Is there any program which will keep a 'log' of what I do on my computer?

Question

I want to keep a log of what I do (yes, this is for me). I want to know the websites i've been to, the files i've opened, the programs i've started, etc.. Ideally I would want to be able to search this by date range, text, etc..

Probably asking too much, but if I were to search, it would search the text of the website, or the document, etc..

Sometimes I remember 'i watched a video where a lady did a ventriloquist act' but for the life of me I can't find it. If I had a log of only stuff I looked at, it would be fairly easy to find.

Answer 1

have a look at KidLogger, a simple open-source keylogger program. It's designed for home and family users, and to keep watch on children's activity on the computer. It can log all Web sites visited, chatrooms talks, started programs, opened documents, and viewed pictures and movies. It also is a simple keylogger and activity-monitoring program for family needs. Its features include support for multiple users, and the ability to perform screen captures and monitor Web sites and chats.

Features list:

1. Keyboard logging and keystrokes recording.
2. Chat recording and monitoring. It can capture all instant messengers chats, online chats and forums typed by the kid or Guest on the keyboard.
3. Email recording It will log every e-mail created on your computer. Should be congigured manually in snap.bat file.
4. Monitoring USB flash drives and CD/DVD media activity. Removal / Insertion events. (PRO version only)
5. Launch automatically at windows startup. Kidlogger invisibly starts on Windows startup. You don't need to launch monitoring features manually. All configurations is simple for your best convenience.
6. Support monitoring multiple users The keylogger will start monitoring only on selected user account. To select the user you should log into his/her user account and run it. The log entry for the user can be opened from Control Panel. .
7. Application monitoring and screen shoot capture. Kidlogger record all applications ran and the text typed in these applications. You will know the exact time, date, window caption of the programs launched on your computer. Also every 15 minutes Kidlogger captures all display contents into a BMP file. So you see what was realy on the monitor at the moment.
8. Log files are separated by date. KidLogger creates a separate folder for each user account log files. To browse for logs click "View log files..." button. This logger present logs in a user-friendly manner - HTML files.
9. Log files to by email. You can receive log files and screen captures to your email every 15 minutes. Ir works like remote keylogger. (* dont work with yahoo, msn emails)
10. PC activity monitor. It can log computer hibernation\resumes, standby events and screensaver as well as opened windows, web-sessions. It can monitor your child online activity.

Answer 2

Google "Time snapper" it should do most of what you need.

Answer 3

RescueTime logs pretty much everything you do as far as I know. Not sure how it is to search in logs there though. Haven't used it for that long :)