There is still at least one major security hole left after CCleaner runs. CCleaner erases Temporary Internet Files, but leaves the index.dat file behind. This file contains lots of information regarding the user's internet tracks.
It would be great if CCleaner had the ability (under advanced options) to add a batch file name (such as ClrIndex.bat) to the 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run' section of the registry. This file would run at startup and delete IE's index.dat file. In order for this file to be deleted, the temporary internet folders must have been already deleted, but CCleaner already does this - assuming the options have been properly ticked. Users would have to be savvy enough to edit this batch file and put in the correct path to IE's index.dat file. The index.dat file is system protected but may be erased on boot up by running a deletion utility from the registry (or startup folder.) It should be relatively easy for CCleaner to do this. Thanks for listening.
It sure does not on mine. Running Vista Business on a Dell Vostro and CCleaner Portable, but that should not matter. I had to initiate a separate routing to delete index.dat on reboot... Anyone else tried it on Vista ? ?
It sure does not on mine. Running Vista Business on a Dell Vostro and CCleaner Portable, but that should not matter. I had to initiate a separate routing to delete index.dat on reboot... Anyone else tried it on Vista ? ?
Ah, dunno about Vista (using XP here, funnily enough on a Vostro too ), I assume it should though
The one that is 'supposedly' marked for deletion on re-boot. This feature has never worked on my Vista Laptop. I delete it by creating a separate batch file and then putting it in my registry Run entry. Without this tweak, the index.dat that resides in my Temporary Internet Files folder remains untouched by CCleaner. CCleaner does indeed wipe the associated Temporary Internet Files folders, but not the index.dat file itself.
The one that is 'supposedly' marked for deletion on re-boot. This feature has never worked on my Vista Laptop. I delete it by creating a separate batch file and then putting it in my registry Run entry. Without this tweak, the index.dat that resides in my Temporary Internet Files folder remains untouched by CCleaner. CCleaner does indeed wipe the associated Temporary Internet Files folders, but not the index.dat file itself.
But is there any data in it? You know it is automatically recreated by Windows after it's deleted (but the recreated one should be empty)?
Of course I am aware that a new one is created on reboot. When the old one is well over 100k in size and remains the same after reboot, yes, I am definintely aware that it was not erased. In addition, I can read the 'new' one and see all of the information that should have been deleted, but was not. Wish someone else with Vista would chime in here. As I stated before, I am able to get my index.dat file recreated, but only with the use of putting a separate routine in my Registry Run. Without that, CCleaner itself doesn't touch index.dat.
Agreed. I did not mean to sound sarcastic, if I did. Just wish some experienced user running Vista would comment here as to whether or not it works on their PC. I am convinced, after all the testing I have done, that it is a shortcoming in CCleaner until someone proves me wrong.
In my Vista, the index.dat is NOT cleared on reboot. Will this feature be added in new versions? I need to have index.dat cleaned. thanks
THANK YOU TRUTHSEEKER ! I was confident it was not only on my Vista machine. The file I am referring to is index.dat in the Temporary Internet Files folder. I can easily clear it on reboot by using another routine, but CCleaner should be able to do it also, especially if it is already being done under XP. Thanks again Truthseeker ! ! ! I hope this now qualifies as a legitimate bug in CCleaner.
Strange you should ask ! ! ;-) Index.dat suite is one of the utilities I used to identify this issue. The index.dat file in my Temporary Internet Files folder is not being touched in any way, shape or form by CCleaner upon reboot. I used index.dat suite to generate a batch file and add it's path to my registry's Run section. This indeed deletes the index.dat file in question. Then Vista recreates a new index.dat file of 32k. But it is only after running the batch file created by index.dat suite that index.dat is finally wipeded and recreated. For the record, my Temporary Internet Files are on my F drive, not C. (Just in case this is an issue with CCleaner)
Here is where the folder location is stored in Vista's registry. May be different in XP.
I use Index.dat Suite (IDSuite). With it you can search all the index.dat files on your computer, and then make a batch file to clean them out at Windows startup.