CCleaner v5.66.7716 very slow to launch [blocking CCleaner will slow it down]

Hi there, long time CCleaner here. I started blocking CCleaner via the Windows Firewall to stop any telemetry and whatnot or offers to upgrade to the Pro version. Only with this last update blocking CCleaner's internet access seems to slow down its startup big time. It takes about 7-10 seconds for it to start. I have a very fast laptop (Area-51m with an NVMe SSD) so it's not my laptop that's the issue.

Can something be done about this? Many members on the Wilders Security Forums also share my same experience.

PS: I'm using the portable edition

Confirmed. I reported it a few minutes before you did in another topic.

Edit:

It's like it can't just gracefully abort/cancel/ignore the integrated web-based "stuff" in Health Check, etc., so that it doesn't hinder startup. It's the reason I downgraded yet again for another reason.

11 hours ago, Andavari said:
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		Confirmed. I reported it a few minutes before you did in <a href="<___base_url___>/topic/58006-ccleaner-5657832-64-bit-health-check-page-is-blank/?do=findComment&amp;comment=319360" rel="">another topic</a>.
	</p>

	<p>
		Edit:


		It's like it can't just gracefully abort/cancel/ignore the integrated web-based "stuff" in Health Check, etc., so that it doesn't hinder startup. It's the reason I downgraded yet again for another reason.
	</p>
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Right, luckily I had CCleaner v5.65.7632 Portable in a backup so I'll just use that for now.

@Andvari

Adding these 2 entries to your HOSTS file will fix the slow startup issue:

0.0.0.0 ncc.avast.com
0.0.0.0 ncc.avast.com.edgesuite.net

Thank you. However the slow startup isn't the only issue though, I was only curious about the new version for about 20 seconds.

If only that was the only thing to block, I've got a list a mile long of URLs I block which to me more-or-less proves Avast up to something. A single product like CCleaner doesn't need all those phone home links to function or report data back - in my opinion.

I'm having the same problem: very slow startup in the latest version, portable. it takes approximately 15-20 seconds.

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit, 16 G, Intel.

ps .: if possible someone can tell me where i can download the previous version, portable.

Somethimes I can't turn on the ccleaner. I doubt that the PC cillin blocks it. Somethimes i turned on the PC cillin, then Ccleaner could launch. Most of the time is it. I doubt that the bug is coming from the recent version program.

8 hours ago, wagner reatto said:
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		I'm having the same problem: very slow startup in the latest version, portable. it takes approximately<a href="tel:1520" rel=""> 15-20 </a>seconds.
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	<p>
		Windows 10 Pro 64 bit, 16 G, Intel.
	</p>

	<p>
		ps .: if possible someone can tell me where i can download the previous version, portable.
	</p>
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Luckily I still have a copy of [link removed]

Don't forget to unblock the ZIP file before extracting it! "Are you sure you want to run this file?" [Yes or No]

It breaks the license to distribute that file personally. I have removed the link to the zip.

thank you, Spartan. ✌️

Nergal, where can I get the previous version? ?

16 hours ago, wagner reatto said:
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		where can I get the previous version?
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The previous zip Portable version 5.65 is still on CCleaner.com, just not listed, here:

https://download.ccleaner.com/portable/ccsetup565.zip

4 hours ago, Andavari said:
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	<p>
		The previous zip Portable version 5.65 is still on CCleaner.com, just not listed, here:
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	<pre class="ipsCode prettyprint lang-html prettyprinted">

https://download.ccleaner.com/portable/ccsetup565.zip

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thank you!!! ✌️

Every single version since 5.65.7632 takes forever to start and exit including just released 5.68.7820.

It appears it ignores Privacy Settings and is stubborn attempting to connect to various remote servers both during launch and exit,

Every time it launches it keeps bugging users with annoying adds which is why I had to block it with the firewall.

I've been using CCleaner for a very long time for cleaning various junk but it started to behave like one with all the bloatware that was added since takeover :(

Same here. It takes about 10 seconds to show CCleaner interface, since an update which came out in last 2-3 months. It's the time when I've first seen this 10 seconds delay, right after the update. I've blocked CCleaner in my Firewall too.

EDIT: Adding the 2 hosts entries given by @Spartan solved this issue.

Same here: CCleaner takes about 10-20 seconds to start (which is even more annoying because I have set it up to start and clean automatically everytime I close the browser). So I have to wait and wait every time (even if I start CCleaner directly from the start menu or the desktop icon).

I'm using CCleaner for 10-12 years now. When they started a couple years ago with telemetry/data-collecting I changed to the slim-version and blocked everything in the firewall. Everything was well until about 1-2 months ago. I thought it's a bug and they would fix it soon but it looks like it's the way they want it to be because it wasn't fixed in the last updates.

Spartan's solution doesn't work for me because I have Avast AV installed, too. Even if Avast is deactivated it deletes any entries in the HOSTS file concerning Avast-URL's. Adding any other entries in the HOSTS file is no problem, just the Avast-URL's get deleted right away ("self-defense", hahaha).

CCleaner was one of the best tools out there until Avast bought it. And Avast was the best AV for me (after Avira messed up with telemetry and 6 processes in the firewall). But now Avast has 8 processes in the firewall too and nobody knows what they're doing.

Any other suggestion to solve the problem with CCleaner? Or do we just have to get rid of all Avast data-miners?

From what I've seen any antivirus that has a Cloud-based protection feature (any real-time protection AV should by now) it's going to have telemetry/phone home built right in for that to even work, so no way around it. As for Avast removing HOSTS file blocks for their own URLs while it's installed would be something obvious to do, since malware could try to input antivirus blocks to prevent someone from downloading an antivirus software.

9 hours ago, HGVord said:
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		 I changed to the slim-version
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There is no "slim-version".


There is a <em>Slim Installer</em>, but that's the <em>installer</em> not the CCleaner programme - It installs exactly the same CCleaner.

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		and blocked everything in the firewall.
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As for blocking connections:

TBH I don't understand why people who deliberately disable/block/cripple parts of an app then expect that it should still work as intended?


If you deliberately stop something from working as designed then it's your own fault when it won't work properly.

Would you block your cars cooling system (put a nosecone on to make your car more aerodynamic say) and then complain to the manufacturer that their engine was getting too hot?

No - because it is what <u>you</u> have changed that is causing it.

Would you block Google, Facebook, etc. in your firewall?

Of course you wouldn't because they would then stop working properly.

PS. Never try to block your Antivirus, or any other security app, with your firewall.

They need to be able to phone home to get the latest definition files to keep you protected from the latest threats.

There would appear to be some misconceptions in this thread. For example:

11 hours ago, HGVord said:
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		When they started a couple years ago with telemetry/data-collecting
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There has been some form of telemetry collected since December 2010, starting with licence activation counts. Despite persistent urban myths to the contrary, this has actually been actually wound back significantly after Avast showed up on the scene.

12 hours ago, HGVord said:
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		I changed to the slim-version
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As @nukecad pointed out, that didn't make any difference, by the way.

12 hours ago, HGVord said:
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		and blocked everything in the firewall
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The in-product telemetry data can be "blocked" more gracefully, and without breaking anything, by simply opting out through Options > Privacy in CCleaner 5.46 or higher. Since the telemetry only collects an aggregated tally count of how many users use what features, the best real world analogy would be voting. No-one knows who you vote for in an election or referendum - and if you choose not to vote then you have chosen to have your opinion ignored in favour of those who do.

CCleaner does not collect any personal information on our users, except for some minimal information required to maintain licence subscriptions for our paying customers. And we have never sold any customer data. (All other factors aside, this would only be of interest to our competitors, and we are generally disinclined to give them this sort of assistance.)

We have no use for your personal data, and under the various privacy laws that we are subject to, if we did collect and store it (y'know, just in case it might be useful later for something) then we are legally obliged to spend a lot of time and money to maintain it and look after it forever. With a user base larger than the population of most countries, that would be exceedingly tedious and burdensome - so we don't collect it at all. It would also look rather odd for a performance and privacy tool to do so.

For more information on all of this, you can refer to the CCleaner data fact sheet: https://www.ccleaner.com/about/data-factsheet

Under law you can, of course, request a copy of all of the data that CCleaner holds on you if you'd like to check it. To save you some time though:

2 hours ago, nukecad said:
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		Would you block your cars cooling system (put a nosecone on to make your car more aerodynamic say) and then complain to the manufacturer that their engine was getting too hot?
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Exactly this. If you are blocking the web service components that CCleaner needs to operate (in the mistaken belief that you need to do so to block the telemetry that you have already switched off) then, yeah, you are going to have problems. The primary use-cases for a firewall or hosts file block of CCleaner are:

  1. A user with a pirated serial key who doesn't want a NACK signal back from the licence server.
  2. A user in North Korea trying to circumvent the trade sanctions geo-blocking.

... neither scenario we are particularly motivated to assist.

TL;DR: don't be this guy

5H4W.gif

    Thanks a lot for all the lengthy responses.

    To clarify:
    
    
    
    
    - With "slim-version" I meant that I couldn't use the normal installer anymore because of bloatware (or whatever) which was never included before. So a product was made delibaretely worse and less safe.
    
    
    
    
    - As for blocking connections: I don't want any app to communicate with the outer world unless absolutely necessary. "nukecad" mentioned the latest definition files for the AV. Yes, of course, they are absolutely necessary. But ONLY them. If they're updated 4-6 times daily (or even hourly) I don't need any cloud-based service and I don't want any of my files (or infos about them) to be sent to an unknown server. And just to download definition files I don't think that an AV needs 7-8 processes to go online.
    
    
    
    
    - CCleaner is not Open Source. So I just have to take your word for it that it doesn't do what it shouldn't do? Sorry, that's not enough for me. I need CCleaner just for cleaning and for cleaning only. So there's no need for it to have "web service components", especially given the fact that it's supposed to be a privacy (!) tool. I don't need daily or weekly updates and I don't need "emergency" updates for a privacy tool. And by the way, I'm using the FREE version (and no, I'm not from North Korea). Why should the FREE version even check online for a serial number? And if you can block IP's from North Korea tells me that you at least collect the IP address every time CCleaner is started. That's a VERY good example of what a privacy tool should NOT do. You can see the IP address when somebody downloads the installer from your website so you can use that information for your statistics. But that's all you need to know and nothing more.
    
    
    
    
    To come back to the delay problem (even if it looks like you don't want to fix it anyway): Why is there no delay when the Avast URL's are blocked in the HOSTS file? That means CCleaner is CLEARLY connected to Avast and tries to get (or send) information online. That's ANOTHER good example of what a stand-alone privacy tool should NOT do.