Strange CCleaner Activity

[JD]

All of a sudden the CCleaner "Cookies" remover is including the links in
Documents and Settings/Owner/Application Data/Recent.
These links are, of course, not actually in the TIF folder.
Have any other users of CCleaner noticed this happening? Should I be
concerned?

 

[Leonard Grey]

Should you be posting in the CCleaner Community Forum?
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showforum=4

 

[JD]

Well I believe CCleaner to be popular among XP users and thought someone
here might have had a similar experience.

 

[Daave]

It is popular. Then again, no one else here has apparently reported what
you are concerned with, and surely there is a much higher percentage of
Clceaner users to be found in the Ccleaner forum.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

All of a sudden the CCleaner "Cookies" remover is including the
links in Documents and Settings/Owner/Application Data/Recent.
These links are, of course, not actually in the TIF folder.
Have any other users of CCleaner noticed this happening? Should I be
concerned?

Should you be posting in the CCleaner Community Forum?
http://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showforum=4

Well I believe CCleaner to be popular among XP users and thought
someone here might have had a similar experience.

Help from those who like something (thus - popular) vs. actual directed
support from those who use/create/support something... ;-)

I'd bet most of the time the latter would get you a better answer and
probably more people who actually use the product and care for it as well.

As for your question - you sure the "Cookies" checkbox is the only thing
checked?

First - I assume you actually mean that the contents of the "C:\Documents
and Settings\<username>\Recent\" folder is being emptied. Not, as you said,
the "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Recent\" folder
(which, AFAIK, is not a default WIndows XP folder.)

I decided to check this out. Downloaded the latest CCleaner, made sure that
"My Recent Documents" had something in it, made sure my Cookies folder had
something in it and then unchecked all but ONE box in the two tabs of
CCleaner ("Cookies" for Internet Explorer) ensuring that under "Windows
Explorer" the "Recent Documents" box was unchecked.

I had 222 files in my "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Cookies\" folder
at ~213KB in total size and 15 files in my "C:\Documents and
Settings\<username>\Recent\" folder at ~6.93KB in size before the run of
CCleaner as expressed above. Again - nothing but ONE single box checked.

I clicked the analyze button.

It said it had 220 files to remove at ~69.82KB. Figure it leaves the
"index.dat" and "desktop.ini" files alone.

I unchecked the "Cookies" box and checked the "Recent Documents" box only.
I clicked the analyze button.

It said it had 14 files to remove at ~6.79KB. It looks like it leaves the
"desktop.ini" file alone there as well.

No indication at this point anything would be removed that I did not want
removed.

So I _copied_ the two folders somewhere safe and changed the settings for
CCleaner so only the "Cookies" box (for Internet Explorer) was checked
(ensuring nothing else under either tab for CCleaner "Cleaner" was checked.)
Analyze gave the same results as previous - so I clicked on "Run Cleaner".

It warned (like it does for me every time because I do not check the "Do not
show me this message again" box) that "This process will permanently delete
files from your system. Are you sure you wish to proceed? OK/Cancel" and I
clicked on "OK".

Came back letting me know 69.82KB had been removed consisting of 220 files.

I manually opened the "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Cookies\" folder
and there certainly was a lack of files - only two left - the "desktop.ini"
and "index.dat".

I manually opened the "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Recent\" folder
and all of the files were still there.

Now maybe I misunderstood you or maybe you have something I do not - but...

 

[JD]

Shenan, I greatly appreciate your heroic efforts here.
First, yes, Cookies is the only box checked.
Second, the listed "cookies" include links in C:\Documents and
Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Office\Recent.
I note that that folder includes an index.DAT file.
I also note that I find the same contents in C:\Documents and
Settings\<username>\My Recent Documents [but with no index.DAT file].
Also, I do not have a "Cookies" folder in C:\Documents and
Settings/<username>.
I am running CCleaner v.2.18.878. This may not be the "latest" version.
There is no tab for "Cookies for Internet Explorer" nor an option to uncheck
"Recent Documents." [That such an option exists is surely what I am
missing!]
I noticed the behavior I posted about after installing Word 2003 SP3 and a
files type converter from MS to enable me to read .docx files created by
Word 2007. This may be relevant.

 

[JD]

Looking deeper into CCleaner, I discovered that under the Applications tab
of Cleaner, a new box for Office 2007 had been added, clearly since I
installed the file types converter mentioned in my previous post. And--that
box was checked! This means that while I thought I had only checked
"Cookies," the Office 2007 box on the other tab was also checked.
I think the mystery is solved. Many thanks for your interest and help.
Jim
BTW, I now do see a check box for "recent documents" under the Windows
Explorer heading. I am sure that that box was not checked when I previously
ran CCleaner.