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CCleaner news: bad.


ComputerGuy

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I have taken on CCleaner before for its capacity to cause Windows to deteriorate when using its "registry cleaner" function, and I have been taken to task by those very few who say it helps them. To those, I wish only the best.

In the last couple of years, I've noticed that free anti-virus tools, the ones that start with the letter "A" (like Avast), have managed to get into bed with unscrupulous purveyors of malware: you install the AV program, and then you notice you have other programs that you did not ask for. In particular the "Ask" search engine which replaces Google... or any other search engine. Then, trying to uninstall these free programs will often fail.

Add now to the list of free downloads not to be trusted: CCleaner. It's been hacked, to distribute malware directly to its users. Interestingly, the parent company of CCleaner is, in fact, Avast. Notice the uptick in ransomware reports over the last yea: CCleaner has been singled out as depositing both ransomware and keyloggers (which steals your passwords) on user computers. Read the full story here: https://flipboard.com/@flipboard/-ccleaner-was-hacked-to-spread-malware-t/f-2259515584%2Fthenextweb.com

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I liked CCleaner at first. I must have used it for a year. Then all of a sudden I ran CCleaner and basically lost use of my Windows XP or 98 or something (it was quite a while ago) and with David Atherton's help had to start from zero and reload most everything including my operating system. thank you for sharing this latest problem with CCleaner. with us users.

 

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2 hours ago, Mainecoons said:

So CG what are you recommending we replace CCleaner with? Gracias!

There is no need to replace it; just uninstall it. All versions of Windows since Vista are particularly good at cleaning up after themselves, to the extent they can. There is no need to clean the registry as it takes care of itself (if interested, I can post a description of how CCleaner can erode that registry). No need to defrag: Windows does that itself.

However, for those who like CCleaner, make sure you don't use the registry cleaner function. The other "services" it provides can be done manually, but note that cookies are a good thing, and there is no need to even look at those. And I will add that any program that has been responsible for downloading malware to your computer should be avoided anyway.

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I"ve been using Auslogics defrag product for years.... recently it went missing. Norton deleted it. I re-installed, Norton deleted. I checked into why and found that it is doing/allowing bad things as suggested above by CG.  And I've never 'trusted' anything to mess with the Registry. Just me, but....

So now I just let Windows 10 do its thing....

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9 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

There is no need to replace it; just uninstall it. All versions of Windows since Vista are particularly good at cleaning up after themselves, to the extent they can. There is no need to clean the registry as it takes care of itself (if interested, I can post a description of how CCleaner can erode that registry). No need to defrag: Windows does that itself.

However, for those who like CCleaner, make sure you don't use the registry cleaner function. The other "services" it provides can be done manually, but note that cookies are a good thing, and there is no need to even look at those. And I will add that any program that has been responsible for downloading malware to your computer should be avoided anyway.

So.... I forget. Does Vista pre-date or come after Windows 7 (which is what I have)?  Need to know so I can uninstall CC if needed.  Gracias.

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I'm saying uninstall the program no matter when you got it, regardless of whether an update carried the malware with it or not. That's just one more reason to bin it forever. It's registry cleaner is a dangerous hack. "Microsoft does not support the use of registry cleaners."

Digital Snake Oil:  https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/2015/06/digital-snake-oil/

Why using a registry cleaner won't speed up your PC or fix crashes:  https://www.howtogeek.com/171633/why-using-a-registry-cleaner-wont-speed-up-your-pc-or-fix-crashes/

PC Cleaning apps are a scam; here's why, and how to speed up your PC: https://www.howtogeek.com/162683/pc-cleaning-apps-are-a-scam-heres-why-and-how-to-speed-up-your-pc/

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I believe I'm correct in saying there is no longer any need to "clean" Windows registry entries.

In the old days the registry had a maximum size and an archaic method to access those entries. Once the registry was full you were forced to clean out the dead in order to make room for new values. That's no longer true. The registry can grow as needed so unless you have limited space on your C: drive you won't face the bad news that was possible on XP and earlier versions of the OS.

Anyone who has written programs for PCs knows that access to the registry is direct. All entries are what is called indexed so that if a program needs to get to required data, it gets it using a locater key. No longer is there a need to pass through tons of junk to find the needed values.

As time goes by the registry grows and a lot of it contains data no longer needed to operate the computer but in the end the orphaned data has little impact on programs still needing access to the good stuff.

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I still use CCleaner but I never have used the registry cleaner feature, just the file cleaner. I like to be able to control which cookies that are deleted. I use other software to clean the registry, along with other cleaning, updating and optimization, like drivers.

I guess I am old school, why leave any junk around? Any software/system can be hacked. You just have to regularly check them. I try to avoid free software.

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On 9/30/2017 at 2:31 PM, Tiny said:

CG, do you have pro/con comments about IObit software? 

I have nothing against them in general, but I don't use or need their stuff. Windows Defender is my recommended antivirus tool, and I have yet to hear anything lab-tested that prevents malware, so their anti-malware holds no hope for me. Their cleaner is unnecessary and potentially dangerous, as is any software that purports to clean your registry. And as an aside, I leave my cookies alone; they provide all kinds of ease-of-use features. Driver Booster is just bad, and Uninstaller is not very good.

But since I eschew all of this free stuff, based on past usage, I can't tell you what it's really like today. For most users, effects will probably be negligible. In principal, I am against any software that relies on fear.

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42 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

I have nothing against them in general, but I don't use or need their stuff. Windows Defender is my recommended antivirus tool, and I have yet to hear anything lab-tested that prevents malware, so their anti-malware holds no hope for me. Their cleaner is unnecessary and potentially dangerous, as is any software that purports to clean your registry. And as an aside, I leave my cookies alone; they provide all kinds of ease-of-use features. Driver Booster is just bad, and Uninstaller is not very good.

But since I eschew all of this free stuff, based on past usage, I can't tell you what it's really like today. For most users, effects will probably be negligible. In principal, I am against any software that relies on fear.

I just think you may want to know, the article:

https://www.howtogeek.com/162683/pc-cleaning-apps-are-a-scam-heres-why-and-how-to-speed-up-your-pc/

recommends CCleaner.

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I just use LINUX.  That solves the whole problem of Bill Gates system.

I bought a used HP laptop that ran hot.  Tried everything including replacing the fan.  Put Linux on and the problem went away.  Linus is much lighter than W7

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5 hours ago, Tiny said:

I just think you may want to know, the article:

https://www.howtogeek.com/162683/pc-cleaning-apps-are-a-scam-heres-why-and-how-to-speed-up-your-pc/

recommends CCleaner.

You will find lots and lots of Web pages that recommend it. Why, I don't know. I have hands-on experience with hundreds upon hundreds of computers damaged by it. But that is not the point of this warning: this warning is about the fact that the software allowed malware to be delivered onto many computers.

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