Cleaning registry of privacy keys

[Anthony Susa]

I rewrote the script where it would pad a
prefix 0 as 00 and 1 as 01, 2 as 02 through 09.

{ Note that the script will most likely wrap }

For $NUM = 0 To 99 Step 1
if len($NUM)=1
$NUM1="0"+$NUM
else
$NUM1=$NUM
endif
$SearchLen="Search"+$NUM1+"Len"
$Search="Search"+$NUM1
if
(readtype("HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory",$SearchLen)="REG_DWORD")=1

WriteValue("HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory",$SearchLen,"0",REG_DWORD)
endif
if (readtype("HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory",$Search)="REG_SZ")=1
WriteValue("HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory",$Search,"",REG_SZ)
endif
Next

Thank you yet again David. It was nice to see not only that your scripts
worked first time (which will help others greatly) but that others who had
been lurking took the time to say they appreciated the multiple ways of
cleaning the registry of keys that the standard freeware privacy programs
miss.

I suspect the reason the standard freeware privacy programs miss Lemmy
history keys is that the Lemmy text editor (
http://www.softwareonline.org/lemmy45.html ) is not for the average person.

Lemmy is probably one of the most powerful ascii text editors on the planet
(along the lines of "vi", "vim", & "emacs") which most PC users would find
daunting. So, I guess the privacy folks who wrote the registry cleaners,
e.g., MRUBlaster ( www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.html ) stuck to the
mainstream PC users.

One warning I'm sure you are very aware of is that some programs are not
smart enough to recover from a deleted key. Lemmy seems to have no problem
re-creating the deleted keys; but I would warn the many lurkers that this
approach won't work directly for any program which requires the key to
exist.

Good luck - be safe - guard your privacy - and happy holidays to all!
Tony Susa

 

[Tony Susa]

Further improving and to help others ...

Given the batch command suggested in this usenet thread:
c:\> regedit /s "c:\directory path\lemmy.reg"

Where lemmy.reg is of the delete-registry-key format:
REGEDIT4
<blank line>
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\ReplaceHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\FileHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\ExHistory]

Assuming future users may need multiple registry cleanups, e.g.:
c:\directory path\notepad.reg
c:\directory path\media player.reg
c:\directory path\irfanview.reg
etc.

This single batch command should run any number of regisry cleanups:
for /f "tokens=*" %%i in (registry_files.txt) do regedit /s "%%i"

Where registry_files.txt contains the list of registry cleanup files:
"c:\directory path\lemmy.reg"
"c:\directory path\notepad.reg"
"c:\directory path\media player.reg"
"c:\directory path\irfanview.reg"

Tony Susa

 

[Todd Vargo]

Further improving and to help others ...

Given the batch command suggested in this usenet thread:
c:\> regedit /s "c:\directory path\lemmy.reg"

Where lemmy.reg is of the delete-registry-key format:
REGEDIT4
<blank line>
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\ReplaceHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\FileHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\ExHistory]

Assuming future users may need multiple registry cleanups, e.g.:
c:\directory path\notepad.reg
c:\directory path\media player.reg
c:\directory path\irfanview.reg
etc.

This single batch command should run any number of regisry cleanups:
for /f "tokens=*" %%i in (registry_files.txt) do regedit /s "%%i"

Where registry_files.txt contains the list of registry cleanup files:
"c:\directory path\lemmy.reg"
"c:\directory path\notepad.reg"
"c:\directory path\media player.reg"
"c:\directory path\irfanview.reg"

Tony,

I would just place all of the "cleanups" in a single .reg file.

Note, your FOR/IN/DO syntax suggests the OS is Win2K/XP but REGEDIT4
suggests Win9x/ME. Let us remember most of the groups you are crossposting
"this thread" to are unrelated and have nothing to do with helpful batch
suggestions. Also, alt.msdos.batch.nt is a better place to discuss Windows
NT/2K/XP batch syntax.

Follow-up set to alt.msdos.batch.nt

 

[Todd Vargo]

Further improving and to help others ...

Given the batch command suggested in this usenet thread:
c:\> regedit /s "c:\directory path\lemmy.reg"

Where lemmy.reg is of the delete-registry-key format:
REGEDIT4
<blank line>
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\ReplaceHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\FileHistory]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\ExHistory]

Assuming future users may need multiple registry cleanups, e.g.:
c:\directory path\notepad.reg
c:\directory path\media player.reg
c:\directory path\irfanview.reg
etc.

This single batch command should run any number of regisry cleanups:
for /f "tokens=*" %%i in (registry_files.txt) do regedit /s "%%i"

Where registry_files.txt contains the list of registry cleanup files:
"c:\directory path\lemmy.reg"
"c:\directory path\notepad.reg"
"c:\directory path\media player.reg"
"c:\directory path\irfanview.reg"

Tony,

I would just place all of the "cleanups" in a single .reg file.

Note, your FOR/IN/DO syntax suggests the OS is Win2K/XP but REGEDIT4
suggests Win9x/ME. Let us remember most of the groups you are crossposting
"this thread" to are unrelated and have nothing to do with helpful batch
suggestions. Also, alt.msdos.batch.nt is a better place to discuss Windows
NT/2K/XP batch syntax.

Follow-up set to alt.msdos.batch.nt

 

[Seamaiden]

How can we daily clean the WinXP registry of privacy data which the
standard programs miss?

I run the following freeware privacy programs daily ... but I STILL find
some esoteric privacy keys left in the Windows XP SP2 registry! I can
delete these esoteric keys manually but doing that every day is a pain. It
would be nicer if we can teach a freeware program about those keys. What
freeware registry cleaner program can we add keys to so it learns how to
maintain our privacy?

For example, I run the following registry privacy cleaners daily:
- Javacool Software MRU Blaster 1.5 (
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrudownload.html )
- CCleaner 1.26.218 ( www.ccleaner.com )
- Toni Arts EasyCleaner 2.0.6 Build 7 (
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download414.html )
- CleanUp! 4.0 (http://www.stevengould.org/software/cleanup )
- Free Internet Eraser 2.05 ( http://www.privacyeraser.com )
etc.

But all these privacy erasers still miss many keys, for example, these
text-editor search history registry keys:
HKCU\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory\Search1 value = textstring_1
HKCU\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory\Search2 value = textstring_2
HKCU\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory\Search3 value = textstring_3
...
HKCU\Software\Lemmy\Lemmy\SearchHistory\Searchnnn value = textstring_nnn

Judging from my multiple registry searches for known privacy data such as
my bank passwords and company name and social security number, etc. (using
the freeware RegScanner from http://www.nirsoft.net ), these freeware
security tools above miss a lot of privacy data left in the WinXP registry!

I can delete these registry keys manually daily, but I prefer to "teach" a
privacy program to do this for me.

So, my question to concerned community is:
Q: Is there a freeware privacy program out there that will allow us to
teach it which registry keys to clean daily?

In addition to the method the others described, you could add your own
custom registry entries and files to Winapp2.ini. That is an additional
configuration file you can download from the CCleaner Forum. Just paste
the file into the CCleaner installation directory. Winapp2.ini is
updated frequently with new programs and registry entries. If you do
update the file, make sure you back up your own custom entries first, so
that you can paste them into the new file.

 

[Daze N. Knights]

In addition to the method the others described, you could add your own
custom registry entries and files to Winapp2.ini. That is an additional
configuration file you can download from the CCleaner Forum. Just paste
the file into the CCleaner installation directory. Winapp2.ini is
updated frequently with new programs and registry entries. If you do
update the file, make sure you back up your own custom entries first, so
that you can paste them into the new file.

Hey, thanks for mentioning that Seamaiden! I had never encountered a
mention of that before. I still rather prefer my solution to Anthony's
problem (although I guess he didn't) of using IE Privacy Keeper
http://browsertools.net/IE-Privacy-Keeper/index.html
which allows custom choosing of "registry keys to clean daily" and even
includes the option of having them overwritten. But knowing that there
is at least SOME way to get Ccleaner to delete such entries is great!

 

[Daze N. Knights]

Hey, thanks for mentioning that Seamaiden! I had never encountered a
mention of that before. I still rather prefer my solution to Anthony's
problem (although I guess he didn't) of using IE Privacy Keeper
http://browsertools.net/IE-Privacy-Keeper/index.html
which allows custom choosing of "registry keys to clean daily" and even
includes the option of having them overwritten. But knowing that there
is at least SOME way to get Ccleaner to delete such entries is great!

Heh. Scrolling down a little further in the NG's posts, I discovered
that Frank Bohan recently discovered IE Privacy Keeper, and likes it,
too. IMO, Ccleaner is the best choice for novices, while IE Privacy
Keeper is the best choice for more advanced users. I install Ccleaner on
other people's machines, but use IE Privacy Keeper myself.

 

[Seamaiden]

Heh. Scrolling down a little further in the NG's posts, I discovered
that Frank Bohan recently discovered IE Privacy Keeper, and likes it,
too. IMO, Ccleaner is the best choice for novices, while IE Privacy
Keeper is the best choice for more advanced users. I install Ccleaner on
other people's machines, but use IE Privacy Keeper myself.

I just tried IE Privacy Keeper and was not at all impressed with it.
Everything it can do, CCleaner can do -- and more. Since you can add
programs to winapp2.ini, the possibilities are endless. What is often
helpful is to review the file & registry settings for other cleaning
programs, writing down the locations of the files/keys, and then adding
them to a text file. Then you can add them to winapp2.ini, Window
Washer, or any other cleaning program that has the capability to add
additional files/keys. I did not like Window Washer ($29) because
everything it can do, I can do with CCleaner and Eraser (both free).
Still, it's good to try new programs. It's also good to try new versions
of programs you tried previously, in case they fixed bugs or came up
with new features.

 

[Daze N. Knights]

I just tried IE Privacy Keeper and was not at all impressed with it.
Everything it can do, CCleaner can do -- and more.

Hmm. How do you tell Ccleaner to overwrite (erase) specific files or
registry keys? And how do you tell Ccleaner to overwrite a
personally-specified number of times, rename folders before deletion,
reset file size to zero before deletion, and/or move files/folders
before deletion? How do you tell Ccleaner to keep selective entries when
cleaning out the Temporary Internet Files, Browsing History, Auto
Complete Values, or Typed URLs in (selectively) your Internet Explorer
or Firefox? How do you tell Ccleaner how to except certain files from
being deleted when cleaning out the Windows Temporary Files, and how to
you specify a personally determined amount of time to delay cleaning out
new Windows Temporary Files? How do you tell Ccleaner to automatically
run at shutdown (instead of startup), or tell it to automatically run
whenever the last IE window (or Firefox window)is closed, or when a
specified application exits? If you set Ccleaner to automatically run at
startup, how do you tell it to delay cleaning for a specified number of
seconds to avoid conflicts with other apps? How do you tell Ccleaner to
show a personally-specified message window or sound while it is cleaning?

I looked all over Ccleaner for these kinds of options and couldn't find
them, which is why I prefer IE Privacy Keeper.

 

[Seamaiden]

Hmm. How do you tell CCleaner to overwrite (erase) specific files or
registry keys?

The latest version of CCleaner is v1.26.218.

Homepage: http://www.ccleaner.com
Forum: http://forum.ccleaner.com

To add files and folders (but not registry keys) to CCleaner, go to
Options -> Custom. Click "Add" to add the files & folders you want
CCleaner to clean.

WARNING: Everything in those folders will be wiped (no exclusions).

After you have finished adding files and folders to Custom folders, you
must next tell CCleaner to clean them. CCleaner will not clean them
unless "Custom Files and Folders" on the Cleaner (Cleaner Settings) ->
Windows tab is checked. This is a security feature. Sometimes you may
want to clean your custom folders, but other times you may not want them
cleaned.

To add registry entries and more files associated with specific
programs, it may be better to add an entry to winapp2.ini. Files,
folders and registry entries in winapp2.ini will have their own settings
in the CCleaner interface if CCleaner detects them. They are not
considered "Custom Files and Folders". You'll be able to check/uncheck
each option directly.

To find out how to add an application or entry to winapp2.ini, visit the
CCleaner Forum (http://forum.ccleaner.com). Go to CCleaner Discussion.
You'll see a sticky there for "Add a program to winapp2.ini" and another
for "Beginners Guide" (CCleaner Beginner's Guide). The Beginners Guide
is a manual or help file for CCleaner.

And how do you tell CCleaner to overwrite a personally-specified number
of times, rename folders before deletion, reset file size to zero before
deletion, and/or move files/folders before deletion?

CCleaner cannot do that yet.

How do you tell CCleaner to keep selective entries when cleaning out the
Temporary Internet Files, Browsing History, Auto
Complete Values, or Typed URLs in (selectively) your Internet Explorer
or Firefox? How do you tell Ccleaner how to except certain files from
being deleted when cleaning out the Windows Temporary Files, and how to
you specify a personally determined amount of time to delay cleaning out
new Windows Temporary Files?

Options -> Advanced -> Only delete files in Windows Temp older than 48
hours.

Options -> Advanced -> Close program after cleaning

CCleaner cannot do the other things.

How do you tell Ccleaner to automatically run at shutdown (instead of startup), or tell it to automatically run
whenever the last IE window (or Firefox window)is closed, or when a specified application exits? If you set Ccleaner to automatically run at
startup, how do you tell it to delay cleaning for a specified number of seconds to avoid conflicts with other apps?

CCleaner cannot do those things. However, you can delete startup entries
from the Tools -> Startup. You can also uninstall programs from Tools ->
Uninstall.

How do you tell Ccleaner to show a personally-specified message window or sound while it is cleaning?

CCleaner cannot do this, but I would certainly like that feature. This
and the other features you mentioned here should be posted in the
CCleaner Forum under "Suggestions", or maybe I will do so.

Thank you, very much for bringing up these points. I will need to take
another look at IE Privacy Cleaner.

 

[Daze N. Knights]

The latest version of CCleaner is v1.26.218.

Homepage: http://www.ccleaner.com
Forum: http://forum.ccleaner.com

To add files and folders (but not registry keys) to CCleaner, go to
Options -> Custom. Click "Add" to add the files & folders you want
CCleaner to clean.

I didn't ask how to do this in Ccleaner, as I already know.

WARNING: Everything in those folders will be wiped (no exclusions).

Wrong. The message says that files will be "emptied," not "wiped."

After you have finished adding files and folders to Custom folders, you
must next tell CCleaner to clean them. CCleaner will not clean them
unless "Custom Files and Folders" on the Cleaner (Cleaner Settings) ->
Windows tab is checked. This is a security feature. Sometimes you may
want to clean your custom folders, but other times you may not want them
cleaned.

If I don't want to clean things with IE PK, I can uncheck them, too.

To add registry entries and more files associated with specific
programs, it may be better to add an entry to winapp2.ini. Files,
folders and registry entries in winapp2.ini will have their own settings
in the CCleaner interface if CCleaner detects them. They are not
considered "Custom Files and Folders". You'll be able to check/uncheck
each option directly.

Great! But you need to arrange this through the separate winapp2.ini
file first . . . And I don't think this is very widely known among
Ccleaner users, as I have communicated with many, and never heard of
being able to modify this winapp2.ini file before. I also see that the
one provided at
http://forum.ccleaner.com/index.php?showtopic=1110&hl=winapp2
has only, thus far, been downloaded a measly 227 times, one of which was
mine.

To find out how to add an application or entry to winapp2.ini, visit the
CCleaner Forum (http://forum.ccleaner.com). Go to CCleaner Discussion.
You'll see a sticky there for "Add a program to winapp2.ini" and another
for "Beginners Guide" (CCleaner Beginner's Guide). The Beginners Guide
is a manual or help file for CCleaner.

Yeah. I found those already on my own.

CCleaner cannot do that yet.

As I said . . .

Options -> Advanced -> Only delete files in Windows Temp older than 48
hours.

I said "personally determined amount of time," not a one-size-fits-all
48 hours.

Options -> Advanced -> Close program after cleaning

I didn't ask for this one, which I knew it could do.

CCleaner cannot do the other things.

As I said . . .

CCleaner cannot do those things.

As I said . . .
However, you can delete startup entries

from the Tools -> Startup. You can also uninstall programs from Tools ->
Uninstall.

You can uninstall programs from Windows Add/Remove Programs. Why is it
needed in Ccleaner?

CCleaner cannot do this, but I would certainly like that feature. This
and the other features you mentioned here should be posted in the
CCleaner Forum under "Suggestions", or maybe I will do so.

Thank you, very much for bringing up these points. I will need to take
another look at IE Privacy Cleaner.

Thank you for your thank you. It makes me feel better, Seamaiden,
whether you choose to go for IE PK or not. And thank you for your
consideration of my points. Understand, I'm not dissing Ccleaner at all.
I like it, but I just think that IE PK can do many things that I want
that Ccleaner (so far) cannot.

 

[Seamaiden]

Wrong. The message says that files will be "emptied," not "wiped."

I meant "emptied" or "cleaned". You are nitpicking on my wording. Sorry
for the misunderstanding. CCleaner cannot do "wiping", but IE Privacy
Keeper obviously can, and Eraser can. All are free.

Great! But you need to arrange this through the separate winapp2.ini
file first . . . And I don't think this is very widely known among
Ccleaner users, as I have communicated with many, and never heard of
being able to modify this winapp2.ini file before. I also see that the
one provided at
http://forum.ccleaner.com/index.php?showtopic=1110&hl=winapp2
has only, thus far, been downloaded a measly 227 times, one of which was
mine.

Don't be misled by that counter. Winapp2.ini has been downloaded
thousands of times. The file is updated frequently. Whenever a new file
is posted, the counter resets to zero.

Some entries won't even appear in the CCleaner interface if they aren't
added manually to Winapp2.ini. That's why I mentioned it.

Eraser can wipe files a specified number of times, and it's free.

You can uninstall programs from Windows Add/Remove Programs. Why is it
needed in Ccleaner?

The uninstall feature is part of many system security suites and
cleaning-related programs today, both freeware and shareware. It's to
remove programs you no longer use or programs that you don't recognize
(new toolbars and programs that may be adware or spyware, etc.).

 

[Daze N. Knights]

I meant "emptied" or "cleaned". You are nitpicking on my wording. Sorry
for the misunderstanding. CCleaner cannot do "wiping", but IE Privacy
Keeper obviously can, and Eraser can. All are free.

Not nitpicking, Seamaiden; correcting. The term "wiping," like
"erasing," commonly refers to the process of overwriting (with
alternating 1s and 0s, random characters, etc). But that's not what
Ccleaner's message says.

Don't be misled by that counter. Winapp2.ini has been downloaded
thousands of times. The file is updated frequently. Whenever a new file
is posted, the counter resets to zero.

Ah. My mistake, then. Thanks for pointing that out. So perhaps many more
folks are using the winapp2.ini file than I suspected.

Some entries won't even appear in the CCleaner interface if they aren't
added manually to Winapp2.ini. That's why I mentioned it.


Eraser can wipe files a specified number of times, and it's free.

Yes. I know Eraser can, and that it is free. I have used it for years,
regularly erase sensitive files that I no longer need (instead of just
deleting them), and periodically wipe my free harddrive space with
Eraser. But my point is that IE Privacy Keeper can erase what it cleans,
while Ccleaner cannot. That means that all sensitive information deleted
my Ccleaner really remains potentially recoverable on one's harddrive
until one gets around to using Eraser to wipe one's free harddrive
space. Since this takes awhile, I prefer not having to erase free disk
space everyday with Eraser. IE Privacy Keeper thus saves me about 20
minutes a day.

The uninstall feature is part of many system security suites and
cleaning-related programs today, both freeware and shareware. It's to
remove programs you no longer use or programs that you don't recognize
(new toolbars and programs that may be adware or spyware, etc.).

You're right it is, but I don't see it as a feature that recommends
Ccleaner over IE Privacy Keeper. One can simply go to Add/Remove
Programs in Windows' Control Panel for exactly the same thing. Or, for
myself, I prefer jv16 Power Tools, because, after uninstalling a
program, I can look for and delete any left-over registry entries. (In
case you're interested, the last freeware version of jv16 Power Tools is
v. 1.3.0.196. ;-)