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Lost my History of Windows Updates


HansHilversum

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Hi,

 

I have installed CCleaner v3.08.1475 last week and I ran the Cleaner-option.

I always stay out of the Register option.

 

Now, I have lost all my Windows Updates History.

Could this have anything to do with the new CCleaner-version ?

 

I have used CCleaner for a couple of years now and I am happy with what it does.

 

I contacted Microsoft and they blame my issue on CCleaner unfortunately.

 

Are there any similar experiences and/or solutions how to get back the history of my Windows Updates ?

(They are still installed on my PC, I checked that)

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Hans

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Internet history isn't stored in the system registry it's a file on your hard drive.

If you haven't specifically disabled history cleaning then CCleaner is to blame for your loss.

You maybe able to recover index.dat using Recuva however exacting the URLs could be difficult.

 

Richard S.

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Sorry, I misread the original post. :blink:

As far as I'm aware the Windows Update logs are stored in C:\Windows\WindowsUpdate.log if CCleaner had removed this file Recuva should be able to recover it.

To restore the logs I guess you just replace WindowsUpdate.log with the original copy of WindowsUpdate.log although I've never attempted this before.

 

Richard S.

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That's if this is actually about WindowsUpdate.log and to my knowledge CCleaner doesn't outright delete WindowsUpdate.log when Automatic Updates is resident and locks the file. However if you turn Automatic Updates off, it will then delete it after some seconds or minutes when the file eventually becomes unlocked and deletable. Note that there's other tools which will also delete that log, so if using some other cleaning program that can also be the culprit.

 

I'm almost thinking about a winapp2.ini entry causing it such as deleting the SoftwareDistribution files - if it's a winapp2.ini entry causing it this is not CCleaner's fault since winapp2.ini has to be separately downloaded and installed and there's more than one of them floating about the web.

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I'm almost thinking about a winapp2.ini entry causing it such as deleting the SoftwareDistribution files - if it's a winapp2.ini entry causing it this is not CCleaner's fault since winapp2.ini has to be separately downloaded and installed and there's more than one of them floating about the web.

 

Windows Update History is I believe stored in the "C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\DataStore.ebd" file.

 

This is in XP (you don't mention your Operating System), and if that file is still intact, your Update History should be.

 

If that file, or in fact any of the files/folders in the "Software Distribution" folder are missing, then it's something other than CCleaner removing them.

 

Have you tried accessing the Windows Update site and selecting "Review your update history"?

 

 

EDIT: Welcome to the forum by the way Hans.

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For now, you could try backing up your entire drive, then running system restore back to the last date you had those logs.

 

Start/run & paste in restore/rstrui & hit enter to bring up the system restore box.

 

Immediately after restore, be sure you also:

 

- Revert to a known good CCleaner version (3.07, perhaps?), being sure to firstly uninstall the 3.08 & delete the contents of the CCleaner program files folder as well in order to eradicate settings that may have been left from 3.08.

 

* Before even attempting this, be sure you have a backup of any newer programs/files/folders you created since then, just in case any go missing after restore. Microsoft claims things left in the My Documents folder should be untouched, but a good backup never hurt, just to be on the safe side.

 

You never know what could happen, including power failure during a system restore. Which is why I have APC UPC with battery backup to prevent this.

 

Good luck, & though I suspect this is a setting you can uncheckmark, if you want to get them back, I just posted how if you are unable to do so with Recuva or other methods.

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For now, you could try backing up your entire drive, then running system restore back to the last date you had those logs.

 

* Before even attempting this, be sure you have a backup of any newer programs/files/folders you created since then, just in case any go missing after restore. Microsoft claims things left in the My Documents folder should be untouched, but a good backup never hurt, just to be on the safe side.

I so agree.

 

My Laptop has a scattering of files that were not duplicated downloads but have names ending in (2).

I have often seen these created because XP does not know the difference between system files and user files.

Restore Points often captured the temporary cache files create by Firefox because XP thought they might be system files.

System Restore on the other hand thought they might be user documents and just did the best it could,

resulting in it restoring the old cache it found in the R.P. and retaining the latest cache as well.

It would rename one of them with the extra (2),

and the most ridiculous thing is it would tell be which was what BEFORE I could log into a restarted system,

but there was no way I could capture the message, and the message never appeared in any file.

 

Even when it works it does not always know what it is doing ! !

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Alan, your correct on the (2), (3) files.

 

Have had that happen to me as well, depending on what I had on the system at the time.

Additional areas that may cause problems, is if you have the same name file, but they are different.

 

Such as Defrag.zip & Defrag.zip.

Though you may have had 1 Defrag.zip on July 5, deleted it on July 6, then downloaded a new Defrag.zip from a different company, & when system restore commences, you might find that you now have defrag (1), Defrag (2) etc...

 

This could happen whether the Defrag.zip files were the same defrag utility, or an Auslogics defragger & an Iobit defragger, OR if they were both Defraggler from Piriform.

 

This example above is merely just an example to highlight the complexity of the problem, but definitely if you have a lot of files, be they zip, pictures, music, videos, EXPECT that if you have a lot (or sometimes even if you have a little) that some of them will definitely be confusing for System Restore to deal with.

 

Even if a Defrag.zip file has the same name, it could potentially be from 2 different defrag companies & thus have entirely different defrag programs themselves. Having a good backup is always good to avoid problems like these.

 

Without a good backup, you may be forced to sift through the same files you filtered earlier, the same files you deleted earlier, & have to re-analyze, re-delete, re-organize files that were once deleted getting dumped back in alongside files that are still present.

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This isn't a thread about System Restore and it's complexities. The OP has lost his Windows Update History.

 

Can we stick to the Update History theme please and maybe the OP will come back. A suggestion to try System Restore is sufficient, and may not even be necessary.

 

This stuff is enough to scare an inexperienced user away.

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That's if this is actually about WindowsUpdate.log and to my knowledge CCleaner doesn't outright delete WindowsUpdate.log when Automatic Updates is resident and locks the file. However if you turn Automatic Updates off, it will then delete it after some seconds or minutes when the file eventually becomes unlocked and deletable. Note that there's other tools which will also delete that log, so if using some other cleaning program that can also be the culprit.

 

I'm almost thinking about a winapp2.ini entry causing it such as deleting the SoftwareDistribution files - if it's a winapp2.ini entry causing it this is not CCleaner's fault since winapp2.ini has to be separately downloaded and installed and there's more than one of them floating about the web.

It is a winapp2.ini entry.

 

The winapp2.ini file I am using is dated 22/02/09 (22 February 2009) and was downloaded from this site. There is an entry to delete the Windows Update Logs in that file. I've just checked the latest version which can be downloaded from the "Winapp2.ini additions" thread in this forum, dated 27 June 2011 and it is still there:

 

[Windows Update Logs*]

LangSecRef=3025

DetectFile=%WinDir%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\Logs

Default=False

FileKey1=%WinDir%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\Logs|*.*

 

 

Strangely, for all the entry has been in winapp2.ini all this time I'm sure it's only a few months ago that I first noticed the relevant entry appear in CCleaner (it's under Applications -> Windows -> *Windows Update Logs). If it was there before that I can't remember ever seeing it, and this is on both a Vista PC and a Windows 7 Laptop. I have the option unticked on both my computers as I wish to keep the Update Logs. I also don't have Windows set for Automatic Updates and never have done so it's probably just as well I noticed the entry in CCleaner and made sure it was unticked.

 

EDIT: I've just downloaded the newer version of winnap2.ini and removed the Windows Update Logs entry which has now removed the entry from CCleaner.

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  • 3 months later...

In my humble opinion, CCleaner should not delete these Windows Update "Log" entries, with or without ticked boxes. These updates show up under Add/Remove Programs and should be treated as such - programs - that may be removed via Add/Remove or CCleaner's Tools/Uninstall; not by any other automatic process.

 

I have XP and CCleaner gets rid of all but two update entries under the "Windows XP - Software Updates" heading, but it does not touch update history under "Internet Explorer 8 - Software Updates" nor any of the .NET headings. Why delete some and not all? I say be consistent and not get rid of anything in Add/Remove unless running tasks specifically for that purpose.

 

BTW, I've been using CCleaner for years and have kept all my computers running well with this and a couple of other products. So, good job!

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(I realize this may be too late for original poster, but still relevant)

 

I found this MVP page with information about Windows Updates History: http://www.winvistat...ed-t270704.html

 

One thing that page suggested, is that some AV scanners occasionally corrupt the Datastore.edb and related Windows Update History file(s). So CCleaner is not the only possible 'culprit' if your Windows Update history content goes missing.

 

 

Also, I agree with 'taxshack' that CCleaner should not, by default, ever remove Windows Log files.

 

With few exceptions (one being the Datastore.edb, which is 100 MB in my machine) these files take very little space.

And, in my opinion as an independent tech support worker, these files should be retained in order to know what Windows components have been updated on the machine.

 

So for me on my machine and the machines I work on I ALWAYS un-tick the Cleaner/System/Windows Log Files.

 

And I WISH WISH WISH that the default was to LEAVE THEM ALONE.

 

I guess I need to post this as a new/separate entry in the Suggestion sub forum...

The Universe is intelligent and friendly 8-)

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