CCleaner with XP user accounts

[debby-nj]

It seemed like every night my DD was getting spyware on her PC. After reading through several sites I created a user account for DD. I am running Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3.

 

I am not a very technical user.

 

I have 2 questions ...

1) When I created the user account CCleaner does not appear on her list of programs. Any idea why? Should I load it on the user account?

2) Is there a way to run CCleaner to clean the whole PC, admin+user accounts? or do I have to clean each account separately?

 

Thanks for all your help.

[anres]

Find where CClean was installed, most likely in C:\Program Files\CCleaner\, and drag CCleaner.exe with right mouse button to your desktop and then say "Create Shortcut here". And from what I know, it seems you have to clean each account separately.

 

Spyware is nasty, and I doubt you can root it out using CClean.

 

BTW, what the heck is DD?

 

It seemed like every night my DD was getting spyware on her PC. After reading through several sites I created a user account for DD. I am running Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3.

 

I am not a very technical user.

 

I have 2 questions ...

1) When I created the user account CCleaner does not appear on her list of programs. Any idea why? Should I load it on the user account?

2) Is there a way to run CCleaner to clean the whole PC, admin+user accounts? or do I have to clean each account separately?

 

Thanks for all your help.

[JDPower]

BTW, what the heck is DD?

DD = Dear Daughter (I think)

[debby-nj]

Thanks.

 

yes DD is Dear Daughter.

 

And you are correct that CCleaner will not help with the spyware but giving her a User Account will.

 

This is my first time creating a user account. I am surprised to see that when you run CCleaner from the admin account it does not clean the user account.

[marmite]

And you are correct that CCleaner will not help with the spyware but giving her a User Account will.

If you mean a non-admin user (any user can be given admin rights) then yes you're right - connecting to the internet as an ordinary user is a lot safer (hence all the faff in Vista with this being the default mode).

 

This is my first time creating a user account. I am surprised to see that when you run CCleaner from the admin account it does not clean the user account.

You're not alone - it's a very common gripe amongst the CCleaner community that it doesn't clean all users' profiles in one pass.

[Alan_B]

Find where CClean was installed, most likely in C:\Program Files\CCleaner\, and drag CCleaner.exe with right mouse button to your desktop and then say "Create Shortcut here".

 

I cannot make that work for my DD

 

1. When I drag to the desktop, I cannot see anywhere to type "Create Shortcut here", nor do I see any such option to click.

 

2. Having dragged to the desktop, upon release the executable is relocated to the desktop,

UNLESS I hold down the ALT key whilst releasing.

 

3. Drag then ALT and release is inadequate.

Having dropped I see the icon on the desktop, MY PRIVATE DESKTOP.

Right Click on icon and select properties.

This opens on the Shortcut Tab

Select the "General" tab and I see

Location: C:\Documents and Settings\Dad\Desktop

 

My DD has no access to my private desktop, so it does her no good at all.

 

SOLUTION for XP Home edition with SP3

One instance of Explorer which shows Ccleaner.exe

Second instance of Explorer set to "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop"

Select CCleaner and with LEFT button down, shift until over the second instance, then hold down ALT button before and during release of left button.

 

This gives both DD and myself the same short cut upon "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop"

 

NOTES

 

1. Windows restricts Ccleaner on what can be purged by a USER c.f. an Administrator - how I like it.

2. Even that is a bit strong for my taste, so we both share a desktop shortcut that uses /AUTO /SHUTDOWN,

hence DD cannot mistakenly clean the registry etc - she gets no GUI.

 

Double clicking the icon is easier than the normal Start / Turn Off / standby or shut-down etc.

and because DD shuts down this way she has purged her private profile junk to which I have no access,

so I only have to purge what remains accessible to me and my Acronis Disc image will NOT have any junk bloat.

 

The only targets for the default configuration are :-

within the user profile - e.g. Firefox cache etc, and

C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download,

because I fear BSODs from unexpected M.$. updates are a bigger risks than any virus ! !

(Yes I have turned off Security Updates - but that is merely a flag that is no obstacle to what M.$ decides I will have.)

 

Alan

[anres]

sorry I didn't emphasize this. please drag with the RIGHT mouse button, not the left button. then as soon as you stopped dragging, it will show a small menu, which should have "copy here, move here, and create shortcut here" pick "create short cut here". make sure you put the executable back to its original location or it won't work

 

and you need to do this when you are logged in as your DD. if not (if your DD doesn't let you know her password), then you need to be an administrator, and open the folder represent her desktop, which should be c:\documents and settings\<DD_user>\Desktop\ and create a shortcut there instead of your desktop

[Alan_B]

and you need to do this when you are logged in as your DD. if not (if your DD doesn't let you know her password), then you need to be an administrator, and open the folder represent her desktop, which should be c:\documents and settings\<DD_user>\Desktop\ and create a shortcut there instead of your desktop

 

Sorry, multiple disagreements.

 

1. I do not wish to know my DD's password with potential for invading her privacy;

2. When I need to alter her profile I will raise her to Administrator level and log off,

and then look the other way as she logs on, then I can do anything with administrator privileges;

3. As an administrator it is NOT possible for me to access her desktop, it is part of her profile and Windows will not let me in - it will not even tell me how much space she is taken on the hard drive.

4. As an administrator I am allowed to change her password and then I can access her profile,

BUT

a. I am not allowed to see her original password, so she can only log on after I tell her the new password; and

b. she "will lose all personal certificates and stored passwords for Web sites or network resources".

 

The easy practical way for me, using XP Home edition with SP3, is to put one short-cut in

"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop"

 

That one short-cut serves both my daughter and I,

and I think if I enabled the guest account that would also see it.

 

Alan

[anres]

well, it's been a while since I used XP, and I just assumed that as an admin, you could access another user's account. On vista, it lets me do so.

[marmite]

As an administrator it is NOT possible for me to access her desktop, it is part of her profile and Windows will not let me in.

Yes it is - it is simply the way that your file sharing is configured that precludes your access (i.e. the default for XP Home).

 

I'm not suggesting that you should change it - I'm just pointing this out for the sake of other people reading this thread.