CCleaner settings change without user's consent - and a FIX

CCleaner for Windows CCleaner Windows Bug Reporting
1

This can be seen with Portable CCleaner, and probably experienced with the installed version.

When CCleaner is first added to a computer its cleaning options are defined solely by :-

defaults built into the executable configuration ; and

defaults in any supplementary Winapp2.ini enhancement.

Upon launch those defaults will be over-written by user changes held in CCleaner.ini

When CCleaner runs it shows which cleaning capabilities are relevant to this computer's software and whether those capabilities are enabled.

If the user changes any default his change is written to CCleaner.ini and preserved in CCleaner.ini.

CCleaner.ini does NOT capture the defaults.

The user MUST modify an option before it is set as an over-ride in CCleaner.ini.

If the default option is not acceptable then correcting it will update CCleaner.ini with a user choice over-ride.

If the default is acceptable then CCleaner.ini is not touched,

and any future change to defaults in CCleaner.exe or Winapp2.ini will not be opposed by CCleaner.ini,

and passwords that were preserved will be (securely) erased,

and confidential data that was being destroyed will be left in open view,

and unwanted junk that was zapped will now waste free space.

I think this is the cause of a complaint a few weeks ago that something important that was being preserved had been deleted as a result of a CCleaner Update.

This also applies to WinApp2.ini - I remember seeing recently strong representations from a User that one of the defaults was dangerous.

A SOLUTION is to double (or triple) click all the options so that your user choice is asserted and written to CCleaner.ini

I WOULD LIKE :-

After User examination he may press a "Global Accept" button that causes ALL the (not)clean check options to be written to CCleaner.ini as a future over-ride ;

PLUS there-after a highly visible indication of ALL new items which have no corresponding CCleaner.ini over-ride.

This should immediately draw attention to any new capability that has not yet been evaluated,

such as a new application that has not previously been detected,

or an old application which has just become subject to a new capability in CCleaner.exe or Winapp2.ini.

I believe all that I have said about CCleaner.ini is probably applicable to HKCU\whichever\whatever for the registry dependant installed versions.

Regards

Alan

2

Whew! I tried to understand what you meant, but the wording is so long, my head hurt when I got done reading it.

Do you have a shorter version, please? I am unsure, at this moment, if I am coming or going... :)

So, basically, CCleaner deletes what it should keep, & keeps what it should delete?

3

So, basically, CCleaner deletes what it should keep, & keeps what it should delete?

Short version :-

Exactly YES, and

Entirely NO. :rolleyes:

My apologies but here comes the long version :)

Every option is ALWAYS subject to the defaults provided by CCleaner.EXE and WinApp2.INI,

and therefore items will be preserved / removed according to those defaults until the user updates either from Piriform or FileHippo.

The user is ALWAYS at the mercy of the FUTURE decisions made by experts with greater knowledge who create, set (and sometimes change) those defaults.

Each option is NEVER ( I hope ) subject to the future changes by experts,

BUT ONLY after the user has chosen to go through each option and :-

either single click toggle if he wishes to reverse the default;

or alternatively click toggle reverse and click toggle revert to confirm permanent acceptance of current expert default regardless of future expert decisions.

The user can either :-

choose to prevent future changes as a result of improvements in the knowledge of experts,

or accept that every update will be an improvement for the majority but could do him harm.

I was like most users, and until very recently ignorant of the fact that I could take control of my future (in this one respect.)

It was a surprise to me, and is probably a surprise to most,

that what we see is not what we will get unless we have either single or double clicked an option.

It would be a big improvement if each option setting not only had a checkbox for on / off

but also another checkbox for whether the decision was user fixed in CCleaner's Settings or subject to future expert decisions.

N.B. By "CCleaner's Settings" I mean the contents of either Portable CCLeaner.ini or the Installed User's registry or whatever "floats your boat".

Without such an improvement the "Expert User" is able to ensure EXISTING settings are frozen,

but will not necessarily recognise when a future update has added a new option which is now volatile and outside his control

should be now be evaluated and either accepted or reversed.

Experts who release CCleaner.exe and scrutinise / issue Winapp2.inin do not often change their minds,

so it is rare for anyone to find that

CCleaner deletes what it should keep, & keeps what it should delete
,

but I believe it happened recently according to one complaint some weeks ago,

and I think I recently saw in the 45 pages of the WinApp2.ini topic a moderator suggestion to reverse a default.

4

SHORT SIMPLE DEMONSTRATION.

Download and unzip Portable CCleaner to a new location,

and add to the location the latest WinApp2.ini

Run and Analyse but do not clean,

Observe that on the CCleaner Gui Applications there are 4 off WMP items that are new optional cleans which are greyed out

then close and copy CCleaner.ini - e.g. as "ccleaner - Copy.ini"

Edit WinApp2.ini to change "Default=False" into "Default=True" under these four headings :-

[WMP Album Art Cache*]

[WMP Databases*]

[WMP Last Played*]

[WMP Transcoded Files Cache*]

Close WinApp2.ini and launch CCleaner.ini

You will now see on the CCleaner Gui Applications there are 4 off WMP items that are Bold, Checked, and ready to purge.

This change is due to altering the default of what us downloaded,

and in this case although I was the prime cause - it was indistinguishable to CCleaner from genuine external change to defaults as downloaded.

Now close CCleaner to ensure CCleaner.ini is updated.

Compare latest "CCleaner.ini" with "ccleaner - Copy.ini" and observe no changes.

CCleaner.ini does not notice or preserve whether or not an item is to be preserved.

My original copy named "ccleaner - Copy.ini" plus my subsequent comments :-

[Options]

UpdateKey=11/28/2011 04:18:50 PM

WINDOW_MAX=1

WINDOW_LEFT=414

WINDOW_TOP=418

WINDOW_WIDTH=733

WINDOW_HEIGHT=524

16:20 28/11/2011 POST CREATION COMMENT BY ALAN

WINAPP2.INI includes "Default=False" under each of :-

[WMP Album Art Cache*]

[WMP Databases*]

[WMP Last Played*]

[WMP Transcoded Files Cache*]

All the above appeared in the CC GUI and were greyed out when I Ran CCleaner.exe and analysed and then closed CC.

I have now changed those four defaults to True and saved and will now launch CC again.

My latest "ccleaner.ini" plus my subsequent comments :-

[Options]

UpdateKey=11/28/2011 04:18:50 PM

WINDOW_MAX=1

WINDOW_LEFT=173

WINDOW_TOP=88

WINDOW_WIDTH=733

WINDOW_HEIGHT=524

16:33 28/11/2011 POST CREATION COMMENT BY ALAN

The CC GUI now shows all four WMP options as being checked,

but CCleaner.INI does not show any change.

If the user does not over-ride then :-

CCleaner exerts no restraint upon downloaded defaults,

so whatever "improvements" are made by CCleaner experts will get updated.