sirald66 Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 HP G72 253NR WIN 7HP x64 SP1 CCLEANER FREE 4.15.4725 x64 My system registry contains information on unused networks and printers that in some cases, I never even connected to. This is a privacy concern, as it triangulates where and when I have been. Is this something CCleaner could address?Following are registry paths on what I found so far: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Wpad\* (SSID, MAC)Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles\* (SSID)Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Signatures\Unmanaged\* (SSID)Computer\HKEY_USERS\XXXX\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Wpad\* (SSID, MAC)Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Hewlett-Packard\HPWarrentyChecker\Devices\*Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\*ControlSet*\Control\Class\XXXX\0001\*Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\*ControlSet*\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Drivers\Version-3\*Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\*ControlSet*\Enum\PrinterBusEnumerator\UMB\* ANDY - Salt Lake, UT US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators mta Posted September 12, 2014 Moderators Share Posted September 12, 2014 you may not have specifically connected to those networks, but the fact they are listed in your Registry means the PC has. being a wifi laptop, that's not surprising. having CC remove network entries from the Registry may fall into the 'too harsh' category as it would be removing stored wifi information, for example, which may tick people off. you can always add those entries yourself to remove them. BTW; the latest version is 4.17.4808 Backup now & backup often.It's your digital life - protect it with a backup.Three things are certain; Birth, Death and loss of data. You control the last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirald66 Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 The Include section may allow specific custom files and folders to delete, but these are entries in the system registry file.Piriform is expert at cleaning the registry, I am not.Removing all inactive network and printer profiles seems reasonable.If I use regedit to do this manually, I have a higher probably of killing my system. {bonk} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Nergal Posted September 15, 2014 Moderators Share Posted September 15, 2014 But how would ccleaner, using the logic it uses now as opposed to a complete rewrite of the existing code, know which are active and which are not ADVICE FOR USING CCleaner'S REGISTRY INTEGRITY SECTION DON'T JUST CLEAN EVERYTHING THAT'S CHECKED OFF. Do your Registry Cleaning in small bits (at the very least Check-mark by Check-mark) ALWAYS BACKUP THE ENTRY, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL BREAK IF YOU DON'T. Support at https://support.ccleaner.com/s/?language=en_US Pro users file a PRIORITY SUPPORT via email support@ccleaner.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirald66 Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 But how would ccleaner, using the logic it uses now as opposed to a complete rewrite of the existing code, know which are active and which are not Well as I said, Piriform is expert at cleaning the registry, I am not. Somehow, Windows shows active profiles under Manage Wireless Networks; Devices And Printers. Wouldn't that be the screening process for what to keep? Many of the files and logs users trim with CCleaner are not just for the purpose of cleaning, but for privacy. This seems like a suggestion that fits with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators mta Posted September 16, 2014 Moderators Share Posted September 16, 2014 I think the hurdle lies in the fact that, over time, PC's can accumulate many printers and network connections. If the unit is a laptop, the network side of it, especially wireless ones, can grow very quickly. There is no way I know where Windows (and the Registry) keeps tabs on which printer or network is 'inactive'. It's too vague a concept to pin down. The registry for example doesn't stored the last time a printer was used so how do you define "that printer is unused so CC should remove it". And some wifi networks may only be accessed once a week, or month, or so on. If the laptop gets moved around from school, work, uni, holidays etc it may only reconnect to networks intermittently so again, defining the criteria that makes something unused or inactive is going to be difficult. I don't think CC's main function is privacy cleaning, it's crap cleaning. Sometimes removing the later helps with the former but that's more coincidence than anything else. Backup now & backup often.It's your digital life - protect it with a backup.Three things are certain; Birth, Death and loss of data. You control the last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Andavari Posted September 17, 2014 Moderators Share Posted September 17, 2014 But how would ccleaner, using the logic it uses now as opposed to a complete rewrite of the existing code, know which are active and which are not Exactly. And if CCleaner had such abilities it would probably have to be manually done by the user through CCleaner like how Startups are dealt with. If CCleaner was to automatically deal with them automatically I'd expect the forum to explode with angry posts and rightfully so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirald66 Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 Sorry, I confused the issue. Let me reframe the suggestion.I want to suggest flushing network/printer "caches" from the registry as you do other caches.These caches (that I was calling inactive-profiles) are not shown to the user. Active-profiles (recently used or long ago) would be left alone. Windows keeps track of those and shows them to the user under Manage Wireless Networks; Devices and Printers.I would nominate the bountiful unlisted caches as definate registry crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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