CCleaner doesn't remove contents of the Restore Points

CCleaner for Windows CCleaner Windows Bug Reporting
1

Hello,

I'm using CCleaner 3.01.1327 on fully patched Windows XP SP3 box and have noticed that the program doesn't remove contents of the Restore Points when using the Tools - System Restore - Remove feature. Instead of deleting the corresponding RPxxxx directories in the System Volume Information\restore{GUID} path the program just simply cleans the entries in the list.

The generic System Cleanup tool works like a charm and cleans all but the last RPs correctly.

Is this a new or a known bug in the version mentioned above?

Thanks!

2

Not a bug but a design feature which I have often commented on.

Suggest you use forum Search for all the details.

In essence if you may need to revert 10 restore points ago, but will never use the last 9,

the Registry "snapshot" folders in those last 9 can be removed.

If you then revert to that time 10 restore points ago,

you will have the registry exactly as it was (fallible intermittent unreliable windows permitting)

and in addition you HOPEFULLY will have all the files and folders restored as they had been,

BUT ONLY by the use of all the "A0?????" and change.log files that each RP???? holds

On my system the last few RP??? have had a total size of 64 MB, of which 62 MB is the registry "snapshot" folder.

CCleaner will surgically remove 97% of the unwanted RP???, retaining only the 3% that is of use.

Alan

3

Alan_B, thanks for your reply. But let's consider the following scenario:

1. User deletes some very large number of large files of type .exe, .dll and so on which are in "interest" of the System Restore service. These files were in the non-system folders.

2. Files are being captured by the System Restore service and therefore not be deleted.

3. The user wonders why the free space on the drive won't grow up.

This is the exactly what I've discovered using CCleaner to thrash out the unwanted RPs. Please note that the native System Cleanup program is free from this bug.

4

You are so wrong - the native system has different goals.

Native will remove any hope of going backwards,

once it removes the old R.P. are stuck with the present.

CC will remove what you select and you cannot go back to that point in time,

BUT YOU CAN GO BACK TO EARLIER R.P.

If CC deletes, or prunes, RP1234 it only remove registry hives,

but will refrain from deleting A05678.EXE/DLL et al.

CC also refrains from destroying the information held in change.log (.log.1 .log.2 etc),

and these change.log files give the original file name and path for A05678 etc.

e.g. C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe

Because of the surgical precision with which the registry hives are excised,

you can afterwards ask the native system to restore to an EARLIER point in time and it will do so,

because it has no need for the intermediate registry hives due to the snapshot taken at that time,

but it DOES NEED the change.log(s) and A05678 etc to revert C:\WINDOWS\explorer.exe etc.to the previous version.

Alan

5

You are so wrong - the native system has different goals.

Well said. Please explain the "goals" of the System Cleanup utility.

6

OOPS - browser accident, it posted whilst I composed, but I think my continuation explains what you require.

N.B. I only ever allow System Restore on my system drive,

and whenever XP goofs off and enables on the data drives I rapidly cancel.

My recollection is the registry hives are NOT included in the RP on the data drive, only the system drive.

Alan

7

N.B. I only ever allow System Restore on my system drive,

and whenever XP goofs off and enables on the data drives I rapidly cancel.

Me too. But there are configurations with only one drive which holds both system and data.

Anyway, I'm going to file a bug report.

8

You obviously do not understand the situation.

If CC deleted the entire Restore Point folders designated by users it would kill System Restore functionality.

Windows can give BSODs and fail to boot without needing tweaks of this nature.

Alan

9

You obviously do not understand the situation.

I'm afraid you're not quite right here.

If CC deleted the entire Restore Point folders designated by users it would kill System Restore functionality.

No if CCleaner will do it using the same logic the System Cleanup tool uses and yes if this would be done by simple deletion of the RPxxxx folders.

10

I'm afraid you're not quite right here.

You obviously understand nothing of relevance.

I suggest you read and try to understand

http://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner/using-ccleaner/removing-system-restore-points

This official documentation concludes

"Rather than disable System Restore, you can use CCleaner to selectively remove System Restore points (see above).

Note: CCleaner removes references to the System Restore points, but may not actually remove all files related to each point."

Please note that what you complain about is actually documented as a feature, the reasons for which I have explained many times.

No if CCleaner will do it using the same logic the System Cleanup tool uses and yes if this would be done by simple deletion of the RPxxxx folders.

There is absolutely NOTHING selective in the way System Cleanup will purge Restore Points. Once it has done you cannot put the system back before the current restore point, whilst the CC tool allows the user to leapfrog back to earlier restore points.

The CC tool removes unwanted registry hives and thus removes typically 90% of the space taken by each R.P. that is purged (on my XP system). If it removed the remaining 10% then Windows would probably have a "hissy fit", and if it did restore to a previous remaining point the files corresponding to the amputed R.P. would be different from what originally was a homogeneous whole.

Your "bug report" is no more sensible than complaining that CC does not purge all the duplicated files held in

C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache ! ! !

Alan