CCleaner installs Google Chrome with NO warning! I'm furious!

[mta]

also consider it's how Piriform is able to provide a free version, by bundling embedded software.

plus numerous other companies with free versions.

if there is no bundled software then they bombard you with pop-ups offers of their Pro versions.

 

so which of those two evils would you rather have?

 

I think the cold hard fact is either yourself, or another user of the PC, simply missed the opt-out chance.

another possibility is it wasn't Piriform at all, but another recent 'free' program that was installed on the PC from your account or any other user profile.

 

so a bigger question may be, if CC truly offered no chance to exclude Chrome, it was because Chrome was already installed OR detected in the Registry.

[John Griswald]

You have still not explained just why you were taking screenshots of every stage of the process BEFORE you got the alleged unwanted 'silent' Chrome download.

 

Sorry I thought it was obvious: I didn't take the screens on the original installation. After installation had finished, I immediately uninstalled everything completely and re-ran the installer in order to take the screenshots.

 

The wizard was identical the second time, if anything had changed I would have noticed, even if it had been really subtle. But now that I have seen what the Chrome warning actually looks like, there is no way I could have missed that, it's huge and is there in plain site.

 

 

None of the exes mentioned in this topic would have installed anything extra without a warning (offer to decline).

 

I ask you, which possibility is more likely:

 

1. Having slowly and carefully scrutinized every tiny detail of the installation wizard, and reading everything meticulously, including the terms and conditions - I somehow failed to see a huge, clear warning about Chrome!

 

2. The Chrome warning - which we know sometimes hides itself - can occasionally screw up and hide when it's not supposed to.

 

3. FileHippo occasionally delivers software to people's computer without a warning, knowing that there's no way to prove what an online installer delivers since there is no installer file to examine.

 

 

Piriform is able to provide a free version, by bundling embedded software.

 

I don't like bundling, but I am not here to complain about that, I'm specifically complaining about the lack of warning. If there had been some warning, I could simply have opted out, or not installed it. I am aware Piriform has bundled in the past and that's something I can live with if there is an opt-out.

 

After this incident, I will be wary about using CCleaner again. If I want to use it I will cautiously run my previous installer (v3.14) which caused me no problems.

 

 

I think the cold hard fact is either yourself, or another user of the PC, simply missed the opt-out chance.

another possibility is it wasn't Piriform at all, but another recent 'free' program that was installed on the PC from your account or any other user profile.

 

so a bigger question may be, if CC truly offered no chance to exclude Chrome, it was because Chrome was already installed OR detected in the Registry.

 

No one else uses my PC, and I did not miss the opt-out chance. There was none! Chrome has never been installed on my computer before, nor has Opera. I only use Firefox.

 

It wasn't some other program which installed Chrome. The CCleaner installer told me it was installing Chrome during installation, then after installation Chrome immediately loaded with "welcome to Chrome" etc.

[mta]

if using v3.14 works for you and gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling, of course by all means use it.

just be aware it is now over 5 years old and methods in how it cleans and the way info is stored has moved on.

 

the way some browsers and sqlite databases are cleaned has changed.

the included winapp.ini rules have additions and corrections.

additional browsers are supported, even your Firefox was only at version 16 or so back in the v3.14 days.

there are additional features; like monitoring and duplicate file finder.

and the list goes on....

 

hopefully you are on Win7 still, because v3.14 was before Win8. 8.1 and 10 so who knows how it handles, say, registry cleaning, Office 365, MS Store apps etc.

 

full version history can be found here; https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/version-history

[Andavari]

The solution is just use the Slim installer, or manually update using the Portable ZIP archive, then nothing can possible sneak onto your system since they don't include any 3rd party Google software. Both Slim and Portable are available at:

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/builds

 

Edit:

The Portable ZIP is the obvious choice if you're going to update as soon as a new version is released because Piriform doesn't give a download link to the Slim installer for about one week when a new version is released, whereas the Portable ZIP is offered immediately.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Andavari

[nukecad]

I didn't take the screens on the original installation. After installation had finished, I immediately uninstalled everything completely and re-ran the installer in order to take the screenshots.

 

 

Thank you, that is what I expected the answer would be.

 

It explains why your screenshots do not show the optional download screen.

 

You still had/have some Chrome related entries in your registry (or elsewhere) and so the downloader assumed you already had it and did not offer it to you again.

 

And yes, I know you said you uninstalled Chrome - but it's not that easy.

I once installed Chrome to try it out, decided I didn't like it, and it took around 2 days to completely get rid of it. (and I'm still not sure I got everything).

 

Chrome is very persistent, once installed you can't just uninstall it, uninstalling is only the first step of completely removing Chrome.

Try Googling 'Completely remove Chrome' for help.

To start with heres a step by step guide, and a video guide, to fully removing Chrome.

(Although you might want to leave it as is so that you don't get the optional offer again?)

 

http://www.repairwin.com/how-to-remove-google-chrome-completely-from-your-computer/

 

 

[Andavari]

Back when I tried out Chrome when it was the new browser I had no issues removing it. But then again I track all installations with Total Uninstall, and remove them first with Revo Uninstaller, then followed by removing the left-overs with Total Uninstall which I had track the installations to begin with.

 

Note that I don't do that with drivers as that's an easy way to remove far too much when the system will for instance rollback to a previous system default drive like a mouse driver, etc.

[John Griswald]

Update: I have just gone through my registry more carefully and found an entry I didn't spot the other day:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Google\No Chrome Offer Until\Piriform Ltd
Value: 2017-08-28 (precisely 6 months after the installation date)

Removing this made the Chrome offer appear for the first time - it's a huge offer which no one could fail to miss.

 

I'm pretty sure I know what has happened now. At some point in the past (probably within the last 6 months) I must have updated CCleaner, and it offered me Chrome and I declined - this added a "No Chrome Offer" to my registry, which prevented the Chrome offer from being shown. However, Chrome was installed anyway due to some kind of "bug", either accidental or deliberate.

 

if using v3.14 works for you and gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling, of course by all means use it.

just be aware it is now over 5 years old and methods in how it cleans and the way info is stored has moved on.

 

the way some browsers and sqlite databases are cleaned has changed.

the included winapp.ini rules have additions and corrections.

additional browsers are supported, even your Firefox was only at version 16 or so back in the v3.14 days.

there are additional features; like monitoring and duplicate file finder.

and the list goes on....

 

hopefully you are on Win7 still, because v3.14 was before Win8. 8.1 and 10 so who knows how it handles, say, registry cleaning, Office 365, MS Store apps etc.

 

full version history can be found here; https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/version-history

 

Thanks for the info, I will bear that in mind. And yes I am definitely still on Win7

 

It explains why your screenshots do not show the optional download screen.

 

You still had/have some Chrome related entries in your registry (or elsewhere) and so the downloader assumed you already had it and did not offer it to you again.

 

To insist that I failed to see the huge Chrome offer really is an insult to my intelligence. The offer is HUGE. No one could possibly miss it!

What people are saying about Chrome being difficult to completely remove, that is part of why I am so angry about it being installed without my permission.

[login123]

. . .

No one else uses my PC, and I did not miss the opt-out chance. There was none! Chrome has never been installed on my computer before, nor has Opera. I only use Firefox.

 

It wasn't some other program which installed Chrome. The CCleaner installer told me it was installing Chrome during installation, then after installation Chrome immediately loaded with "welcome to Chrome" etc.

 

 

The problem with this and similar assertions is that I used the same installer you did.  See post #19. 

 

There may be something I'm missing, but who ya gonna believe, me or your eyes? 

 

Editing the registry is dangerous, you should not do it. 

[login123]

Another small experiment.  

Uninstalled ccleaner, deleted reg entries, installed ver. 5.15 then installed ver. 5.27 over the top. 

On the first installation, the google offer showed and I unchecked the box .  No google stuff was installed.

On the second installation, no google offer showed and no google stuff was installed.

Soooo, the installer will either offer the option to decline, or skip the installation without comment.

Always been so, afaik. 

 

Assuming every thing the OP said is true, (s)he just missed something.  Not sure what or how.

 

There may be several million other possibilities suggested by conspiracy theorists, but I am once again sure that there are no underhanded sneaky tricksey false installations going on here.

 

Only reason I have kept after this is that the Piriformers are an honorable company, who for years have offered the best all around cleaner-upper out there.  I don't mind a bit that those offers are used to generate revenue.  There even people who like the chrome browser.  >Gasp<  But the suggestion that those installations are done against the users will is wrong and deserves rebuttal. 

[John Griswald]

Once again let me state the facts:

 

1. I am extremely careful about what I install and took great care to scrutinize every part of the installer, including the terms & conditions. There was no Chrome warning, and there is absolutely no way I could have missed that huge warning!

 

2. Chrome was installed anyway.

 

It is unreasonable to say I am lying about this. I am not the only one who had this problem (see the other thread). Clearly, Chrome was somehow installed without warning, either due to a bug, or deliberately.

 

Checking the installer file won't necessarily reveal the bug because it's an online installer. They could install anything they like and no one could prove it came from them.

[login123]

See post #33 just above here.  I used the same installer you did. 

 

See also post#19 over at bleeping.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/641072/ccleaner-installs-google-chrome-with-no-warning-im-furious/page-2#entry4192843

I do not suggest that you are lying.  It is possible to just be mistaken.  It's only a lie if you know it is. 

 

In any case, all the checks and double checks establish that either you get:

1.  an option to decline or

2.  no chrome stuff. 

[DennisD]

With all due respect to you John, and to the other guys who've contributed to this topic, I think it's now ran it's course and we're going around in circles and getting nowhere, so it's time to close it.

 

I will say to you John that the subject of this particular topic has been raised with the Piriform admin by one of the moderators, as there is definitely something amiss and I was caught out myself some time ago, so rest assured that it is being looked at. And apologies for any inconvenience you may have been caused.

 

If any of the contributors wants to reopen the topic then please pm me with the reason/s why and I'll give it serious consideration.

 

Otherwise I think all pertinent points have been raised and there isn't anywhere else it can go. Thanks to all the contributors.