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CCleaner installs Google Chrome with NO warning! I'm furious!


John Griswald

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I am absolutely disgusted!

 

I have just installed CCleaner and it also installed Google Chrome and made it my default browser!

 

According to other threads*, it's easy to unselect Google Chrome during the installation. No, there was no mention at all of Chrome, as I show in the following screenshots I took during installation:

 

5bc7044567.png5bc7749d82.png5bc7f07666.png5bc8a1b072.png5bc8f0bb5d.png5bc959d60f.png

 

This is disgraceful. I used to think programs like CCleaner were helping to protect my computer from PUPs and crapware, but now I can see that Piriform are part of the problem and I for one will never trust them again.

 

* Related threads:

https://forum.piriform.com/?showtopic=46661

https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=46648

https://forum.piriform.com/?showtopic=37849

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So you decided to take screenshots of every screen BEFORE you even began/started?

 

Why?

Did you have an agenda?

 

OR

If you had already downloaded Chrome (by mistake) before you took those screenshots then of course they would not show an option to download it again, you already had it.

*** Out of Beer Error ->->-> Recovering Memory ***

Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/52668-tracking-files/?tab=comments#comment-300043

 

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Buy pro, get no google. Wait 1-2 weeks after release get slim installer, no google. In other words it's very possible not to get the chrome. However, my guess is you missed something in the installer.

 

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

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missed something indeed.

most likely scenario is you installed CC and initially missed the Chrome offering, easy to do as you have to hit the More button during installation.

once Chrome has been offered by CC, it doesn't re-offer it at any future installs for some time period, 60 or 90 days or something like that.

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.

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Many many times I have completely uninstalled CCleaner, manually cleaned out all the registry entries, then reinstalled it.  Both the Pro and the free version.  Always during the installation the option to install chrome or not was offered. 

 

It has been a while, and I'm not saying your situation didn't happen as you say, but it is very unlikely.  Don't have time to o it again just now, but I'm quite sure that on an initial installation you get the option to decline chrome. 

 

You can uninstall chrome if it bothers you. 

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

Pssssst: ... It isn't really a cloud. Its a bunch of big, giant servers.

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Chrome was absolutely not mentioned during installation!

 

In recent years I have become extremely careful when installing any software, ever from companies I trust (Adobe have now started bundling crapware, and if they can do it anyone can!).

 

I carefully read the T&Cs, I clicked on "Customize" and then "More". I went back and forth a few times looking at every part of the installation wizard to make sure there was nothing I'd missed. I read each of the checkboxes carefully and made my selection. There was no mention of Chrome whatsoever.

 

I have no reason to lie about this. I have happily used CCleaner for years and I thought it was excellent software until now. If anyone thinks I have to be mistaken because Piriform/Filehippo are beyond selling out, you are being naive. Almost everyone is selling out these days.

 

I invite people to check it out for themselves. This is the installer file which I have uploaded: http://wikisend.com/download/480886/ccsetup527.exe My system is Win 7 x64 and Chrome had never been installed before.

Bear in mind that even if there is a Chrome warning in the code, we know it will sometimes "hide" the warning (as my screenshots show). It's very easy to imagine them creating a bug to make it "accidentally" hide sometimes - for example, it might hide the warning if ANY Google product is already installed. (I use Google Earth.)

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fair enough, in your mind Chrome has never been installed.

so a plausible response to that would be, has anybody else used your PC?

 

and it should be an easy thing to verify, start up Regedit and search for Chrome, if found, you have your answer.

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.

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I see on the BleepingComputer thread that FileHippo is being blamed. An easy way to remove blame from them is to also download the installer from Piriform.com and then compare the MD5/SHA-1/SHA-256 hashes of the files, they should actually match.

 

I get a matching SHA-256 for the downloads from Piriform.com and FileHippo.com, which is:

7F6B831129CE21153E83FC2B27C4B3236927B310C1FBDAF95755CE4EAC223431

 

And here's the VirusTotal report, with one antivirus flagging the installer which is always ESET, due to the included Google 3rd party PUP included:

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/7f6b831129ce21153e83fc2b27c4b3236927b310c1fbdaf95755ce4eac223431/analysis/1488383956/

 

Edit:

And we have to remember the delay or lag thing, with it taking a while for the "offer" to be shown which has been proven in the past. This post by Alan_B made it a reminder.

 

One of the reasons I always go with portable versions of software when it's offered.

Edited by Andavari
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You have still not explained just why you were taking screenshots of every stage of the process BEFORE you got the alleged unwanted 'silent' Chrome download.

*** Out of Beer Error ->->-> Recovering Memory ***

Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/52668-tracking-files/?tab=comments#comment-300043

 

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Duh, sorry my bad read on it. Ignore this nothing to see here, carry on.

 

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

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Duh, sorry my bad read on it. Ignore this nothing to see here, carry on.

 

What? :lol:

 

I personally just modify the Google key in my registry, I won't be offered anything Google related in any installer. Not that Chrome matters since my OS is too old to install it anyways, although I wish I could get a newer version. :P

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I was once caught out by the delay between one stage of the install dialogue opening and the "extras" offer appearing. With testing later, I found It was several seconds, and I had clicked to the next stage before it appeared.

 

I'm sure I made an issue of it at the time because it felt like a sneaky way to get google installed.

 

However, not being a coder I have no idea as to whether it was normal for that delay or not. I reserved my judgement at that time and it hasn't happened since because of the way I update CCleaner.

 

I'm pretty sure this is the only way an "extra" can get by someone carefully watching an install, as I always did.

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I was once caught out by the delay between one stage of the install dialogue opening and the "extras" offer appearing. With testing later, I found It was several seconds, and I had clicked to the next stage before it appeared.

 

but it did appear?

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.

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There you go, 2013 ...

 

https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=39008&do=findComment&comment=237038

 

and other similar complaints over the years ...

 

2012

 

2010

 

And another from your goodself in 2012 ...

 

https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=36939&do=findComment&comment=222557

 

One more I think from 2011 is enough ...

 

https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=32013&do=findComment&comment=190373

 

 

 

EDIT: Forgot to say, I think the OP, John, may have been simply caught out by the delay. And I can understand his being as pe'ed off as I was at the time.

Edited by DennisD
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... I have no reason to lie about this ...

Wouldn't have to be a lie, maybe just a mistake. 

More later.  :)

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

Pssssst: ... It isn't really a cloud. Its a bunch of big, giant servers.

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Probably what has happened is that an earlier installation created keys in the registry that tell CCleaner not to install chrome or google. 

So on your last installation no offer was visible.

 

I just did the experiment described in post #6. Again. 

 

Downloaded the file called ccsetup527.exe from every souce listed here and at Bleeping. 

- straight from filehippo.

- from the wikisend site.

- from the piriform official site.

- going thru the update link in my free version.

The exes are identical. The sha-256 hash is the one Andavari posted: 

7F6B831129CE21153E83FC2B27C4B3236927B310C1FBDAF95755CE4EAC223431

 

So I uninstalled my CCleaner free and CCleaner Pro.

Then went through the registry and deleted the keys which prevent installing chrome & google. 

Editing the registry is dangerous, you should not do it. 

 

Then I reinstalled the latest free version.  Remember all those installers are identical. 

Immediately the installer window popped up offering to install or decline the google toolbar. 

It is part of that window, not a separate box that pops up later, at least that is how it works here. 

 

Finished the installation with the options shown.  No Google stuff installed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

Pssssst: ... It isn't really a cloud. Its a bunch of big, giant servers.

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As for a there being a "delay" in the offer appearing… I don't think there was. I happen to be a very slow reader and I read everything carefully, so if anything appeared after a delay, it would have to be a delay of at least 20 seconds.

 

In any case, putting a delay on a warning is just as despicable as not having any warning. It's downright wrong and companies shouldn't be allowed to do it.

 

I notice in the OP's screenshot of the install page, the bit at the bottom where you untick the toolbar option (as shown in login123's screenshot) is cut off.

To clarify, I did include the whole dialog in all my screenshot. I didn't cut anything off.

 

The screenshot login123 posted bears no resemblance at all to what appeared on my computer. There's no way on earth anyone could fail to see all that! I've seen PUP offers that are WAY more subtle and sneaky than that, and I've trained myself to spot them.

 

The fact is, the warning simply never appeared on my computer.

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Assuming everything said here is true, see post #19, the part about earlier installations. 

Also, it is easy to uninstall chrome or the google toolbar. 

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

Pssssst: ... It isn't really a cloud. Its a bunch of big, giant servers.

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Assuming everything said here is true, see post #19, the part about earlier installations.

I appreciate you investigating this. I don't quite understand your explanation about there being keys left in the registry saying not to install Chrome. If such a key had been there, then how could Chrome have been installed?

 

 

Also, it is easy to uninstall chrome or the google toolbar.

Perhaps, but it's the principle:

  1. No one wants stuff installed on their computer without permission.
  2. If one program was installed without warning, what's to say other programs weren't also covertly installed? How could I be completely sure? It's all just really creepy.
  3. Chrome may be harmless enough, but it could just as easily have been something more spammy like GeekBuddy.
  4. It's not always easy to completely remove certain programs, even some big-name apps can behave almost like viruses. (For example, I once tried removing iTunes from a machine and found it almost impossible.)
  5. Some people are very wary of big, pervasive, data-collecting companies like Google. We all use their websites, but not everyone necessarily wants to give them free access to their computer. The companies we allow to install things on our computer must be a personal choice.
  6. I was particularly offended by the fact that Chrome made itself my default browser! I've installed a lot of browsers in my time but never has a browser done this without even asking! That really made me angry. I am still angry about this. It is totally wrong for an installer to do this.
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You have still not explained just why you were taking screenshots of every stage of the process BEFORE you got the alleged unwanted 'silent' Chrome download.

I'm still asking the same question?

*** Out of Beer Error ->->-> Recovering Memory ***

Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/52668-tracking-files/?tab=comments#comment-300043

 

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It's actually much simpler than it sounds. 

None of the exes mentioned in this topic would have installed anything extra without a warning (offer to decline). 

 

Soooo, what about poor old nukecad's question?

The CCleaner SLIM version is always released a bit after any new version; when it is it will be HERE :-)

Pssssst: ... It isn't really a cloud. Its a bunch of big, giant servers.

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