Portable Google Chrome and CCleaner

CCleaner for Windows
1

Hello.

I have been using Carsten Knobloch's portable release of Google's Chrome browser for almost a year, currently at version 2.0.172.37 (though he does have portables for the v3 betas, too).

Since CCleaner of course doesn't see this, I've added several include rules listed here as copied from my ccleaner.ini:

Include29=PATH|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\Cache\|*.*

Include30=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Archived History

Include31=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Cookies

Include32=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Current Session

Include33=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Current Tabs

Include34=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|History

Include35=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Last Session

Include36=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Last Tabs

Include37=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Thumbnails

Include38=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Visited Links

Include39=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|Web Data

Include40=FILE|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|History Index 2009-07

These completely wipe all traces of any browsing history within the parameters of my Google Chrome Options settings without affecting my personalizations (bookmarks, themes, and so on).

As the versions have marched on I have had, naturally, to monitor and change these inclusions as needed. Recently the "History Index YYYY-MM" file has reared its head for which my Include40 rule exists. Last month it was History Index 2009-06. Next month I'll have to change that to History Index 2009-08. That's not a big deal especially since this is the method by which I choose to run Chrome. (BTW, it would seem those indexes persist month by month so that by, let's say 2050, you'll have almost 500 of 'em! :P )

But I have been trying to create a wild card(s) rule like Hist* or Hist*.* with no success. Either I'm missing something simple or it can't be done. I've consulted your docs site and done some searching here in the forum and can't see anything which clues me to something.

Any hints? Thank you!

FYI: Knobloch's releases can be found at http://ftp.hosteurope.de/mirror/stadt-bremerhaven.de/Chrome/ and you can keep an eye on Chrome releases at http://googlechromereleases.blogspot.com/ Cheers!

2

How about a simple single line

Include29=PATH|C:\Program Files\Windows NT\PORTABLES\PortGoogleCHROME\Profil\Default\|*.*

Plus addition to the Options / Exclude / Files and Folders to Exclude to retain what you wish to preserve.

Regards

Alan

3

Thanks Alan. That will work and I did actually use that strategy with a portable version of Opera some time ago. The Chrome directory however is a critical component of the user profile and I tend to shy away from wiping the whole thing as routine. And as new releases roll out, I can simply browse it - anything new will jump out as did this incremented history file. It would be far safer to maintain that as needed even to the point of deleting a file and building a new rule every month. A *.* wipe might find me at a point where Chrome is unexplainably "broken" after a CCleaner run. Not critical as I do keep a backup of profil and, after all, it's just a browser. ;) But keeping the eeeeeevil personal data harvesters at bay, for me, is half the fun of playing with CCleaner. Its default rules are adequately safe out of necessity, but you can tell I feel the need for lots of additional includes; there are plenty more after Include40...

However, your reply did give me an idea. I've been building the rules with CCleaner itself and, as you may know, the creator dialogue doesn't permit the manual entry of text as "Hist*" or "Hist*.*". I didn't think of editing the ccleaner.ini file itself until now. My duh! :P

I'm going to give that a try and see if that will work. And report back.

In the meantime, I'm still open to suggestions or further insight into the secret innermost workings of ccleaner.ini.

Thanks!

4

Hist* Hist*.* "Hist*" "Hist*.*" strings no workie.

This would confirm the docs which list *.* and *.<ext> as the only usable wild card masks.

Over and out. <_<

5

I have VERY recently started to use (and abuse) Winapp2.ini

It does things that are impossible with CCleaner.ini

One of the entries in Winapp2.ini is

  [*ESPN Motion Advertisements]LangSecRef=3023Detect=HKCU\SOFTWARE\Disney\DIGStreamDefault=TrueFileKey1=%allusersprofile%\Application Data\DIGStream\ESPNMotion|ad_*.wmvFileKey2=%allusersprofile%\Application Data\DIGStream\ESPNMotion|*promo*.wmvFileKey3=%allusersprofile%\Application Data\DIGStream\ESPNMotion|*commercial*.wmvFileKey4=%allusersprofile%\Application Data\DIGStream\ESPNMotion|*motionbumper*.wmv

You can add your own entries using a similar format.

If it is valid to use "*promo*.wmv"

there should be no problem with "Hist*.*"

n.b. I am in a state of shock.

I have just done "DIR *jk*.* and it listed 12jk34.TXT, 56jk78.log, etc.

I never knew that CMD.exe could do that - and even COMMAND.COM can do that.

One other benefit of Winapp2.ini is that you can use variables such as %USERPROFILE%

Regards

Alan

6
If it is valid to use "*promo*.wmv"

there should be no problem with "Hist*.*"

Thanks again, Alan.

I can assure you, and repeatedly demonstrate at will, that Hist* and Hist*.*, quotation enclosed or not, do not effect a wipe in CCleaner's Include as currently implemented.

You might note the Google file History Index YYYY-MM lacks an extension and therein lies the rub. I can rename the file as History Index YYYY-MM.foo and the Hist*.* mask is effective.

I have familiarized myself with CCleaner's ini files. Given the fleeting test bed that Google's browser is at this point in time, and if I were not using a portable port (pun!) I might take the time to build a Winapp2.ini. But even if I were to decide Chrome is a suitable replacement for Firefox (BLASPHEMY! :P ), I would used the "installed" version for which CCleaner support already exists. Right now, Chrome is merely something to play with.

And yes, variables are cool.

In any event, I think the subject matter has been settled and request this thread be closed.

Cheers!

7
I can assure you, and repeatedly demonstrate at will, that Hist* and Hist*.*, quotation enclosed or not, do not effect a wipe in CCleaner's Include as currently implemented.

I fully agree with you.

BUT you misunderstand.

I was advocating NOT the use of Ccleaner.ini, BUT the use of Winapp2.ini which DOES correctly deal with

" Hist* and Hist*.*, quotation enclosed or not,"

I created my own Winapp2.ini, with only this :-

  [*UserProfile]LangSecRef=3024DetectFile=%USERPROFILE%Default=FalseFileKey1=%APPDATA%\Macromedia\Flash Player\|*.*|RECURSEFileKey2=%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp\|*.*|RECURSE

The above demonstrates the understanding of variables,

works perfectly with Portable CCleaner,

and should also be perfect with Installed CCleaner, both with and without the CCleaner.ini option.

I then downloaded the official Winapp2.ini and stripped out 95% that was not relevant to my system.

I then added my "[*UserProfile]" and that worked as well.

Then to Winapp2.ini I appended one line "FileKey2=%ProgramFiles%\Logmein|dbg*.txt" as per :-

  [*LogMeIn]LangSecRef=3022DetectFile=%ProgramFiles%\Logmein\x86\LogMeIn.exeDefault=TrueFileKey1=%ProgramFiles%\Logmein|LMI*.logFileKey2=%ProgramFiles%\Logmein|dbg*.txt

That last line removed two files :-

dbg_LMI_printer.txt

dbg_LMI_Proc.txt

Regards

Alan