

Related

How do I play the Windows Notification sound? (It is not defined in System.Media.SystemSounds)

When using System.Media, there is something called SystemSounds where you can easily play a couple of operating system sounds:
System.Media.SystemSounds.Asterisk.Play();
System.Media.SystemSounds.Beep.Play();
System.Media.SystemSounds.Exclamation.Play();
System.Media.SystemSounds.Hand.Play();
System.Media.SystemSounds.Question.Play();
Unfortunately, there are only these five options, and in Windows 10, three of them are the same while one of them doesn't even play anything.
What I really want to do is play the Notification sound, as defined in the Sound panel (seen here):
Does anyone know how to do this?

Solution found. Code here:
using System.Media;
using Microsoft.Win32;
public void PlayNotificationSound()
{
bool found = false;
try
{
using (RegistryKey key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(#"AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\Notification.Default\.Current"))
{
if (key != null)
{
Object o = key.GetValue(null); // pass null to get (Default)
if (o != null)
{
SoundPlayer theSound = new SoundPlayer((String)o);
theSound.Play();
found = true;
}
}
}
}
catch
{ }
if (!found)
SystemSounds.Beep.Play(); // consolation prize
}
You can browse the keys in the registry editor to see the other sounds. Also, this example is coded to work for Windows 10, and I'm not sure what the registry structure is for other versions of Windows, so you'll need to double check what OS the user is using if you're trying to code for multiple platforms.

Best way to determine if ReportViewer is installed

What is the best way to find out if reportviewer and WindowsInstaller-KB893803-v2-x86 is installed on a PC? Is there a way to find out what public key to use to find out if a specific program is installed on a PC? (Tried this, didn't work)
Best Way To Determine If .NET 3.5 Is Installed
This is how to check if .NET 3.5 is installed, but i take it you need a another public key to know if report viewer is installed, but I don't know how to get the public key.
All I can think of is to check if the installation directory exists on the computer, would that be an acceptable way to check?

You could check in the Registry
public bool IsInstalled()
{
RegistryKey registryBase = RegistryKey.OpenRemoteBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, string.Empty);
if (registryBase != null)
{
return registryBase.OpenSubKey("Software\\Microsoft\\ReportViewer\\v2.0.50727") != null;
}
return false;
}

In my machine (Win7 & Server 2012), the registry key is different.
bool exist = false;
RegistryKey registryBase = RegistryKey.OpenRemoteBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, string.Empty);
if (registryBase != null)
{
exist = registryBase.OpenSubKey("Software\\Wow6432Node\\Microsoft\\.NETFramework\\v2.0.50727\\AssemblyFoldersEx\\ReportViewer v10") != null;
}

You could also query the GAC for the assemblies, as shown in this SO question.

I did a Regshot diff on a MS Report Viewer version 10 install to find the key because neither of the others posted here were working.
Here is the actual diff results on a fresh windows server VM.
Anyways, the key I found for this version was:
SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ReportViewer\v10.0
The code I used:
public bool IsInstalledReportViewer()
{
try
{
RegistryKey registryBase = RegistryKey.OpenRemoteBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, string.Empty);
if (registryBase != null)
{
// check the two possible reportviewer v10 registry keys
return registryBase.OpenSubKey(#"Software\Microsoft\ReportViewer\v2.0.50727") != null
|| registryBase.OpenSubKey(#"Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v2.0.50727\AssemblyFoldersEx\ReportViewer v10") != null
|| registryBase.OpenSubKey(#"SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ReportViewer\v10.0") != null;
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex);
// put proper exception handling here
}
return false;
}

How to find the windows dialing rules in .NET

This should be simple, but isn't apparently. Since..Windows 3 or so, there is a control panel called Phone or Phone & Modem. In that control panel is a bunch of information about how a modem would dial up, assuming you have a modem hooked up. For example, do you need to dial 9 to get out, what is the area code, and so forth. How can i access this information programmatically? I am using C# .NET 2010.

You are going to need to use Tapi in Windows or pull the information from the registry. According to Microsoft Tapi 3.0 was not designed to be used from managed code, though the first link seems to have done it.
Some articles to look at:
Tapi3.0 Application Development
VB.Net accessing TAPI Dialing Rules
From Link #2
Take a look at these TAPI functions:
lineGetTranslateCaps
lineTranslateAddress
lineTranslateDialog
lineSetCurrentLocation
lineGetCountry
tapiGetLocationInfo
The info is stored in the Registry at: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony\Locations

I couldn't find a way to access it through a .Net TAPI wrapper (after a not so long search) so I fired up procmon an found where it was stored in the registry, and here's the code that accesses it (you can adapt it to your specific needs):
RegistryKey locationsKey =
Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(#"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony\Locations");
if (locationsKey == null) return;
string[] locations = locationsKey.GetSubKeyNames();
foreach (var location in locations)
{
RegistryKey key = locationsKey.OpenSubKey(location);
if (key == null) continue;
Console.WriteLine("AreaCode {0}",key.GetValue("AreaCode"));
Console.WriteLine("Country {0}",(int) key.GetValue("Country"));
Console.WriteLine("OutsideAccess {0}", key.GetValue("OutsideAccess"));
}
Note :
I recommend to use an official API if there is a .net compatible one.
This code is not guaranteed to work on other OSes than Win 7
If you need to prompt the user to fill in these details you can start the configuration tool using :
Process.Start(#"C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe",#"C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL C:\Windows\System32\telephon.cpl");

Bit more code to get the prefix
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
string rootLocation = #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Telephony\Locations";
getRegistryValues(rootLocation);
Console.ReadLine();
}
public static void getRegistryValues(string rootLocation)
{
RegistryKey locationsKey =
Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(rootLocation);
if (locationsKey == null) return;
string[] locations = locationsKey.GetSubKeyNames();
Console.WriteLine(locations.Length.ToString());
foreach (var location in locations)
{
Console.WriteLine(location.ToString());
RegistryKey key = locationsKey.OpenSubKey(location);
if (key == null) continue;
foreach (string keyName in key.GetValueNames())
{
if (keyName.Equals("Prefixes"))
{
string[] Prefixes = ((string[])(key.GetValue(keyName)));
Console.Write("Prefixes ");
foreach (string prefix in Prefixes)
{
Console.Write(prefix);
}
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine(keyName + " {0}", key.GetValue(keyName));
}
}
getRegistryValues(rootLocation+#"\"+location);
}
}

get installed version of an application using c#

I would to get installed version of an application (say, MyApp) using C#.
I will do this much,
1. Create a 'Set Up' for MyApp of version 5.6
2. Install MyApp.
I will create another application (say VersionTracker)to get the version of installed applications. So if I pass the name 'MyApp' I would like to get the version as '5.6'. If another application say Adobe Reader is installed in my system, I want to get the version of Adobe Reader if I pass 'Adobe Reader'.
I need to know how to build 'VersionTracker'

The first and the most important thing is that not all applications do save their version somewhere in the system. To be honest, only a few of them do that. The place where you should look are the Windows Registry. Most of installed applications put their installation data into the following place:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
However, it's not that easy - on 64bit Windows, the 32bit (x86) applications save their installation data into another key, which is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
In these keys there are many keys, some of them have got "easy-readable" name, such as Google Chrome, some of them got names such as {63E5CDBF-8214-4F03-84F8-CD3CE48639AD}. You must parse all these keys into your application and start looking for the application names. There are usually in DisplayName value, but it's not always true. The version of the application is usually in DisplayVersion value, but some installers do use another values, such as Inno Setup: Setup Version, ... Some application do have their version written in their name, so it's possible that the application version is already in the DisplayName value.
Note: It's not easy to parse all these registry keys and values and to "pick" the correct values. Not all installers save the application data into these keys, some of them do not save the application version there, etcetera. However, it's usual that the application use these registry keys. [Source: StackOverflow: Detecting installed programs via registry, browsing my own registry]
Alright, so now when you know where you should look, you have to program it all in C#. I won't write the application for you, but I'll tell you what classes you should use and how to. First, you need these:
using System;
using Microsoft.Win32;
To get to your HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, create a RegistryKey like this:
RegistryKey baseRegistryKey = Registry.LocalMachine;
Now you need to define subkeys:
string subKey = "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall";
// or "SOFTWARE\\Wow6432Node\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall"
Now you need to go to the subkey, so create a new RegistryKey:
RegistryKey uninstallKey = baseRegistryKey.OpenSubKey(subKey);
Now you need to go thru all the subkeys that are there, so first we get the names of all the subkeys:
string[] allApplications = uninstallKey.GetSubKeyNames();
Now you must go thru all the subkeys yourself, one by one, by creating a new registry key (you don't have to, but I'll do it):
RegistryKey appKey = baseRegistryKey.OpenSubKey(subKey + "\\" + applicationSubKeyName);
where applicationSubKeyName is the name of the subkey you're currently checking. I recommend foreach statement, which helps you (you must however have some experience with C# already, I'm not going to tell you how to use foreach here).
Now check the application's name and compare it with name of your desired application (you cannot rely on the subkey name, because, as I already said, they can be called for example {63E5CDBF-8214-4F03-84F8-CD3CE48639AD}, so you must check the name here):
string appName = (string)appKey.GetValue("DisplayName");
If it's the correct application (you must check it yourself), find the version:
string appVersion = (string)appKey.GetValue("DisplayVersion");
Et voilà, you have the version. At least there's like a 60 - 80% chance you have...
Remember! If some key or value doesn't exist, the method returns null. Remember to check if the returned value is null everytime, otherwise your application will crash.
Where to find more? The Code Project: Read, write and delete from registry with C#
I really hope I helped you. And if you wanted to know something else and I didn't understand your question, then, please, ask better next time. :)

///
/// Author : Muhammed Rauf K
/// Date : 03/07/2011
/// A Simple console application to create and display registry sub keys
///
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
// it's required for reading/writing into the registry:
using Microsoft.Win32;
namespace InstallationInfoConsole
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Console.WriteLine("Registry Information ver 1.0");
Console.WriteLine("----------------------------");
Console.Write("Input application name to get the version info. (for example 'Nokia PC Suite'): ");
string nameToSearch = Console.ReadLine();
GetVersion(nameToSearch);
Console.WriteLine("----------------------------");
Console.ReadKey();
}
///
/// Author : Muhammed Rauf K
/// Date : 03/07/2011
/// Create registry items
///
static void Create()
{
try
{
Console.WriteLine("Creating registry...");
// Create a subkey named Test9999 under HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
string subKey;
Console.Write("Input registry sub key :");
subKey = Console.ReadLine();
RegistryKey testKey = Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(subKey);
Console.WriteLine("Created sub key {0}", subKey);
Console.WriteLine();
// Create two subkeys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Test9999. The
// keys are disposed when execution exits the using statement.
Console.Write("Input registry sub key 1:");
subKey = Console.ReadLine();
using (RegistryKey testKey1 = testKey.CreateSubKey(subKey))
{
testKey1.SetValue("name", "Justin");
}
}
catch (Exception e)
{
Console.WriteLine(e.Message);
}
}
static void GetVersion(string nameToSearch)
{
// Get HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
RegistryKey baseRegistryKey = Registry.LocalMachine;
// If 32-bit OS
string subKey
//= "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall";
// If 64-bit OS
= "SOFTWARE\\Wow6432Node\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall";
RegistryKey unistallKey = baseRegistryKey.OpenSubKey(subKey);
string[] allApplications = unistallKey.GetSubKeyNames();
foreach (string s in allApplications)
{
RegistryKey appKey = baseRegistryKey.OpenSubKey(subKey + "\\" + s);
string appName = (string)appKey.GetValue("DisplayName");
if(appName==nameToSearch)
{
string appVersion = (string)appKey.GetValue("DisplayVersion");
Console.WriteLine("Name:{0}, Version{1}", appName, appVersion);
break;
}
}
}
static void ListAll()
{
// Get HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
RegistryKey baseRegistryKey = Registry.LocalMachine;
// If 32-bit OS
string subKey
//= "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall";
// If 64-bit OS
= "SOFTWARE\\Wow6432Node\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Uninstall";
RegistryKey unistallKey = baseRegistryKey.OpenSubKey(subKey);
string[] allApplications = unistallKey.GetSubKeyNames();
foreach (string s in allApplications)
{
RegistryKey appKey = baseRegistryKey.OpenSubKey(subKey + "\\" + s);
string appName = (string)appKey.GetValue("DisplayName");
string appVersion = (string)appKey.GetValue("DisplayVersion");
Console.WriteLine("Name:{0}, Version{1}", appName, appVersion);
}
}
}
}

Next code base on similar solution is working for me:
var version = GetApplicationVersion("Windows Application Driver");
string GetApplicationVersion(string appName)
{
string displayName;
// search in: CurrentUser
var key = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(#"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall");
foreach (var keyName in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
var subKey = key.OpenSubKey(keyName);
displayName = subKey.GetValue("DisplayName") as string;
if (appName.Equals(displayName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
return subKey.GetValue("DisplayVersion").ToString();
}
// search in: LocalMachine_32
key = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(#"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall");
foreach (var keyName in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
var subKey = key.OpenSubKey(keyName);
displayName = subKey.GetValue("DisplayName") as string;
if (appName.Equals(displayName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
return subKey.GetValue("DisplayVersion").ToString();
}
// search in: LocalMachine_64
key = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(#"SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall");
foreach (var keyName in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
var subKey = key.OpenSubKey(keyName);
displayName = subKey.GetValue("DisplayName") as string;
if (appName.Equals(displayName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
return subKey.GetValue("DisplayVersion").ToString();
}
// NOT FOUND
return null;
}

Get installed applications in a system

How to get the applications installed in the system using c# code?

Iterating through the registry key "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" seems to give a comprehensive list of installed applications.
Aside from the example below, you can find a similar version to what I've done here.
This is a rough example, you'll probaby want to do something to strip out blank rows like in the 2nd link provided.
string registry_key = #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall";
using(Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey key = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(registry_key))
{
foreach(string subkey_name in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
using(RegistryKey subkey = key.OpenSubKey(subkey_name))
{
Console.WriteLine(subkey.GetValue("DisplayName"));
}
}
}
Alternatively, you can use WMI as has been mentioned:
ManagementObjectSearcher mos = new ManagementObjectSearcher("SELECT * FROM Win32_Product");
foreach(ManagementObject mo in mos.Get())
{
Console.WriteLine(mo["Name"]);
}
But this is rather slower to execute, and I've heard it may only list programs installed under "ALLUSERS", though that may be incorrect. It also ignores the Windows components & updates, which may be handy for you.

I wanted to be able to extract a list of apps just as they appear in the start menu. Using the registry, I was getting entries that do not show up in the start menu.
I also wanted to find the exe path and to extract an icon to eventually make a nice looking launcher. Unfortunately, with the registry method this is kind of a hit and miss since my observations are that this information isn't reliably available.
My alternative is based around the shell:AppsFolder which you can access by running explorer.exe shell:appsFolder and which lists all apps, including store apps, currently installed and available through the start menu. The issue is that this is a virtual folder that can't be accessed with System.IO.Directory. Instead, you would have to use native shell32 commands. Fortunately, Microsoft published the Microsoft.WindowsAPICodePack-Shell on Nuget which is a wrapper for the aforementioned commands. Enough said, here's the code:
// GUID taken from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/knownfolderid
var FOLDERID_AppsFolder = new Guid("{1e87508d-89c2-42f0-8a7e-645a0f50ca58}");
ShellObject appsFolder = (ShellObject)KnownFolderHelper.FromKnownFolderId(FOLDERID_AppsFolder);
foreach (var app in (IKnownFolder)appsFolder)
{
// The friendly app name
string name = app.Name;
// The ParsingName property is the AppUserModelID
string appUserModelID = app.ParsingName; // or app.Properties.System.AppUserModel.ID
// You can even get the Jumbo icon in one shot
ImageSource icon = app.Thumbnail.ExtraLargeBitmapSource;
}
And that's all there is to it. You can also start the apps using
System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("explorer.exe", #" shell:appsFolder\" + appModelUserID);
This works for regular Win32 apps and UWP store apps. How about them apples.
Since you are interested in listing all installed apps, it is reasonable to expect that you might want to monitor for new apps or uninstalled apps as well, which you can do using the ShellObjectWatcher:
ShellObjectWatcher sow = new ShellObjectWatcher(appsFolder, false);
sow.AllEvents += (s, e) => DoWhatever();
sow.Start();
Edit: One might also be interested in knowing that the AppUserMoedlID mentioned above is the unique ID Windows uses to group windows in the taskbar.
2022: Tested in Windows 11 and still works great. Windows 11 also seems to cache apps that aren't installed per se, portable apps that don't need installing, for example. They appear in the start menu search results and can also be retrieved from shell:appsFolder as well.

I agree that enumerating through the registry key is the best way.
Note, however, that the key given, #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall", will list all applications in a 32-bit Windows installation, and 64-bit applications in a Windows 64-bit installation.
In order to also see 32-bit applications installed on a Windows 64-bit installation, you would also need to enumeration the key #"SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall".

You can take a look at this article. It makes use of registry to read the list of installed applications.
public void GetInstalledApps()
{
string uninstallKey = #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall";
using (RegistryKey rk = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(uninstallKey))
{
foreach (string skName in rk.GetSubKeyNames())
{
using (RegistryKey sk = rk.OpenSubKey(skName))
{
try
{
lstInstalled.Items.Add(sk.GetValue("DisplayName"));
}
catch (Exception ex)
{ }
}
}
}
}

While the accepted solution works, it is not complete. By far.
If you want to get all the keys, you need to take into consideration 2 more things:
x86 & x64 applications do not have access to the same registry.
Basically x86 cannot normally access x64 registry. And some
applications only register to the x64 registry.
and
some applications actually install into the CurrentUser registry instead of the LocalMachine
With that in mind, I managed to get ALL installed applications using the following code, WITHOUT using WMI
Here is the code:
List<string> installs = new List<string>();
List<string> keys = new List<string>() {
#"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall",
#"SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall"
};
// The RegistryView.Registry64 forces the application to open the registry as x64 even if the application is compiled as x86
FindInstalls(RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, RegistryView.Registry64), keys, installs);
FindInstalls(RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey(RegistryHive.CurrentUser, RegistryView.Registry64), keys, installs);
installs = installs.Where(s => !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(s)).Distinct().ToList();
installs.Sort(); // The list of ALL installed applications
private void FindInstalls(RegistryKey regKey, List<string> keys, List<string> installed)
{
foreach (string key in keys)
{
using (RegistryKey rk = regKey.OpenSubKey(key))
{
if (rk == null)
{
continue;
}
foreach (string skName in rk.GetSubKeyNames())
{
using (RegistryKey sk = rk.OpenSubKey(skName))
{
try
{
installed.Add(Convert.ToString(sk.GetValue("DisplayName")));
}
catch (Exception ex)
{ }
}
}
}
}
}

it's worth noting that the Win32_Product WMI class represents products as they are installed by Windows Installer. not every application use windows installer
however "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" represents applications for 32 bit. For 64 bit you also need to traverse "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" and since not every software has a 64 bit version the total applications installed are a union of keys on both locations that have "UninstallString" Value with them.
but the best options remains the same .traverse registry keys is a better approach since every application have an entry in registry[including the ones in Windows Installer].however the registry method is insecure as if anyone removes the corresponding key then you will not know the Application entry.On the contrary Altering the HKEY_Classes_ROOT\Installers is more tricky as it is linked with licensing issues such as Microsoft office or other products.
for more robust solution you can always combine registry alternative with the WMI.

string[] registryKeys = new string[] {
#"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall",
#"SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" };
public class InstalledApp
{
public string DisplayName { get; set; }
public string DisplayIcon { get; set; }
public string Version { get; set; }
public string InstallLocation { get; set; }
}
private void AddInstalledAppToResultView(RegistryHive hive, RegistryView view, string registryKey,Dictionary<string,InstalledApp> resultView)
{
using (var key = RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey(hive, view).OpenSubKey(registryKey))
{
foreach (string subKeyName in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
using (RegistryKey subkey = key.OpenSubKey(subKeyName))
{
var displayName = subkey.GetValue("DisplayName");
var displayIcon = subkey.GetValue("DisplayIcon");
if (displayName == null || displayIcon == null)
continue;
var app = new InstalledApp
{
DisplayName = (string)displayName,
DisplayIcon = (string)displayIcon,
InstallLocation = (string)subkey.GetValue("InstallLocation"),
Version = (string)subkey.GetValue("DisplayVersion")
};
if(!resultView.ContainsKey(app.DisplayName))
{
resultView.Add(app.DisplayName,app);
}
}
}
}
}
void Main()
{
var result = new Dictionary<string,InstalledApp>();
var view = Environment.Is64BitOperatingSystem ? RegistryView.Registry64 : RegistryView.Registry32;
AddInstalledAppToResultView(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, view, registryKeys[0],result);
AddInstalledAppToResultView(RegistryHive.CurrentUser, view, registryKeys[0],result);
AddInstalledAppToResultView(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, RegistryView.Registry64, registryKeys[1],result);
Console.WriteLine("==============" + result.Count + "=================");
result.Values.ToList().ForEach(item => Console.WriteLine(item));
}

Iterate through "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" keys and check their "DisplayName" values.

Use Windows Installer API!
It allows to make reliable enumeration of all programs. Registry is not reliable, but WMI is heavyweight.

The object for the list:
public class InstalledProgram
{
public string DisplayName { get; set; }
public string Version { get; set; }
public string InstalledDate { get; set; }
public string Publisher { get; set; }
public string UnninstallCommand { get; set; }
public string ModifyPath { get; set; }
}
The call for creating the list:
List<InstalledProgram> installedprograms = new List<InstalledProgram>();
string registry_key = #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall";
using (RegistryKey key = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(registry_key))
{
foreach (string subkey_name in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
using (RegistryKey subkey = key.OpenSubKey(subkey_name))
{
if (subkey.GetValue("DisplayName") != null)
{
installedprograms.Add(new InstalledProgram
{
DisplayName = (string)subkey.GetValue("DisplayName"),
Version = (string)subkey.GetValue("DisplayVersion"),
InstalledDate = (string)subkey.GetValue("InstallDate"),
Publisher = (string)subkey.GetValue("Publisher"),
UnninstallCommand = (string)subkey.GetValue("UninstallString"),
ModifyPath = (string)subkey.GetValue("ModifyPath")
});
}
}
}
}

As others have pointed out, the accepted answer does not return both x86 and x64 installs. Below is my solution for that. It creates a StringBuilder, appends the registry values to it (with formatting), and writes its output to a text file:
const string FORMAT = "{0,-100} {1,-20} {2,-30} {3,-8}\n";
private void LogInstalledSoftware()
{
var line = string.Format(FORMAT, "DisplayName", "Version", "Publisher", "InstallDate");
line += string.Format(FORMAT, "-----------", "-------", "---------", "-----------");
var sb = new StringBuilder(line, 100000);
ReadRegistryUninstall(ref sb, RegistryView.Registry32);
sb.Append($"\n[64 bit section]\n\n{line}");
ReadRegistryUninstall(ref sb, RegistryView.Registry64);
File.WriteAllText(#"c:\temp\log.txt", sb.ToString());
}
private static void ReadRegistryUninstall(ref StringBuilder sb, RegistryView view)
{
const string REGISTRY_KEY = #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall";
using var baseKey = RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, view);
using var subKey = baseKey.OpenSubKey(REGISTRY_KEY);
foreach (string subkey_name in subKey.GetSubKeyNames())
{
using RegistryKey key = subKey.OpenSubKey(subkey_name);
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(key.GetValue("DisplayName") as string))
{
var line = string.Format(FORMAT,
key.GetValue("DisplayName"),
key.GetValue("DisplayVersion"),
key.GetValue("Publisher"),
key.GetValue("InstallDate"));
sb.Append(line);
}
key.Close();
}
subKey.Close();
baseKey.Close();
}

Your best bet is to use WMI. Specifically the Win32_Product class.

Might I suggest you take a look at WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation).
If you add the System.Management reference to your C# project, you'll gain access to the class `ManagementObjectSearcher', which you will probably find useful.
There are various WMI Classes for Installed Applications, but if it was installed with Windows Installer, then the Win32_Product class is probably best suited to you.
ManagementObjectSearcher s = new ManagementObjectSearcher("SELECT * FROM Win32_Product");

I used Nicks approach - I needed to check whether the Remote Tools for Visual Studio are installed or not, it seems a bit slow, but in a seperate thread this is fine for me. - here my extended code:
private bool isRdInstalled() {
ManagementObjectSearcher p = new ManagementObjectSearcher("SELECT * FROM Win32_Product");
foreach (ManagementObject program in p.Get()) {
if (program != null && program.GetPropertyValue("Name") != null && program.GetPropertyValue("Name").ToString().Contains("Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 Remote Debugger")) {
return true;
}
if (program != null && program.GetPropertyValue("Name") != null) {
Trace.WriteLine(program.GetPropertyValue("Name"));
}
}
return false;
}

My requirement is to check if specific software is installed in my system. This solution works as expected. It might help you. I used a windows application in c# with visual studio 2015.
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
object line;
string softwareinstallpath = string.Empty;
string registry_key = #"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall";
using (var baseKey = Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey.OpenBaseKey(RegistryHive.LocalMachine, RegistryView.Registry64))
{
using (var key = baseKey.OpenSubKey(registry_key))
{
foreach (string subkey_name in key.GetSubKeyNames())
{
using (var subKey = key.OpenSubKey(subkey_name))
{
line = subKey.GetValue("DisplayName");
if (line != null && (line.ToString().ToUpper().Contains("SPARK")))
{
softwareinstallpath = subKey.GetValue("InstallLocation").ToString();
listBox1.Items.Add(subKey.GetValue("InstallLocation"));
break;
}
}
}
}
}
if(softwareinstallpath.Equals(string.Empty))
{
MessageBox.Show("The Mirth connect software not installed in this system.")
}
string targetPath = softwareinstallpath + #"\custom-lib\";
string[] files = System.IO.Directory.GetFiles(#"D:\BaseFiles");
// Copy the files and overwrite destination files if they already exist.
foreach (var item in files)
{
string srcfilepath = item;
string fileName = System.IO.Path.GetFileName(item);
System.IO.File.Copy(srcfilepath, targetPath + fileName, true);
}
return;
}

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C# (C-Sharp) is a programming language developed by Microsoft that runs on the .NET Framework.