No more Excel, Word & Outlook after de-installing CCleaner

[Denden1978]

I've installed the latest version ( 6.02). Since that time i no longer can open Excel and Word files and Outlook.

If i de-install CCleaner and open a excel file, it says that the file cannot be found, but it is still on the desktop!??  File excel.exe is still in  the right folder but cannot be found?

 

Any ideas?

 

[redwolfe_98]

apparently there is a conflict between the avira antivirus program and ccleaner where running ccleaner causes the avira program to "remove" many EXE files.

see this thread:

https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/63390-ccleaner-corrupting-program-files/

to resolve the problem, if you are wanting to continue using the avira antivirus program, in ccleaner's "options," add the "sentry_temp" folder at "c:\windows\temp\sentry_temp" to ccleaner's "exclude" list. see if that resolves the problem.

meanwhile, regarding programs that are no longer working, others who have experienced the same problem have said that they had to reinstall the programs in order to restore the missing/"corrupted" files. again, refer back to the thread that i posted, above.

[Denden1978]

for the exclusion part: i don't have such file in c:\windows\temp

[nukecad]

2 hours ago, Denden1978 said:

for the exclusion part: i don't have such file in c:\windows\temp

But you are using Avari Free Security? (if so you may find that other programmes have also been affected).

Do you have "Hidden Items" turned on in File Explorer'sView menu?

Note that this Avira problem is not just seen with CCleaner, it has also been reported as happening with other cleaning tools, and on Avira's own forum.

If any cleaning removes that Avira temporary folder (which should only contain temporary files) then Avira will 'wipe' programme executables.
The excecutable file(s) is still there but it is empty.
(It seems to be programmes that have been run since you installed, or maybe since you last updated, Avira that are affected but that is not yet confirmed).

As Redwolfe_98 says the only currently known soultion if it happens to you is to reinstall the affected programmes.
If you contine to use Avira and a cleaning tool then you have to make that "C:\windows\temp\sentry_temp" an exclusion in the cleaning tool.

Personally I would be uninstalling the Avira and either letting Windows Defender (Windows Security) protect my system, or getting a different 3rd party AV.
An Antivirus should not be 'breaking' programme files when something simply cleans a temporary folder.
Defender will turn itself on when you uninstall Avira.
Windows Defender (Windows Security) has improved over the years and now does as well as most of the top paid for AV's in testing, and outperforms all but a few free AV's.
https://www.trustedreviews.com/versus/windows-defender-vs-third-party-antivirus-4206380

 

[Denden1978]

7 hours ago, nukecad said:

But you are using Avari Free Security? (if so you may find that other programmes have also been affected).

Do you have "Hidden Items" turned on in File Explorer'sView menu?

Note that this Avira problem is not just seen with CCleaner, it has also been reported as happening with other cleaning tools, and on Avira's own forum.

If any cleaning removes that Avira temporary folder (which should only contain temporary files) then Avira will 'wipe' programme executables.
The excecutable file(s) is still there but it is empty.
(It seems to be programmes that have been run since you installed, or maybe since you last updated, Avira that are affected but that is not yet confirmed).

As Redwolfe_98 says the only currently known soultion if it happens to you is to reinstall the affected programmes.
If you contine to use Avira and a cleaning tool then you have to make that "C:\windows\temp\sentry_temp" an exclusion in the cleaning tool.

Personally I would be uninstalling the Avira and either letting Windows Defender (Windows Security) protect my system, or getting a different 3rd party AV.
An Antivirus should not be 'breaking' programme files when something simply cleans a temporary folder.
Defender will turn itself on when you uninstall Avira.
Windows Defender (Windows Security) has improved over the years and now does as well as most of the top paid for AV's in testing, and outperforms all but a few free AV's.
https://www.trustedreviews.com/versus/windows-defender-vs-third-party-antivirus-4206380

 

I am not using Avira, just Defender

[nukecad]

OK, so your is a different issue.

If you are clicking an excel file to open it and it isn't opening then it may simply be the file association that has somehow been lost.
That's easy to put back, but to find out if that is the problem then try this first:

What happens if you go to the file location (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\...etc) in File Explorer and double click excel.exe?
Does excel open?

[hazelnut]

@Denden1978

Are you using the registry cleaning part of CCleaner?

[Denden1978]

7 minutes ago, hazelnut said:

@Denden1978

Are you using the registry cleaning part of CCleaner?

Yes i do

 

[Denden1978]

1 hour ago, nukecad said:

OK, so your is a different issue.

If you are clicking an excel file to open it and it isn't opening then it may simply be the file association that has somehow been lost.
That's easy to put back, but to find out if that is the problem then try this first:

What happens if you go to the file location (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\...etc) in File Explorer and double click excel.exe?
Does excel open?

Nope , won't open. Only if i use right click--. administrator

[hazelnut]

11 hours ago, Denden1978 said:

Yes i do

 

It may be an idea for you to stop cleaning the registry as you are possibly cleaning something that those files need to run.

You will need to re-install those files and then use CCleaner without cleaning the registry to see if all is well then (which is unnecessary on modern machines anyway )

 

[nukecad]

If the apps will run as administrator then I don't beilive that you need to reinstall them.

They are obviously still there if they will run as admin, so it's a permissions issue if they won't run as a standard user.

Reinstalling should reset the permissions, but there may be an easier way(s).

Try this first; (do it from an Admin account).

1. Go back into Program Files and right click on Excel.exe
2. Select 'Properties' and go to the 'Compatibility' tab.
3. Click 'Change settings for all users'.
4. Under 'Settings' see if 'Run this program as an Administrator' is ticked, if so then untick it and 'Apply'.
5. 'OK' your way out of the Properties windows.
6. Restart your machine, use Restart not Shutdown. (a restart may not be needed but best to do it anyway).).
7. Try opening Excel again as a standard user user.

[Denden1978]

On 15/08/2022 at 18:28, nukecad said:

OK, so your is a different issue.

If you are clicking an excel file to open it and it isn't opening then it may simply be the file association that has somehow been lost.
That's easy to put back, but to find out if that is the problem then try this first:

What happens if you go to the file location (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\...etc) in File Explorer and double click excel.exe?
Does excel open?

Nope. Only when i use open as administrator

After uninstalling Ccleaner , i get the message Excel.exe not found.  I Uninstalled reinstalled Office but the messages stays

[nukecad]

Uninstalling CCleaner is not going to change you permissions for Excel in any way at all.

If the problem is persisting after you have uninstalled/reinstalled Office then it's something other than CCleaner causing it anyway.

Did you do the 7 steps that I gave you above?

If you have then:
Do the 7 steps above again only this time under 'Settings' tick the 'Run this program as an Administrator' and then 'Apply'.

What we are trying to do here is toggle the setting off and on again (with a restart after each change) to try and 'give it a shake'.

[Denden1978]

I tried your 7 steps, but nothing changed. Cannot find Excel.exe

 

[Denden1978]

Problem is solved with film below: 

 

[nukecad]

Good to hear you found it.

The 'mitigation' registry entry he deletes seems to be something to do with Windows Security exploit protection, I'm not sure how that got scrambled but the fact that it's worth making  a video shows that it can't be a rare occurence.