Hello good people of read.cash !
How many of you here are familiar with CCleaner ? A very common and popular computing software to go to, when you feel that your computer is "lagging" or slow or not performing how you wanted it to perform. Well, CCleaner is your hero!... *was*.
What is CCleaner ?
CCleaner is a disk-cleaning app that's been in the market since 2004. It is owned by Piriform, a company Avast purchased in 2017. CCleaner claims to boosts PC performance, improving speed, safety and security — by removing unwanted, space-consuming files and software.
According to Laptop Mag, Microsoft Windows Defender is flagging this popular "disk-cleaning" software.
Why ?
According to the Redmond-based tech giant, CCleaner installers are often bundled with superfluous, needless applications, and the tech giant - Microsoft isn't very happy about it.
"While the bundled applications themselves are legitimate," Microsoft wrote on its Security Intelligence blog, "bundling of software, especially products from other providers, can result in unexpected software activity that can negatively impact user experiences."
Well, instead of clearing and removing unwanted or unused programs from your drive/s, these bundled software that comes with the cleaner, just defeat the whole purpose, ain't it ?
Software and other applications that are usually bundled with CCleaner include Google Chrome, Google Toolbar, Avast Free Antivirus and AVG Antivirus Free. And recently, this...
Microsoft added that while the CCleaner installer offers users the option to opt-out of unnecessary software, many Windows users end up inadvertently installing them.
In order to "protect" Windows users, Microsoft Defender Antivirus flags CCleaner as a potentially unwanted application (PUA).
CCleaner's turbulent history with Microsoft
Piriform and Microsoft haven't had the best relationship. In the fall of 2019, Microsoft removed CCleaner from its support forums to block members from recommending the junk-file remover tool. Microsoft shortly backpedaled on this decision. It's still unclear what caused Microsoft to blacklist CCleaner in the first place, but the conglomerate always had an aversion to registry cleaners.
"Microsoft does not support the use of registry cleaners. Some programs that are available for free on the internet might contain spyware, adware, or viruses. If you decide to install a registry cleaning utility, be sure to thoroughly research the product first, and only download and install programs from publishers that you trust," Microsoft wrote in 2018.
In 2017, CCleaner suffered a huge loss in reputation. Hackers injected malware into the legitimate application to steal data from users. With CCleaner trying to clean up its image as an authentic program over the years, Microsoft Windows Defender Antivirus isn't helping by flagging the disk-cleaning software as a PUA.
Well, if your computer is acting up again, try removing unwanted software or files the conventional way.
For removing unwanted or unused files, you can press "Window + E" to bring up File Explorer. You can then navigate to the file that you wanna delete. Select them, then press "Del" or "delete".
If you want to remove unwanted software or software that you aren't using anymore, go to Control Panel then navigate to Programs then Uninstall a program. You can then chose what program you wanna uninstall from the list.
I can recommend another software that helps you update your computer drivers. It's called Driver Booster. You can get the software here, it's free: https://www.iobit.com/en/driver-booster.php
If all fails, try reset your PC. And if that didn't solve the problem, toss is to the bin. It's time for a new one. HAHAHA.. just kidding. Bring it to the computer shop and let the geniuses do their job.
-Balans-