I found out, that NirSoft detects only the first time you open a folder. I renamed one and I got a new entry - then I renamed it again (back to the old name).
==================================================I opend this folder after renaming again ->no other timestamp
NirSoft - LastActivityView detects the folders and pathes from extern HDDs and USB-Sticks as well. So where is the memory of all these not existing files and folders?
Until now I simply assumed CCleaner was working but using the tool you linked to I discovered many files and folder names going back to my first install !!
I have never had system restore enabled ....not ever ! yet I still find the same privacy leaks you do.
I have just performed a full MFT wipe and free space wipe also but Nirsoft still finds these old files and folders. Many of which are to now deleted files, some are from files deleted from external drives which themselves have been wiped.
I would love to know how to stop windows (Win7 64bit) from storing this junk in the first place but also is there a temporary workaround until CCleaner is fixed ?
I have tried the third party plugins (Winapp2.ini) with all options checked and still it fails to remove this history.
After downloading the latest WinApp2.ini file into my 3.24 version of CCleaner on my 32 Bit 7, I found that even after checking all extra items & running CCleaner, it still showed things that had run in the past.
Registry turned up nothing on certain programs when I did a file path search, & minidump directory was clear.
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Some areas that may contain data that you can try are:
After downloading the latest WinApp2.ini file into my 3.24 version of CCleaner on my 32 Bit 7, I found that even after checking all extra items & running CCleaner, it still showed things that had run in the past.
Registry turned up nothing on certain programs when I did a file path search, & minidump directory was clear.
_____
Some areas that may contain data that you can try are:
I wonder if this is a bug that has recently been introduced to CCleaner ?
I just cannot imagine these areas have been completely missed for 3 years win7 has been out. Surly someone would have noticed CCleaner wasn't working during this time, I just find it too hard to believe.
I am considering this is a possibility and thought it may help the developer track the bug down. Has anyone tested CCleaner before and found that it does actually clear out history etc ? If so what was the last version of CCleaner that worked ?
The informations are not from the registry, any (prefetch-)cache or (event-)logs.
Tools like CCleaner-Enhancer, TuneUp, Glary, Tweakme and Seven Clean 2013 have no effect.
Please - is here anybody who can talk/write with the NirSoft-developer to ask where the informations come from?
I’m sitting here with my „Langenscheidt - Großes Schulwörterbuch Deutsch - Englisch | Englisch - Deutsch“ and I have problems to find the suitable words and sentence constructions - it’s so hard.
Feedback-Nirsoft
If you have any problem, suggestion, comment, or you found a bug in my utility, you can send a message to nirsofer@yahoo.com
I wonder if this is a bug that has recently been introduced to CCleaner ?
I just cannot imagine these areas have been completely missed for 3 years win7 has been out. Surly someone would have noticed CCleaner wasn't working during this time, I just find it too hard to believe.
I am considering this is a possibility and thought it may help the developer track the bug down. Has anyone tested CCleaner before and found that it does actually clear out history etc ? If so what was the last version of CCleaner that worked ?
Your concerns do not seem rational.
Other products also do not show these things.
CCleaner is not certified to withstand a forensic examination.
I suggest that you should test the old versions yourself if you want to know "what was the last version of CCleaner that worked"
Not sure I understand "Your concerns do not seem rational." Please elaborate where you believe I was irrational ?
Other products also do not show these things.
I am sorry but I do not see this as relevant, Nirsoft shows them and that's enough surly ?
CCleaner is not certified to withstand a forensic examination.
As far as I am aware a forensic examination was not carried out, codon simply downloaded a publicly available free application and ran it. There was no mention of a forensic examination unless codon is a forensic examiner in which case I apologise. The information codon gave on this thread lead me to believe this was not data residing in the free space or recovered with magnetic force microscopy, it appeared to be just plainly omitted by CCleaner.
I suggest that you should test the old versions yourself if you want to know "what was the last version of CCleaner that worked"
My suggestion was in an effort to help the developer find where the bug was introduced as per my post. I have beta tested many applications in the past and I know just how easy introducing a bug can be when applying new features.
If you are asking me to do it I suppose I can but I would have thought there was already a beta testing team here isn't there ? I wonder if you would be kind enough to tell me who organises the testing team as I may offer to help.
Is there a downloadable list of previous bug reports available with fixes listed for the last 3 years ?
@ Codon, thanks for the update. If not the event logs, I am not sure at the moment. It doesn't appear to be stored in the registry, so I am assuming that some area of the disk that is involved in producing logs (but not sure) would be the culprit. I will have to try to further look when I get time someday, but I have been very busy lately.
Maybe either someone will post up here that knows more about it for now, else email Nirsoft & let him know how amazed you are that it finds so much stuff.
Then, ask if he will send you a list of all the locations it looks for data in.
Perhaps when you find out, you can post here for piquing the curiosity of me & a few others here.
If the op needs a secure O/S that leaves no traces, then the only solution is a live o/s running on a system with no hdd or other form of storage and logs. Even then the BIOS could contain some traces of power on/off times. But that's really reaching.
If a forensic cleaning is needed, well, then you have to use SecureErase or some other form of a 2 pass wipe. With SecureErase being the better choice, because, standard single or multi-pass (no 5th element jokes please) wipes won't get at HPA or other areas of the HDD. For the real paranoid, nothing less than complete media destruction will do.
Understand that trying to remove ALL traces of activity on a disk bound modern O/S is a real nightmare. You're welcome to try, but I assure you the deeper you dig, the more info will be revealed.
Also understand the the purpose of CCleaner is to serve as a junk remover, not an evidence destroyer.
piriform does not perform public testing on >1.0 version software.
Thank you for this information I hadn't realised CCleaner wasn't open for review.
I think there is a valuable lesson to be learned from this.
He only wants to remove the files that show his last access. Nothing wrong with this.
Exactly
Especially when reading this statement on the Piriform site.....
CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC.
I have been working today but I have managed to test quite a few versions back from the link supplied by Alan_B. It would appear that this is not a recently introduced bug as I first assumed or hoped. It seems to have been a privacy oversight which has passed unnoticed for about 3 years !!!
Someone once said about encryption software that there is "no security by obscurity", I think it would be fair to say that statement could be applied to privacy software also.
{HEAVILY EDITTED BY NERGAL}While the user was able to learn what it was that needed cleaning through a second cleaning software, they did not report what extra needed cleaning. Regrettably I had to change this post as it did not follow forum rules and standards{END EDIT}
Hi
my list from LastActivityView is clean - wow
There is no answer from Nir Sofer (I didn't know that this is his name )