Please can you change future installers for products such as CCleaner/Defraggler/Recuva/Speccy so that they no longer create uninstaller shortcuts in the start menu. It is preferable from my point of view (and I'm sure many others) that program uninstallers should be accessed through the windows control panel only; this reduces clutter, and is better when novice users get involved. It would prevent novice users from clicking on them accidentally (whether they have permission to run them or not), and keeping the menu cleaner further simplifies use of the computer for them. Thank you.
Hi, and welcome to the forums!
Very interesting idea, but those same novice users may have difficulty accessing the removal menu. Though, the developers read all of the threads, so who knows, maybe they'll implement this!
I would suggest it is a safety feature that CCleaner is uninstalled via accidental misuse by a novice.
Such incompetence is easily remedied by downloading again free of charge.
No easy free remedy if the novice abuses CCleaner and trashes expensive applications or vital data.
I would not expect such a novice to have known about and installed CCleaner.
She/He would probably have had a expert relative or friend install it,
and that expert could easily download again.
Novices don't necessarily NEED to access the removal menu, and if they did, it is better that uninstallers for all programs are kept in one central location.
The purpose of the start menu is for shortcuts for accessing/running applications, not for performing maintenance on them; in the same way it would be a bad idea to clutter the desktop with uninstaller shortcuts.
Sure, of course it should not be expected that novices would know about things like ccleaner, however it is often the case that someone with more experience is the one maintaining the system, e.g. in my case there is the family PC, and also sometimes those belonging to neighbours and other relatives. We put them on systems used by novices, either because we use the systems ourselves, because we hope to help the users maintain there systems better themselves, or for our own use when performing further maintenance at a later date. Why put uninstallers in such an easy to reach place, making it more likely that we will have to waste time reinstalling software. Many users are computer illiterate and need protecting from themselves, and this does not help! Some do not seem capable of even reading a simple error message, let alone understanding what this uninstaller they've just accidentally opened is. For those that know a little more and really do wish to uninstall something, how hard is it really go do so through the control panel!?
I do agree that uninstall shortcuts in the Start Menu Program Group can be rather annoying when accidentally clicking them. However having Piriform only remove them won't solve anything as there's thousands upon thousands of other software that utilize uninstall shortcuts.
Although I never use the built-in Windows Add/Remove to uninstall anything, I always use Revo Uninstaller Free which loads faster and can remove many leftovers.
I'm aware there are many other applications that also do this, I intend to contact other developers about it too as and when I find time, and you're free to join me! Every little helps. Piriform are only first on my list because I use FOUR of their applications.
There is a very easy solution to prevent the user from uninstalling CCleaner.
Use the portable version which can only be removed by deleting the folder with all its files.