The Portable Freeware Collection Forums

@Wolfghost
By example, I lost the ability to directly launch Windows Update, and several other programs in the control panel: Screen customization or Service center, etc ... In fact, all the utilities which open in Windows Explorer.
I can open them only by making a right click on the icon and "open in new window". The utilities that open in their own window, are operating normally (eg "keyboard").
Fortunately, I found this morning a Fix-It who solved the problems.

Guido76 wrote:@Wolfghost
I lost the ability to directly launch Windows Update, and several other programs in the control panel: Screen customization or Service center, etc ...
...
Fortunately, I found this morning a Fix-It who solved the problems.

Please tell me more about that fix - seems like I have similar problems. Win7 64, on a Samsung notebook. The developer of Privazer has been trying to fix my machine for 2 whole days straight, via Teamviewer sessions. A very nice guy, very committed, but to no avail. My system remains useless since I ran Privazer.

What can I do?
Help - anyone - please?
I have not been able to work on my machine for several days. How do I repair a broken Windows that hangs itself up in endless trials to update needed functions. Some vital Win services are missing it seems (according the errors thrown by apps that wouldnt start up anymore). How do I proceed?

U can try Restore System settings on the computer to day before u used PrivaZer

That was the very first thing I tried - back to a restore point before I ran Privazer. I was able to select such points, but then upon reboot Windows tells me the restore failed/ is not possible.

I tried several other points, further back. Always the same failure. Seems like Privazer either (partly) removed restore points or messed up/ deleted important Windows components that handle restore.

FileHandler wrote:I tried several other points, further back. Always the same failure. Seems like Privazer either (partly) removed restore points or messed up/ deleted important Windows components that handle restore.

Could you give some details here? What did you run, what OS, did Windows stop booting altogether (meaning you had to reinstall?).

webfork wrote:Could you give some details here? What did you run, what OS, did Windows stop booting altogether

Win 7 - 64 - now back to Service pack 1, but before running Privazer it was up to date. OEM version that came pre-installed on my Samsung notebook.

Privazer freed up 5 GB after running it with default settings. Meanwhile, however, I got 10 GB LESS space than before running it, because Windows went crazy afterwards, trying to get all kinds of fixes, updates, whatever. Continually aborting updates because of errors.

Boot-up is no problem. Except getting errors from auto-run apps about missing services.
First 2 days after running Privazer the overall responsiveness was extremely sluggish. Jerky mouse movements, long delays between clicks, dialogs and windows building up line by line.

Which made me contact Privazer support. Their support (very commmited and friendly) resolved the sluggishness to some extent.

I still suffer from extremely slow context menus, say I right-click anything in Win Explorer - folder or file - it takes 10-20 seconds b4 the menu pops up, sometimes it does not come up at all.

Process Explorer shows a whole bunch of entries that report "error opening process". Some apps report problems upon startup. The Silent Mode of my notebook does not work anymore, the fan keeps blowing at full speed. Bunch of other problems that are less aggravating. Altogether a very uneasy feeling of working on a messed up, broken system.

Interesting, thanks for the detail. Maybe I need to put a warning on the entry?

webfork wrote: Maybe I need to put a warning on the entry?

Yes, this would have definitely saved me. It's one of the strong points of this site - the caveats and warnings - I take them very seriously.

This nightmare also taught me to always read the forum more thoroughly before running a new software. While researching the web for possible remedies I came across many others who suffered badly from using Privazer.

Tried all solutions that had helped some of them, but so far, I am out of luck. Privazer's support suggested I uprade to Win10 to get my system running again. But I am reluctant, compatibility issues with some old software, not to mention I don't have much space on my hard drive. Which is why I used Privazer in the first place. To get more space and better performance, not less.

@FileHandler
hmm............still working perfect for me with 7 64bit, never problem and I use advanced mode with settings after that !!
I take them very seriously u say, not to be rude but do u take settings in this type of cleaner tool seriously too ?

@FileHandler
I am sorry for your woes.
The only cleaner I (almost) fully trust is CCleaner.
Don't you have a recovery media to do a clean re-install of your OS? Fixing damaged Windows is not always easy and sometimes it seams impossible.

@smaragdus,
thanks for the empathy. Just like you I had come to trust cleaners, owned a bunch of commercial tools over the years. So the idea was exactly the other way round: Do the cleaning first, THEN create a backup of the whole partition to keep it clear of all the clutter and cache and temp stuff.

Wolfghost wrote:... not to be rude but do u take settings in this type of cleaner tool seriously too ?

Not sure what settings you mean? It didn't strike me as a tool that needs a PhD to operate, hardly any settings at all - compared to other tools of that kind. The interface even seems to aim at people who don't want to mess with elaborate bells and whistles.

Hard to believe you would have fared better than me - this is not an issue of user stupidity, imo. You could have been the unlucky one, given my system configuration or whatever it was that caused the desaster.

FileHandler wrote:While researching the web for possible remedies I came across many others who suffered badly from using Privazer

Could you post a few of those incidents here? It would certainly make more heed the warning.

I'll follow up by adding a pointer for the entry to that post.

Cannot backtrack my browser history. I've had numerous resets this week (Microsoft phone support, unfortunately my OEM version does not qualify for an install-CD)

Here's a quick web search, running the usual gamut from the
- easy to fix: https://malwaretips.com/threads/pc-beca ... zer.31788/
- to compatibility issues: http://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/ ... st-2347179
- to the clueless: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/i ... essed.html

One case I came across - but cannot find anymore - reported (partial) recovery thanks to tweaking.com Windows Repair. My main advice however, is to contact Privazer support. Although they could not fix my system, they at least managed to make it halfway operable again.

It is obviously many who do not understand the settings of PrivaZer !!

@Wolfghost,
Well, maybe you care to point out some of these dangerous settings? With a cautionary hint to NOT use the recommended defaults.

Too late for me now, but I am sure there must be other naive users like me who will benefit from your advice.