Re: CCleaner has become payware?

occam <[email protected]> wrote:

> Until recently there were two versions of CCleaner - a free version and
> a Professional (paid for) version.
> 
> Now, when I run CCleaner (light version, x64 portable) the program
> analyses the data using 'Custom Clean' but I cannot proceed to clean the
> 'crap'. I get redirected to a page where I am forced to accept a 30-day
> enhanced usage (by submitting my Visa details etc).  Else, I am forced
> to exit the program.
> 
> This is no longer just 'nagware'. It is 'bullyware'. Has anyone found a
> way around this?

CCleaner 6.11.10455 x64
Windows 10 Home x64 22H2

There may be a later version of CCleaner, but it would have no extras
that I need.  I'm probably on a later version because I define firewall
rules that block outbound connections for the following processes:

ccleaner.exe
ccleaner64.exe
ccupdate.exe

When Avast acquired Piriform in 2017, about a year later Avast added
their ad campaign code to CCleaner.  For some, the ads weren't much a
nuisance, but I didn't want any.  Whenever Avast decides to go on a
marketing campaign, their can trigger their products to puke out ads
although some of their products are already riddled with ads.  While I
liked Piriform's products, I detested Avast's marketing ploys.  Killing
the outbound connects for CCleaner eliminates phoning home to get the
ads.  It does mean their products also cannot phone home to check for
updates (it checks, but does not install, so you get the download file).
Since I have to download the new version installer, I can do that
whenever *I* decide to update.  For CCleaner, just download the latest
version when you decide you will allow changing the state of your
computer and have prepared for such with an image backup.  

In fact, with outbound connects blocked for CCleaner, clicking on the
Upgrade button in the left pane results in "Sorry, this service is
currently not available".  CCleaner is not allowed to phone home.

Most products are polite in letting you decide if their auto-update or
auto-check are enabled or not.  Not with Avast.  I kill their outbound
connect attempts, and go to ccleaner.com.  They don't identify what is
the latest version.  You have to start the download to see the version
number in the filename.  For example, I just checked, and they offer a
download file of ccsetup624.exe.  That's for version 6.24.  I'm back on
6.11.  I didn't find a link to a page listing release histories, so I
did an online search on "ccleaner release history", and found:

https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/version-history

I started back at 6.11.10455 that I now have, and walked forward through
versions to see the changes.  I didn't see any feature adds or changes
that were critical, or even important to me.  I'm not affected by the
bug fixes; that is, I don't encounter the bugs they report and fixed.
I've never needed the Pro-only features, especially crap like their
Software Updater nag feature, or Health Check.  I could care less about
a faster startup of the app, because 99% of the time its run is
scheduled in Task Scheduler using the /auto command-line parameter, so
it runs before the scheduled backups.

I don't see some window telling me about a trial version.  You get that,
anyway, when you do a fresh install of CCleaner.  As I recall, you get
all functions for 30 days, and then the product cripples itself to the
free version which is all I want and need.  Is the ad window inside the
CCleaner window, or a separate and perhaps headless instance of a web
browser?

Could be Avast has become overly and rudely aggressive in their
marketing campaign.  Could be they fucked up an update that interferes
with using CCleaner, so a subsequent version might fix that.  In the
meantime, you could try using BleachBit.  I trialed it, but better liked
CCleaner.  I'd try killing CCleaner's outbound connects to see if that
prevents it from triggering to push the upgrade.

I might later decide to update CCleaner, along with other products, when
I've prepared by allocating the time for saving an image backup, do the
installs, and spend time with troubleshooting.  For now, just see if
killing the outbound connections from CCleaner's processes in the
firewall eliminates Avast's ad campaign crap.

Despite there is (was) an option to let the user decide if CCleaner
updated automatically, disabling it does not disable the ad campaigns.
CCleaner will still connect out to check if Avast is pushing yet another
ad campaign.  Kill those outbound connects.  You decide when to update,
and after reading the release notes to determine if newer versions give
you anything you want or need.