update manager

do they have a program that keeps tabs on what programs you have and which ones needs updates from the interenet, i have noticed u wont know sometimes untill its too late...

I don't think there's a program like that around anymore. A few years back CNET offered a free program (I don't remember the name of it offhand) that did just what you're looking for. It scanned your computer for installed software, then accessed the CNET database to check for updates. It then returned all the updates available, including version number, download link, etc. Although now that I think about it, it could've been a ZDNET program... it was one or the other.