SnapMan

SnapMan is a useful and straightforward piece of software which aims to help you figure out how many system changes a new installation causes, both in the registry and the file system.

Being a standalone tool, it does not need to go through a setup operation, meaning you can work with it on the go, from a removable storage device, on any compatible PC.

At the same time, this translates into no new entries in your registry, making its removal as simple as deleting it, should you no longer need SnapMan.

In what concerns its appearance, the program is quite basic, with hardly any impressive features about it, but this visual simplicity makes it accessible even to computer novices.

The main window of SnapMan will display the contents of the two items that you compare, in side-by-side panels, so you can identify any difference between them right away.

The application can take snapshots of either your registry or your file system, the former even allowing you to show the full path of ignored keys, which will however slow down the operation; the latter lets you decide which drive to focus on.

After defining the output path for the file, SnapMan will analyze your PC and generate the image, enabling you to compare it with an older version. Changes are color-coded, so deleted items will be indicated in red, while created entries will be signaled in blue.

In short, SnapMan is a handy and intuitive utility that you can resort to whenever you are about to install new software on your computer and wish to know exactly what registry and file system entries it adds, particularly if you are unsure of its reliability.