I used the link at lower right corner of ccleaner's start page to update to the latest version yesterday. That seemed to work as it had always done in the past, but when I cold booted this morning I unexpectedly had Avast installed on my Win 7 PC. (I use MSE.)
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any options to select/unselect installing Avast. And needless to say, Avast made it very difficult to uninstall it. Almost everything I tried gave "Access Denied".
I finally got it uninstalled but their built-in uninstaller left 309 registry keys and 130 files and folders on my hard drive. What a mess!
And worse, all my previous system restore points were deleted, so I couldn't simply use one of them to get rid of Avast. Even the restore point automatically set earlier yesterday by MSE when it installed its latest update was deleted.
(Apologies to Ron: I tried posting this a few days ago, but it "vanished" into the realm of Dell's "Twilight Zone".... and I wasn't in the mood to "recreate" it, until reading your post here.)
Some remarks:
- Where appropriate, CCleaner Free may recommend improvements to your system’s antivirus protection
Note that CCleaner is now owned by avast (which also owns AVG), so presumably CCleaner's recommend[ed] improvements to your system’s antivirus protection may simply be a "plug"/nag to use avast and its various features. Proceed with caution.
On a related note, installing/updating avast is now automatically updating "older" versions of CCleaner to the latest version:
We [Avast] have decided to upgrade all outdated CCleaner versions (v1.xx - v5.20) to the latest version. Portable versions were excluded. The reason is that old CCleaner version may not work as expected for for the latest software (your CCleaner is old, but users expect it will work perfectly also for e.g. latest Chrome which is updated every 6 weeks), maintenance of the latest version is much more easier for both developers and support and also from possible security issues.
==================
New comment: As Ron just documented, it seems that the opposite is also happening --- that some people, upon installing CCleaner, are finding that avast came bundled with it... DISGRACEFUL :-( I don't know if there was an opt-out that you missed, or if was actually forced on you. I'm assuming you used the regular build, and that (hopefully) the SLIM build, if/when available, wouldn't be culpable.
Yes, the magical mysteries of this forum's "twilight zone", which are almost as good as the ones from Microsoft. :Stickouttongue:
I understand ccleaner is now owned by Avast, but I never saw any nags to improve my antiviral status from ccleaner. I clicked the link to check for updates that's on ccleaner's main page and it opened this web page.
I clicked No Thanks on that page and it took me here. I clicked Download under the "Free" column and went here where I clicked the green Download Latest Version button at top of that page. Nowhere is there a single mention of AVG being included.
I launched the setup .exe that downloaded and selected the Customize option to choose my preferences, but -again- not a single mention of AVG anywhere.
Bottom line, this is becoming malware that installs unwanted/unnecessary stuff without permission. So I'll be removing ccleaner from all 3 of my PCs and never installing it ever again.
Maybe the link you posted doesn't secretly install AVG on systems that don't already have it, but the link on the ccleaner start page led me down that path, so this is a warning to other users who don't have or want AVG...
And what gave them the right to delete my System Restore points, which I know were there beforehand???
EDIT: And yes, I know the links I followed took me to a download from filehippo.com but that's no excuse since the trail started from inside ccleaner.
Ron, if I had experienced your foistware, I also would delete everything Avast/CCleaner.
I just now successfully downloaded the latest version of CCleaner, starting at their website, but redirected to download.com (not filehippo). During the installation process I did a custom install, and unchecked the usual pre-checked garbage add-ons (Google Chrome and Google toolbar).
No mention of my AV or security improvements was seen, and my real-time Panda Dome AV and Malwarebytes 3 remain intact after a reboot of my Win 10 system.
I still recommend that folks wait for the Slim version. I only jumped the gun this time to see if I could replicate your experience.
And I just noticed that CCleaner updated "itself" 2 days ago --- AGAIN --- to the version 5.41... I had been keeping 5.08 on this particular system... and it's (at least) the second time I've experienced a non-approved update :-( I had unchecked all related options I could find in both CCleaner and in avast.
EDIT: Looking around my system, I found a new "Scheduled Task", CCleaner Update, to run the CCUpdate.exe every time I boot my system. I know that task was NOT present the last time I checked there. I have DISabled the task, and deleted the associated file (which I had already done a while back).
Whether this is somehow being done through CCleaner itself --- or (in my case) more likely via avast --- this behavior is repulsive.
@joe53 - Thanks for your comments. I don't think you replicated my route to update ccleaner starting with the link in ccleaner itself. It's possible the update coming via filehippo automatically includes AVG but versions from elsewhere don't. I'm NOT recommending anyone try that route because it might get you/them into the mess I was in yesterday.
And it was an even bigger mess than I thought. I ran Avast's own cleaner tool, but about a dozen files and folders were not removed. And I couldn't just delete them because they were owned exclusively by Trusted Installer. I had to find a way to take ownership of them by my Admin account. That wasn't as easy as it sounds because most attempts were greeted with "Access Denied". Finally figured out the multi-step process to take ownership from Trusted Installer and get rid of those pesky things. But...I was only able to find leftovers that have "avast" in their name. If some other leftovers are named differently, I'd have no way to identify them. And not having any system restore points....
@ky331- I noticed the free ccleaner v5.36 was secretly setting a Scheduled Task to check for updates, even though I changed the program's settings to stop automatic updates. So they're getting really sneaky about these things and that makes removal of everything from ccleaner and avast even more appropriate, at least for me...
Out of curiosity, I just downloaded CCleaner, both from the Piriform site, as well as from FileHippo. Both executables were identical. So that's not a factor.
I opened the installer, and on the first page saw pre-checked options to 1) install Google Chrome, and make it my default browser, and 2) to also include Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer. I did not see any reference to avast here. At that point, i exited the installer rather than risk taking things any further.
I stopped at the first screen... perhaps, if I dared risk it, there might have been additional prompts/options, but I didn't want to take a chance here.
Given that a system should be running only ONE real-time anti-virus program, it is very disconcerting that CCleaner would attempt to install avast on a system that already had another anti-virus running (by user/administrator choice). That's basically malware attempting to force itself on you :-( Totally unacceptable. [Just imagine this happening on a work/business system, that had a central anti-virus client administered!]
The other way around --- of avast updating CCleaner --- isn't "nice" either... but at least, it shouldn't lead to conflicts with "another cleaning program" (in the way that two anti-virus programs might conflict with each other).
I did get a warning when I uninstalled AVG that MSE was "incompatible" with my Win 7, 32-bit system. So this was obviously a deliberateattempt to get me to use AVG.
I stopped at the first screen... perhaps, if I dared risk it, there might have been additional prompts/options, but I didn't want to take a chance here.
It's not worth the risk! I never saw any mention of AVG when the cclearer update was being installed, and I didn't get any of the Google junk installed along with ccleaner, so I obviously unchecked those boxes.
I never would intentionally allow AVG to be installed. And none of the linked pages I followed to install the update mentioned AVG, so it isn't like I accidentally clicked on some AVG installation link...
PCs are just little boxes into which we pour our valuable time... :Ick:
I attempted to recreate Ron's condition using a Win 7 laptop, using MSE. I then downloaded and installed the latest CCleaner version from the Piriform website (no redirect), after unchecking the add-ons. (No mention was made of installing Avast). The installation was clean.
However on another machine, the first page of the downloaded installer showed a pre-checked option to install Avast (even though Panda was installed and working well. A screen shot is here:
I stopped the install at that time. I went back to get more screenshots later, and the option to install Avast, Google Chrome and IE Google toolbar had disappeared. An attempt to coverup evidence of their slimy foistware?
I am freezing CCleaner at the current version, disabling the scheduled CCleaner Update and CCleanerSkipUAC in task scheduler. Since I don't use Avast, I suspect this will prevent further meddling with my s.ystems
joe53
2 Intern
•
5.8K Posts
0
April 23rd, 2018 23:00
I tried to download, with no success. (I have always waited for the "Slim Build" in the past.) Diversions and ads were very bad.
I strongly suggest waiting for the "Slim build".
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
April 25th, 2018 11:00
Danger, Will Robinson, danger...!
I used the link at lower right corner of ccleaner's start page to update to the latest version yesterday. That seemed to work as it had always done in the past, but when I cold booted this morning I unexpectedly had Avast installed on my Win 7 PC. (I use MSE.)
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any options to select/unselect installing Avast. And needless to say, Avast made it very difficult to uninstall it. Almost everything I tried gave "Access Denied".
I finally got it uninstalled but their built-in uninstaller left 309 registry keys and 130 files and folders on my hard drive. What a mess!
And worse, all my previous system restore points were deleted, so I couldn't simply use one of them to get rid of Avast. Even the restore point automatically set earlier yesterday by MSE when it installed its latest update was deleted.
What kind of nonsense is that..? :Angry:
ky331
3 Apprentice
•
15.6K Posts
0
April 25th, 2018 15:00
(Apologies to Ron: I tried posting this a few days ago, but it "vanished" into the realm of Dell's "Twilight Zone".... and I wasn't in the mood to "recreate" it, until reading your post here.)
Some remarks:
- Where appropriate, CCleaner Free may recommend improvements to your system’s antivirus protection
Note that CCleaner is now owned by avast (which also owns AVG), so presumably CCleaner's recommend[ed] improvements to your system’s antivirus protection may simply be a "plug"/nag to use avast and its various features. Proceed with caution.
On a related note, installing/updating avast is now automatically updating "older" versions of CCleaner to the latest version:
We [Avast] have decided to upgrade all outdated CCleaner versions (v1.xx - v5.20) to the latest version. Portable versions were excluded. The reason is that old CCleaner version may not work as expected for for the latest software (your CCleaner is old, but users expect it will work perfectly also for e.g. latest Chrome which is updated every 6 weeks), maintenance of the latest version is much more easier for both developers and support and also from possible security issues.
==================
New comment: As Ron just documented, it seems that the opposite is also happening --- that some people, upon installing CCleaner, are finding that avast came bundled with it... DISGRACEFUL :-( I don't know if there was an opt-out that you missed, or if was actually forced on you. I'm assuming you used the regular build, and that (hopefully) the SLIM build, if/when available, wouldn't be culpable.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
April 25th, 2018 16:00
Yes, the magical mysteries of this forum's "twilight zone", which are almost as good as the ones from Microsoft. :Stickouttongue:
I understand ccleaner is now owned by Avast, but I never saw any nags to improve my antiviral status from ccleaner. I clicked the link to check for updates that's on ccleaner's main page and it opened this web page.
I clicked No Thanks on that page and it took me here. I clicked Download under the "Free" column and went here where I clicked the green Download Latest Version button at top of that page. Nowhere is there a single mention of AVG being included.
I launched the setup .exe that downloaded and selected the Customize option to choose my preferences, but -again- not a single mention of AVG anywhere.
Bottom line, this is becoming malware that installs unwanted/unnecessary stuff without permission. So I'll be removing ccleaner from all 3 of my PCs and never installing it ever again.
Maybe the link you posted doesn't secretly install AVG on systems that don't already have it, but the link on the ccleaner start page led me down that path, so this is a warning to other users who don't have or want AVG...
And what gave them the right to delete my System Restore points, which I know were there beforehand???
EDIT: And yes, I know the links I followed took me to a download from filehippo.com but that's no excuse since the trail started from inside ccleaner.
joe53
2 Intern
•
5.8K Posts
0
April 25th, 2018 18:00
Ron, if I had experienced your foistware, I also would delete everything Avast/CCleaner.
I just now successfully downloaded the latest version of CCleaner, starting at their website, but redirected to download.com (not filehippo). During the installation process I did a custom install, and unchecked the usual pre-checked garbage add-ons (Google Chrome and Google toolbar).
No mention of my AV or security improvements was seen, and my real-time Panda Dome AV and Malwarebytes 3 remain intact after a reboot of my Win 10 system.
I still recommend that folks wait for the Slim version. I only jumped the gun this time to see if I could replicate your experience.
ky331
3 Apprentice
•
15.6K Posts
0
April 26th, 2018 04:00
And I just noticed that CCleaner updated "itself" 2 days ago --- AGAIN --- to the version 5.41... I had been keeping 5.08 on this particular system... and it's (at least) the second time I've experienced a non-approved update :-( I had unchecked all related options I could find in both CCleaner and in avast.
EDIT: Looking around my system, I found a new "Scheduled Task", CCleaner Update, to run the CCUpdate.exe every time I boot my system. I know that task was NOT present the last time I checked there. I have DISabled the task, and deleted the associated file (which I had already done a while back).
Whether this is somehow being done through CCleaner itself --- or (in my case) more likely via avast --- this behavior is repulsive.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
April 26th, 2018 10:00
@joe53 - Thanks for your comments. I don't think you replicated my route to update ccleaner starting with the link in ccleaner itself. It's possible the update coming via filehippo automatically includes AVG but versions from elsewhere don't. I'm NOT recommending anyone try that route because it might get you/them into the mess I was in yesterday.
And it was an even bigger mess than I thought. I ran Avast's own cleaner tool, but about a dozen files and folders were not removed. And I couldn't just delete them because they were owned exclusively by Trusted Installer. I had to find a way to take ownership of them by my Admin account. That wasn't as easy as it sounds because most attempts were greeted with "Access Denied". Finally figured out the multi-step process to take ownership from Trusted Installer and get rid of those pesky things. But...I was only able to find leftovers that have "avast" in their name. If some other leftovers are named differently, I'd have no way to identify them. And not having any system restore points....
@ky331- I noticed the free ccleaner v5.36 was secretly setting a Scheduled Task to check for updates, even though I changed the program's settings to stop automatic updates. So they're getting really sneaky about these things and that makes removal of everything from ccleaner and avast even more appropriate, at least for me...
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
April 26th, 2018 11:00
Then I have no idea how Avast got installed here.... :TongueTied:
ky331
3 Apprentice
•
15.6K Posts
0
April 26th, 2018 11:00
Out of curiosity, I just downloaded CCleaner, both from the Piriform site, as well as from FileHippo. Both executables were identical. So that's not a factor.
I opened the installer, and on the first page saw pre-checked options to 1) install Google Chrome, and make it my default browser, and 2) to also include Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer. I did not see any reference to avast here. At that point, i exited the installer rather than risk taking things any further.
ky331
3 Apprentice
•
15.6K Posts
0
April 26th, 2018 12:00
Ron,
I stopped at the first screen... perhaps, if I dared risk it, there might have been additional prompts/options, but I didn't want to take a chance here.
ky331
3 Apprentice
•
15.6K Posts
0
April 27th, 2018 11:00
Given that a system should be running only ONE real-time anti-virus program, it is very disconcerting that CCleaner would attempt to install avast on a system that already had another anti-virus running (by user/administrator choice). That's basically malware attempting to force itself on you :-( Totally unacceptable. [Just imagine this happening on a work/business system, that had a central anti-virus client administered!]
The other way around --- of avast updating CCleaner --- isn't "nice" either... but at least, it shouldn't lead to conflicts with "another cleaning program" (in the way that two anti-virus programs might conflict with each other).
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
April 27th, 2018 11:00
Totally agree...
I did get a warning when I uninstalled AVG that MSE was "incompatible" with my Win 7, 32-bit system. So this was obviously a deliberate attempt to get me to use AVG.
Definitely a malware attack...
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
April 27th, 2018 11:00
It's not worth the risk! I never saw any mention of AVG when the cclearer update was being installed, and I didn't get any of the Google junk installed along with ccleaner, so I obviously unchecked those boxes.
I never would intentionally allow AVG to be installed. And none of the linked pages I followed to install the update mentioned AVG, so it isn't like I accidentally clicked on some AVG installation link...
PCs are just little boxes into which we pour our valuable time... :Ick:
joe53
2 Intern
•
5.8K Posts
0
April 27th, 2018 18:00
I attempted to recreate Ron's condition using a Win 7 laptop, using MSE. I then downloaded and installed the latest CCleaner version from the Piriform website (no redirect), after unchecking the add-ons. (No mention was made of installing Avast). The installation was clean.
However on another machine, the first page of the downloaded installer showed a pre-checked option to install Avast (even though Panda was installed and working well. A screen shot is here:
I stopped the install at that time. I went back to get more screenshots later, and the option to install Avast, Google Chrome and IE Google toolbar had disappeared. An attempt to coverup evidence of their slimy foistware?
I am freezing CCleaner at the current version, disabling the scheduled CCleaner Update and CCleanerSkipUAC in task scheduler. Since I don't use Avast, I suspect this will prevent further meddling with my s.ystems
joe53
2 Intern
•
5.8K Posts
0
April 27th, 2018 21:00
I am so ticked off about this that I re-registered at Avast forum, and registered my objections. Nobody else seems to object to this behavior.
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=218596.0