Windows 10 HKLM registry keys not honoured for non-admin users

CCleaner for Windows CCleaner Windows Bug Reporting
1

Dear CCleaner support & community,

I've recently tried adding a few following registry keys, so that I could hide software update, health check and quick clean modules. The reason is, I want to prevent users (especially non-admn users) from updating software by themselves and screwing up their system.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Piriform\CCleaner] 

"(Cfg)HealthCheck"="0"


"(Cfg)HealthCheckIpm"="0"


"(Cfg)QuickClean"="0"


"(Cfg)QuickCleanIpm"="0"


"(Cfg)SoftwareUpdater"="0"


"(Cfg)SoftwareUpdaterIpm"="0"

This setup works as expected for the administrative users. See screenshot #1. However, for unknown reasons, those HKLM keys seem ignored for non-admin users. See screenshot #2.

Any idea why? Are those keys deliberately ignored, or is this a bug? I'm running Ccleaner 5.78.8558 Free on Windows 10. (Screenshots are in French.)

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Ccleaner ADMIN user.png

Ccleaner NON-ADMIN user.png

2

Do those keys not also need adding to each user profile in "HKEY_USERS\{profilename}\Software\Piriform\CCleaner" for each of the non-admin users?

(or maybe just in HKEY_CURRENT_USER ?).

3

See if this works instead: 

Options > Advanced > Save all settings to INI file

It will create a ccleaner.ini file in the folder where CCleaner is installed.

4

That wouldn't work, the .ini saves CCleaner's settings but not the registry keys .

Those particular reg. keys change the appearance of the GUI and that can't be set from within CCleaner itself. (Although maybe you should be able to do so as advanced options.).

5

Thanks for both suggestions. I've just tried both, but none of them have actually changed the appearence of the GUI.

Regarding ccleaner.ini, as far as I understand, this file is a substitution for the HKCU entries, but not for the HKLM "(Cfg)" keys.

Note: I fully understand that HKLM keys are not documented, hence not officially supported. I'm just surprised that those undocumented HKLM keys are not taken account for non-admin users.

6

TBH they are not something that Piriform would want users to be changing anyway. They'd want everyone to be using the standard GUI.

Those reg keys are 'leftover' from the development of the features which is why if you turn off the Health Check button you then get a button for the earlier 'Easy Clean' instead, and have to turn that off too - although the reg key still calls it the even earlier 'Quick Clean'. 

Both Quick Clean and Easy Clean (and Software Updater) were earlier versions on the development path of Health Check and the reg keys were so they could be easily turned on/off during trials so that only certain users saw them.


(Which caused some confusion at the time, especially with Software Updater which kept coming and going).

I agree that it could be useful if you could turn off the GUI buttons/tools that you don't want to use, or don't want other to use. 

Leaving them visible but disabled would maybe be a better option, and easier to implement.


I've added it as a suggestion for inculsion in CCleaner V6.

https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/60017-share-your-ideas-for-ccleaner-60/?tab=comments#comment-327123

7

Thanks for registering it as a v6 suggestion, much appreciated.