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How Do I Stop CCleaner Portable v5.76 From Automatically Checking for Updates?


lmacri

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I run CCleaner Free Portable from a removable USB stick a few times a month.  I launched CCleaner v5.75.8269 today at ~ 9:43 AM and was prompted to download the latest v5.76.8269 (rel. 13-Jan-2021).  After the update finished I noticed that I now have a new file called CCUpdate.exe on my USB stick...

616156987_CCleanerPortablev5_75_8238CCUpdate_exe14Jan2021.png.9a8f536752f6c2c18e16feeb6f49721c.png

... and there appears to be a new task called CCleaner Update in Task Scheduler that is scheduled to run at least three times a day (once at every boot-up, plus twice a day at 9:43 AM and 9:43 PM) to look for an available update.

1702311365_CCleanerPortablev5_75_8238CCUpdateTaskTaskScheduler14Jan2021.thumb.png.ddd8c79476b86c36fbbcccb9ab3259e3.png

 

Are the CCUpdate.exe file and CCleaner Update task in Task Scheduler part of the the Emergency Updater introduced in CCleaner v5.36 (see the Oct 2017 ghacks.net article CCleaner 5.36 Emergency Updater) for installed versions of CCleaner (i.e., the "standard" and Slim builds)?  This Emergency Updater was never included in my earlier versions of CCleaner Portable.

I would prefer to have this automatic update check either completely disabled or configure CCleaner Portable so that update checks only runs when I launch CCleaner, and don't want this background update check running multiple times a day (especially when I don't use an installed version of CCleaner and my USB stick is rarely plugged in).  Going forward, do I have to delete the CCUpdate.exe file from my USB stick and delete the CCleaner Update task in Task Scheduler every time I update to a newer version of CCleaner Portable and then run a check for updates manually, or is there a simpler solution?

Here are my current CCleaner settings at Options | Updates. The option to "Keep CCleaner updated automatically" is always disabled, and enabling / disabling the option to "Send notifications when there is a new version of CCleaner" doesn't seem to have any affect on the CCleaner Update task in Task Scheduler.

1800828354_CCleanerPortablev5_75_8238AutomaticUpdateSettings14Jan2021.png.eea0e1ef48caddd0ead5d25d4a4acba9.png

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v1909 build 18363.1256 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1130 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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Yes, CCupdate.exe is the emergency updater, and creates that task to check for emergency updates.
(You can delete them).

But it's not in the Portable version that I have downloaded here:
image.png

It looks that what has happened is that by using the updater you have installed regular CCleaner onto your USB stick.

I believe that is what the update would do; I think that as far as the updater is concerned you just have regular CCleaner Free installed at a non-standard location (the USB stick) and so it will install the new version there.

There again, as far as I am aware Portable would always do that if you updated from within CCleaner Portable itself.
It could be a bigger problem now if you left Automatic Updated ticked in the portable so that it did it itself rather than just prompting you.

To avoid that happening in future ignore the update prompt and download the new Portable from the Builds page as you would previously have done.
Make sure you turn off Automatic Updating in the new Portable version.

@Dave CCleaner any comment about this?

 

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Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
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3 hours ago, nukecad said:

Yes, CCupdate.exe is the emergency updater, and creates that task to check for emergency updates....It looks that what has happened is that by using the updater you have installed regular CCleaner onto your USB stick...

Hi nukecad:

Just FYI, here's the prompt I saw today when I launched the previous CCleaner Free Portable v5.75.8269 (rel. 10-Dec-2020) today from my USB stick.  I clicked "Update Now " to accept the update.

1782967970_CCleanerPortablev5_75_8238AutomaticUpdatePrompt14Jan2021.png.b6c3fd045aefba09724b44844c93fea5.png

How exactly would I know if I installed a "regular" version of CCleaner?  I checked at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features and there is no CCleaner program listed there, and no uninstaller at D:\Portable\CCleaner (the folder on my USB stick where I normally saved and unzipped  the ccsetup5xx.zip file for CCleaner v5.75 and earlier) that I can run to uninstall the program and remove that CCleaner Update task from Task Scheduler

As far as I can tell I still have the Portable build of CCleaner Free, but the built-in updater for CCleaner Free Portable v5.75 seems to have added the Emergency Updater during today's update to  v5.76.8269.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v1909 build 18363.1256 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1130 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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Just confirming that, as expected, the scheduled CCleaner Update task is failing with a 0x80070002 error every time it launches.  I presume this is because my USB stick (normally assigned as D:\ drive) is rarely plugged in and the task can't find the Emergency Updater executable at D:\Portable\CCleaner\CCUpdate.exe.

704131249_CCleanerPortablev5_76_823869CCUpdateTaskTaskSchedulerError0x8007000214Jan2021.thumb.png.5869da1c1304f89cbd0f555a78d08712.png

I don't want the Emergency Updater running on my system, and that is the main reason I switched from the installed version of CCleaner to the portable build a few years ago.  It's also a complete waste of system resources to have this CCleaner Update task running and failing multiple times a day on my system.

And before anyone asks, I do understand the intended purpose of the Emergency Updater.  I was one of the 32-bit users who had "stage one" of the Floxif trojan installed on my computer when I ran the CCleaner Free v5.33 installer in September 2017 (see my post <here> in the Norton forum).
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v1909 build 18363.1256 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1130 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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I think that we all agree that this shouldn't be happening with the portable.

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I haven't heard from Dave CCleaner or any of the other Avast / Piriform employees yet, but if Avast / Piriform can't reproduce this problem with CCleaner Free Portable v5.75 I should mention that I created an outbound block in my Windows Firewall rules for CCleaner64.exe  (located on my USB thumb drive at D:\Portable\CCleaner\CCleaner64.exe) in October 2020 at Settings | Update & Security | Windows Security | Firewall & Network Protection | Advanced Settings |Outbound Rules | New Rule.  I don't know if that's relevant but it might be affecting how the built-in software updater (introduced in v5.74 per the version history <here>) works on my Win 10 machine.  Perhaps that outbound block prevents the automatic updater from determining that I use a Portable version of CCleaner Free that does not need the Emergency Updater and/or from determining what settings I use in CCleaner for the automatic updater at Options | Updates (shown in my image <above>).

2070241974_WindowsFirewallCCleaner64_exeOutboundConnectionBlock07Oct2020.thumb.png.01f3670ebb4f5e4128aa9dddf562507a.png

I skipped the v5.74 update because it was so buggy and updated from CCleaner Portable v5.73 to v5.75 using the "old-fashioned" method (i.e., I unzipped the ccsetup575.zip file and overwrote older files).  I only noticed this problem with the addition of the Emergency Updater when I allowed the built-in software updater in v5.75 to update me to v5.76, but that might be because I skipped v5.74.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v1909 build 19041.746 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0.98-1.0.1146 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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2 hours ago, nikki605 said:

The update nags are getting really annoying.  I am using the Slim version.

Hi nikki605:

The update reminder you've been posting about in mpw101's How to Turn Off Nag to Update? isn't really the topic of this thread, although I admit I was surprised to see the prompt below asking me to update from v5.75.8269 (rel. 10-Dec-2020) to v5.76.8269 (rel. 13-Jan-2021) when I launched CCleaner Free Portable on 14-Jan-2021 given that my settings at Options | Updates to "Keep CCleaner updated automatically" and "Send notifications when there is a new version of CCleaner" are normally disabled.

1603325818_CCleanerPortablev5_75_8238AutomaticUpdatePrompt14Jan2021.png.7403659775ce52406da8685b1787092d.png

I deliberately chose the option to Update Now because I wanted to update CCleaner Portable to v5.76.8269.  My problem is that the new built-in software updater (added to all CCleaner Free builds in v5.74) delivered a "new" (at least new to me) file called CCUpdate.exe and created a task called CCleaner Update in Task Scheduler (note that this scheduled CCleaner Update task always fails because CCupdate.exe is located on a removable USB stick that is rarely plugged in to my computer). Moderator nukecad confirmed <above> that this CCUpdate.exe is the Emergency Updater introduced in CCleaner v5.36 for the installed (Standard and Slim) builds of CCleaner, but this Emergency Updater has never been included with CCleaner Portable.  If you download the latest ccsetup576.zip file for the Portable build from https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/builds and unzip that file you will see that this .zip file does not include CCUpdate.exe.

For clarity, I have no objection if one of the Moderators wants to change the title of this thread to something like "Software Updater in CCleaner Portable v5.75 Is Adding Emergency Updater CCUpdate.exe".  When I originally created my thread I wasn't really sure the scheduled CCleaner Update task in Task Scheduler had anything to do with the Emergency Updater.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v2004 build 19041.746 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1146 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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On 21/01/2021 at 17:27, lmacri said:

  I only noticed this problem with the addition of the Emergency Updater when I allowed the built-in software updater in v5.75 to update me to v5.76,

As I said above:

Quote

...  by using the updater you have installed regular CCleaner onto your USB stick.

The Portable is not meant to be updated through CCleaner itself because that will do an install, you have to update Portable yourself by downloading a new Portable zip each time there is a new version.
You unzip  a new Portable, you don't update/install it.

It's preciscely because you updated/installed from within CCleaner that you got the emergency updater, etc.
Instead you should have downloaded a new zip and then unzipped it to you USB stick. (To overwrite the old one).

To clear up what you have done by using the update from within CCleaner you will now need to uninstall CCleaner, (clear the registry of anything CCleaner related), and then download a new Portable zip and unzip it to your USB stick.

EDIT.
The new Automatic Updater will inform you that there is an update available, and even Automatically Update, unless you turn those options off.
It will do that even in the Portable, because Portable is exactly the same as the standard CCleaner, just not installed.
There again the Portable is meant for Advanced users, who should know about that and know to turn those options off in the Portable.
TBH CCleaner Portable is mainly intended for use on machines that don't have an internet connection so can't downlaod CCleaner, such machines wouldn't be able to update anyway.

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

Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
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1 hour ago, nukecad said:

...The Portable is not meant to be updated through CCleaner itself because that will do an install, you have to update Portable yourself by downloading a new Portable zip each time there is a new version...

Hi nukecad:

Has @Dave CCleaner or one  other Avast / Piriform employees confirmed that CCleaner Portable is not meant to be updated using the built-in software updater?  The release notes <here> for v5.74.8198 (released 11-Nov-2020)  say "Updates to CCleaner will now be applied automatically in CCleaner Free" but I've never seen a warning anywhere that using the built-in software updater will corrupt CCleaner Free Portable by adding the Emergency Updater.  I know many CCleaner Free users who switched from the installed Standard/Slim builds to the Portable build when the Emergency Updater was introduced in v5.36 in October 2017 and I'm sure there are even a few "advanced" users who didn't realize what would happen if they clicked "Update Now " when the new built-in software updater prompted them to update to v5.76.8269.

I have no problem continuing to update my CCleaner Portable by unzipping the ccsetup5xx.zip files and manually replacing older file versions, but perhaps Avast / Piriform needs to change something so that Portable CCleaner users who have the portable.dat file in the same folder as as CCleaner.exe and/or CCleaner64.exe files either can't update automatically or can't add the Emergency Updater (i.e., can't download CCUpdate.exe and add the the CCleaner Update task in Task Scheduler).  Perhaps the time has comes so that the CCleaner.exe and CCleaner64.exe files inside ccsetup5xx.zip are modified (i.e., are slightly different from the executables in the Standard and Slim builds) so that the built-in software updater isn't included in the CCleaner Portable executables.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v2004 build 19041.746 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1146 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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2 hours ago, lmacri said:

Hi nukecad:

Has @Dave CCleaner or one  other Avast / Piriform employees confirmed that CCleaner Portable is not meant to be updated using the built-in software updater?  The release notes <here> for v5.74.8198 (released 11-Nov-2020)  say "Updates to CCleaner will now be applied automatically in CCleaner Free" but I've never seen a warning anywhere that using the built-in software updater will corrupt CCleaner Free Portable by adding the Emergency Updater.

No, and they shouldn't need to because that is the way that the Portable has always worked, even before the new update system.
And the change hasn't 'corrupted' CCleaner Portable in the slightest.

As I said Portable is exactly the same as CCleaner Free.
It isn't a 'special' version, it's the same programme just not installed. (So it doesn't put in the installation stuff like registry entries and the emergency updater).
To make changes specifically to apply only to a portable version would mean creating a whole new version.

Even before the new updater if you clicked 'Check for Updates' in Portable (as you might do with Free) and then accepted any update offered it would install CCleaner on that machine.

The only difference between what used to happen then and what happens now is that Automatic Updates have now been added to Free - So you have to be sure to turn them off if you are going to be using Portable on an internet connected machine.

In this case though it wasn't an Automatic Update - CCleaner Portable told you there was a newer version (because you hadn't unticked 'Notify me of updates') and then you told it to update, and so install, by clicking the 'Update Now' button.
Doing that would always have installed CCleaner, even before Automatic Updates for Free were introduced.

Again CCleaner Portable is primarily meant as an Admin/Advanced User tool so that you can use CCleaner on a machine that has no internet connection and can't download/install CCleaner; and with no internet connection Portable wouldn't/couldn't update anyway.
If you are going to use CCleaner Portable on an internet connected machine - which you might want to do when cleaning/repairing someone elses machine - then you have to careful not to update it or it will install - that has always been the case.

Fair enough, it does sometimes take any of us time to work how things are supposed to happen.
When we do then we don't make the same mistakes again, and hopefully pass our learning on.

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

Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
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Rather it's a bug, or intended behavior what I'd personally do is input that updater .exe file into CCleaner Portable's Include settings and have it kill it automatically whenever it gets added - but that wouldn't do anything for removing the Scheduled Task. Or craft a batch *.bat file and place it in the root of the USB flash drive that will delete it.

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You can have both the emergency updater and the associated Scheduled Task set as Includes, I have them both as Includes in my installed CCleaner Pro to remove them following any update.

However that is not going to alter the fact that the Portable is simply CCleaner Free that hasn't been installed, and updating it from within CCleaner (rather than downloading and unzipping the new version) will install the new version.
If you don't update/install it then the emergency updater and task won't be there to remove anyway.

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Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
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on my portable v5.75 is not a file "ccupdater..." also not with internetaccess and also is not create a task.

Versions of CCleaner Cloud; Introduction Ccleaner Cloud;

Ccleaner-->System-Requirements; Ccleaner FAQ´s; Ccleaner builds; Scheduling Ccleaner Free

 

Es ist möglich, keine Fehler zu machen und dennoch zu verlieren. Das ist kein Zeichen von Schwäche. Das ist das Leben -> "Picard"

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Thanks to the Forum Mods for their suggested workarounds, but I think we've already established that I can delete the unwanted Emergency Updater (i.e., the CCUpdate.exe file and scheduled CCleaner Update task) or just stay with my previous method of updating to a new version of CCleaner Portable by unzipping the ccsetup5xx.zip file from https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/builds and replacing all the older files except ccleaner.ini.

The reason I created this thread is because I wanted to know if Avast / Piriform is aware that the Emergency Updater is added to CCleaner Free Portable v5.76 when users update using the new built-in software updater (introduced in CCleaner Free v5.74 in Nov 2020) and what they plan to do about it.  That is something only an Avast / Piriform employee can tell me.

If Avast did not intend to add the Emergency Updater to CCleaner Free Portable when the built-in software updater is run then this problem should be fixed.  If that means tweaking, disabling or completely removing the built-in software updater from the Portable build then I'm fine with that.

If Avast did intend to add the Emergency Updater to CCleaner Free Portable when the built-in software updater is run then I would appreciate if someone from Avast / Piriform could explain why they believe it's necessary to trigger the scheduled CCleaner Update task every 12 hours (and at every boot-up).  Most CCleaner Free Portable users run CCleaner from a removable USB stick, and the CCleaner Update task will repeatedly fail when that USB stick is unplugged and the Emergency Updater (CCUpdate.exe) cannot be located.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v2004 build 19041.746 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1146 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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Fair enough I am a moderator and not an employee; but an employee can't tell you any differently.

Again - this is the way that CCleaner (even the portable) is intended to work when you install it by updating from within CCleaner itself, - it is not a bug.

If you want to use the uninstalled Portable as an advanced user then never update it from within CCleaner itself.

If you are an advanced user you should already know that.

Sorry, but I don't know how to say it any clearer - don't update from within CCleaner if you don't want it to be installed.

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

Worried about 'Tracking Files'? Worried about why some files come back after cleaning? See this link:
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7 hours ago, nukecad said:

...If you want to use the uninstalled Portable as an advanced user then never update it from within CCleaner itself. If you are an advanced user you should already know that...

HI nukecad:

How would I know that?  The built-in automatic updater was just added to CCleaner Free products in v5.74 (rel. Nov 2020 per the version history <here> which states "Updates to CCleaner will now be applied automatically in CCleaner Free") and I'd never seen the pop-up below until I plugged in my USB stick on 14-Jan-2021 and launched CCleaner Portable v5.75 by double-clicking CCleaner64.exe.  I clicked the "Update Now" button because this was the first time I'd ever seen that prompt and was curious to see if the automatic updater would work correctly (which it didn't - something I've tried to report repeatedly in this thread without success).

1950528772_CCleanerPortablev5_75_8238AutomaticUpdatePrompt14Jan2021.png.aeec2c0aecc47be0ab7037aa1453266f.png

I don't know if it's relevant, but I never used CCleaner Portable v5.74 because there were multiple bugs reported for that version, and I skipped from v5.73 (rel. 26-Oct-2020) to v5.75 (rel. 10-Dec-2020) (note that I unzipped ccsetup575.zip on 11-Dec-2020 in a new folder on my USB stick and started with a fresh ccleaner.ini file). That might be the reason why I've never seen this prompt before.

If there is a feature that doesn't work correctly in a software product then it should be fixed by the software developers.  You don't blame the customer for clicking on a button or choosing a configuration setting that should never appear in the user interface in first place if it's going to cause problems.  At least that's what I was taught when I studied system analysis and design and software programming at college.  This is a software design issue and has nothing to do with the technical expertise of the user.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v2004 build 19041.746 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1146 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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Portable programs that can auto-update or even notify is in a very grey area, most don't bother because it's an offense that more-or-less breaks the rules of being "portable". It's also a big no-no if a portable creates anything in C:\AppData or C:\ProgramData or the registry (unless it reliably auto-deletes the registry data it creates when exiting). So creating a Scheduled Task would put CC "Portable" on the list of doing a big no-no. Edit: Sometimes program developers seem to confuse Portable vs Standalone.

I solely use portable programs if one is available and have a small handful that can notify there's an updated version (usually that's a no-no), I always turn that off in them if it's enabled. The one exception is Firefox Portable ESR, I like that it can update itself instead of waiting for PortableApps.com to release an .exe file that's near 100mb, and it's a significantly smaller download.

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6 hours ago, Andavari said:

Portable programs that can auto-update or even notify is in a very grey area, most don't bother because it's an offense that more-or-less breaks the rules of being "portable". It's also a big no-no if a portable creates anything in C:\AppData or C:\ProgramData or the registry (unless it reliably auto-deletes the registry data it creates when exiting). So creating a Scheduled Task would put CC "Portable" on the list of doing a big no-no. ...

I solely use portable programs if one is available and have a small handful that can notify there's an updated version (usually that's a no-no), I always turn that off in them if it's enabled...

Hi Andavari:

Thanks for you feedback, and I completely agree. Given that I always download my ccsetup5xx.zip files from the official CCleaner builds page at https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/builds, I'd still like to see the Avast / Piriform software developers modify the executables inside the official portable .zip build to remove the new built-in software updater - or at least prevent addition of the Emergency Updater‌ if the new software updater is accidentally (or even deliberately) run from CCleaner Portable.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see if Avast / Piriform is willing to make this change.

11 hours ago, lmacri said:

... (note that I unzipped ccsetup575.zip on 11-Dec-2020 in a new folder on my USB stick and started with a fresh ccleaner.ini file). That might be the reason why I've never seen this prompt before....

I noted <above> on 21-Jan-2021 that "my settings at Options | Updates to 'Keep CCleaner updated automatically' and 'Send notifications when there is a new version of CCleaner' are normally disabled") and I thought I had disabled all the settings at Options | Updates and Options | Privacy after creating the fresh ccleaner.ini file for CCleaner Portable v5.75, but I obviously missed disabling "Send notifications when there is a new version of CCleaner".  That setting has been disable now and I'm hoping I won't see the pop-up notification offering an update the next time a new version of CCleaner is released.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v2004 build 19041.746 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1146 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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Again this had nothing to do with the new Automatic Updates in Free - Other than the fact that 'New version' notification got turned on by default which I assume you had turned off before and is why you weren't seeing it.
(It's nothing to do with having v5.74 or not either).

It has always been the case that if you updated CCleaner from within the portable it would install the new version.
I'm not sure  if the 'new version' notification was on or off by default previously, I'd have to check that. EDIT- It was on by default, see my next post.

In that respect then as Andavari notes CCleaner Portable is not a 'true' portable version, it is merely the basic programme files packaged as a zip so that you can unzip them onto your computer, or on a USB stick, without installing anything.
In that respect it's a simple way for developers to make available a programme so that it can be used without installing it, but it is the standard programme not anything special and so will behave exactly the same as the standard programme does.
If using it you need to be aware of that and not use certain features such as 'Check for Updates' etc.

A truly portable version would have those certain standard features disabled.
But that means more work for the devs, developing and maintaining another variant of the basic programme.

And you should remember that there is always a 3rd option - stop providing the zip at all and only have the installed version. (That already seems to have happened with Defraggler, Recuva, and Speccy).

I do note that as things currently stand Automatic Updates and Update Notifications will now be enabled by default each time you unzip a new version of the portable (unless you have a .INI file where you unzip them to modify that) and you will now have to remember to disable Automatic Updates each time you unzip a new portable.

*** 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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To do some testing I've just unzipped/run the v5.62 portable and the notifications for product updates were enabled by default even back then.

I do note though that I also got a notification in the Windows notification area that v5.62 is now 17 versions out of date.
That notification is a different system and is issued as part of the changes in v5.75/5.76; Piriform are nudging everyone to get up to date if their Windows version allows it.

Is it that you saw which prompted you to update from within CCleaner and thus do an install?

*** 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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3 hours ago, nukecad said:

To do some testing I've just unzipped/run the v5.62 portable and the notifications for product updates were enabled by default even back then....Is it that you saw which prompted you to update from within CCleaner and thus do an install?

Hi nukecad:

You didn't post an image of the message you saw so I'm not sure what you're seeing, but I previously stated that the built-in automatic updater was only added to CCleaner Free products in v5.74 (see the v5.74 release notes at https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/version-history which states "Updates to CCleaner will now be applied automatically in CCleaner Free") so you won't be able to reproduce my results if you test with CCleaner Portable v5.62. If you want to try clicking "Update Now" in the new update prompt shown below you should test with CCleaner Portable v5.75.8238 (ccsetup575.exe, released 10-Dec-2020).  I'm guessing you'll also need to ensure the settings at Options | Updates are enabled in CCleaner Portable v5.75 if you want that update prompt to appear on your screen after CCleaner64.exe is launched (note that the prompt shown below appeared as a pop-up in the middle of the CCleaner interface, not as a notification message in my Win 10 notification area) .  If you can't find a copy of ccsetup575.zip you could try ccsetp574.zip but I skipped both the buggy v5.74.xxxx versions and can't guarantee the software updater in CCleaner Portable v5.74.xxxx will behave the same way as the software updater in v5.75.8238.

476151160_CCleanerPortablev5_75_8238AutomaticUpdatePrompt14Jan2021.png.29a3f4e2d2b52478749e3ac3779e4242.png

Prior to CCleaner v5.74 the "Check for Updates" link in the bottom-right corner of the interface of a Free product wouldn't offer to update your product.  If I recall correctly clicking that link would just run an online check for a newer version and then open your browser on a support page on the Piriform site that included release notes and a download link for the latest "standard" .exe installer (which couldn't be used by Portable users) if your Free product was out of date.

1047258164_CCleanerPortablev5_75CheckForUpdatesLinkinInterface24Jan2021.thumb.png.0a43a368e68c706a1f50aeb7834e130c.png

 

I should also mention that I posted a product suggestion in the CCleaner Suggestions board today at Prevent CCleaner Portable Updates From Adding the Emergency Updater , which is where I probably should have posted in the first place.  Perhaps I'll have better luck getting the attention of one of the Avast / Piriform employees over there.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v2004 build 19041.746 * Firefox v84.0.2 * Windows Defender v4.18.2011.6 * Malwarebytes Free v4.3.0-1.0.1146 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.76.8269
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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In case it wasn't already covered higher up in this thread, just a reminder that there is no separate "regular", "slim" or "portable" version of CCleaner.  Those terms apply to the installer wrapper (or lack thereof) around CCleaner Free.

CCleaner Free's own internal updating process can be configured via Options > Updates in CCleaner 5.50 and above.  For someone using CCleaner in a portable fashion off a USB stick where storing settings in the registry aren't going to be appropriate between different machines, Options > Advanced > Save all setting to INI file should do the trick to ensure that your preferences regarding notifications and update delivery remain persistent.

The "Emergency Updater" (CCUpdate.exe) is a separate process introduced in CCleaner 5.35 to spring into life exclusively for emergency situations, but to do so rapidly when it is required.  In the future we expect that most people will be automatically updating anyway, but we still arguably have a duty of care to the customers who don't.  CCUpdate.exe may still be the best way going forward, or we may find that implementing a runtime block is a more expedient solution.

Some users have deleted the CCUpdate.exe file on their computer.  I am not sure if I should be heartened by their confidence that CCleaner will never release a version requiring an emergency remedy, or concerned by their belief that Windows will never release an update that seriously breaks compatibility with utility software (again).  Either way, it is disabling the fuses and not recommended:

Don't do this : dankmemes

We'll take a look at the use case of updates of CCleaner Free on portable media.  In the interim, you may find that unchecking those update boxes and manually downloading ccsetupxxx.zip is the best option for you.  If you suspect that there are many other CCleaner Portable users with a similar requirement, feel free to add your suggestion to https://ideas.ccleaner.com/ to rustle up some public voting.

 

 

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I started getting spammed for an Update today in Windows 10. ... Finally checked ccleaner.ini and found UpdateAuto=1 by some sort of magic. I always check for UpdateAuto=0 & UpdateCheck=0 & UpdateBackground=0 & UpdateNotify=0. There is another entry, UpdateKey=01/01/2020 01:02:03 am which seems harmless = last time it spammed me. For those who are unaware, CC secretly hides from us:  CookiesToSave= ... *.avast.com|. Message to Avast: I paid real money to buy CCleaner for multiple computers and really don't like any form of spam. Since I have paid, I do get an EMAIL about once a month, notifying me of an Update, which is FINE. Getting spammed with a nag popup is NOT. Maybe for Freebie users, a popup is part of the price they pay for "free". BTW, there is nothing wrong with saving an Avast cookie as long as you disclose it to people. Hiding tracking cookies is immoral, unethgical, and ought to be illegal. Got it? Otherwise, still actively using CCleaner.

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