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Ccleaner detects where a app is installed?


englishmen

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Can someone with more knowledge of CCleaner & programming in general please tell me what are the possibility of making CCleaner not only detect if a program is installed but where it is installed. I have all my application installed in a folder called "Installed Software" within "Program Files" so I know were all my apps are installed it also makes it a lot easier to keep my pc clean. The problem I have is some of the winapp entires which point to the actual installed folder of a program do not work on my pc by default i.e. my Avast winapp I made is by default

 

[Avast Antivirus]

LangSecRef=3024

Default=True

Detect=HKCU\Software\ALWIL Software\Avast

FileKey1=%ProgramFiles%\Avast Antivirus\DATA\report|*.*

 

but for my specific PC I had to change it to

 

[Avast Antivirus]

LangSecRef=3024

Default=True

Detect=HKCU\Software\ALWIL Software\Avast

FileKey1=%ProgramFiles%\Installed Software\Avast Antivirus\DATA\report|*.*

-----------------------------------***************--------------------------------------

 

Which is not a big deal but it would be great if CCleaner would also detect where a program is installed not just if it was installed. I mean this morning I download a patch for Act Of War - Direct action it did not even ask me where the existing installation was(on my pc it is in "Installed Games") it just installed it in the correct folder. It must have detected were it was via the registry entry that already exists.

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It would probably detail checking registry values such as the installed source directory. Some programs write where they're installed and some don't (perhaps a security measure), however I suppose the data could be collected from the uninstall section. I think the solution is complicated at best since some programs don't even utilize the registry and run solely from .ini or .cfg files.

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It entirely depends on the program, although the registry is the best place to start.

 

If you open RegEdit.exe and go to either:

- "My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\"

or - "My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\"

many installation paths can be found in there. Different applications have their own way of storing the installation path. Adobe uses a key named "InstallPath", Kodak use a "TargetDir" value string saved under the "Kodak\Common" key, while OpenOffice.org uses the "InstallPath" key aswell, but just in another location.

 

A slightly accurate way is to extract all paths out of the "HKeyCurrentUser\Software\" or "HKeyLocalMachine\Software\" registry branches and search for ones that contain the %ProgramFiles% environment string. Not entirely fool-proof, but is certain to work for about 90% of Win32 applications.

 

-X

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englishmen, the easiest way of finding where a program is installed is to use Belarc Advisor, it will list all the programs you have installed with an asterisk next to each, hover over the asterisk and you will see where the program is installed, click the asterisk for even more info.

 

Or have I gone off topic?

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englishmen, the easiest way of finding where a program is installed is to use Belarc Advisor, it will list all the programs you have installed with an asterisk next to each, hover over the asterisk and you will see where the program is installed, click the asterisk for even more info.

 

Or have I gone off topic?

 

 

 

Yep, I know where all my apps are install and how I can change winapp.ini entires to point to the correct location. I just thought it would be a good idea if CCleaner was able to detect where a app is installed via the registry entry of a specified application.

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