Watcher for Windows

Name: Watcher
Rating: 3 (2 reviews)
Author: Hive Studios

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Used Watcher for Windows?

Editors’ Review

Download.com staffFebruary 26, 2026

Watcher is a Windows application for cataloging network computers and monitoring their state. It offers robust notification options and network management features.

Top Recommended Alternative

Network Drive Manager

Trial version

4.2

Pros
- Monitors network computer states.
- Supports desktop message notifications.
- Includes net send and email alerts.
- Provides Wake-On-LAN functionality.
- Stores data in XML format.
Cons
- Primarily for Windows environments.
- No mention of mobile app support.
- Limited detail on import formats.

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Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: June 7, 2005

Latest update: February 26, 2026

Version: 0.5

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Windows

Operating System

Windows XP
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows 10
Windows NT
Windows 98

Additional Requirements: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 9,290

Downloads Last Week: 0

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Last Updated

User Reviews

3/5

2 User Votes

it is just another scanner
pdejonghMay 5, 2008
Pros
it installs easily
Cons
it does not add much to the good old DOS command testing
Summary
This is a nice start
SteaphanyJune 27, 2005
Pros
For a pre 1.0 release this is not bad. It's not CA-Unicenter TNG, but there is no massive over head nor is the install complex. Just unzip the down load file and run, that's it. One feature that I found useful is that you can add frequestly access/relied upon hosts, off the LAN and on the Interner, into the list so that they can also be monitored.
Cons
I am using version 0.5. If a later version becomes available, some of these issues may have been addressed. The network scan / discovery is not in the most obvious place in the menus. You need to click Edit, Mass Add... to bring up the discovery window. On the Settings window, Monitor tab, the poll interval is limited to no longer than 100 seconds. Being use to CA-Unicenter, I manually entered 300 seconds and it was accepted with no warnings or errors. I am not sure if the 300 second polling interval was actually being used or if it defaulted to another value. Another surprise is the buttons to increase and decrease the poll interval are backwards, the top one decreases the time and the bottom increases it. When trying to sort the node list my the column headers, I once had Watcher die and it sent off an error report. When the host list needs to be scrolled, there is no way to resize the window to see all hosts at one glance. I also was able to inadvertently add two hosts with the same name string, with out any errors.
Summary

Developer’s Description

By Hive Studios

Catalog network computers and monitor their state.

Watcher is Windows application that helps you catalog network computers and monitor their state. It supports various notifications--desktop message, net send, mail when something happens, provides you with possibility to send Wake-On-LAN signal to some computer. You can use it also as a simple catalog of your network. All data about machines is stored in XML file. It allows to manually add one computer or automatically scan some network segment, organize computers in groups, import data from other people, various notifications when some computer go online or offline.

Watcher for Windows

Editors’ Review

Top Recommended Alternative

Network Drive Manager

Pros

Cons