The unofficial Shadow Defender Support Thread.

Hi sir CyberMan969,

Sorry for the late reply 'coz just got home from school a while ago and I have to finish some homeworks first for 2mrow. Anyway I had successfully installed the latest version of Rollback Rx v9.1 build 2697287695 from the above link and also Shadow Defender v1.1.0.325 from google (not taken in the official link).

Got confused while installing Shadow Defender v1.1.0.325 because I've got the link from the first page and downlaoded the v1.1.0.325 for 32bit installer yesterday but when the installation window came up it says v1.1.0.331. Thats weird because the installer says SD1.1.0.325_Setup.exe. What I did is search the web for the original SD1.1.0.325_Setup.exe installer dated Feb. 24, 2010 and installed it. HAd to ask my mom to purchase licences for both and all is okay now, thanks..

Got a few additional questions tho regarding Rollback Rx and Shadow Defender and maybe you could help me understand a little bit better if u got a spare time.

1. In Rollback Rx I noticed the size of snapshots that I've taken is going larger in every reboot I make. Is there a way to make the size smaller or return them to its original size?

I have 3 snapshots, one for the Installation (labeled baseline) this one is default I think, and the other one I made is when I finish installing and registering Rollback Rx and another snapshot taken after a successfull installation and registration of Shadow Defender.I made those two snapshots just in case I run into something bad so I can recover asap.

2. What does the Reset to baseline do? and also Update baseline? Does #2 and #3 feature reset the size of the snapshots taken?

3. Also, what does the Snapshot defragmenter do?

4. In regards with both Rollback Rx and Shadow Defender, can I still perform a checkdisk when I am not in Shadow mode? also can I still defrag my C: drive and check for errors?

5. I'm still using CCleaner Pro, is it still okay to use it?

I know its funny asking these questions but I'm just basing it to the other forums I have read before. They say if a Deep Freeze user uses a CCleaner then there is a chance a log from Deep Freeze might got deleted then Icon of DF will disappear.. Well I don't know if thats true tho 'coz I have not tried that one. lol

Ahm I can't think of any other question atm because I'm still playing with Shadow Defender. It really does work because I tried installing a software while I am in Shadow mode then tried rebooting and the soft was gone. I even check my lists of installed apps, program files and my registry.. Wow, SD is so cool.. I love it a lot.. Now I can test sofware before really installing it.

Thank u for those kind words sir CyberMan969, don't worry I'm cool with everyone at school. My grades are okay but not okay when it comes to Math.. lol Just a bit confused sometimes but I do get it still in the end. Yup I know, all things are not permanent in this world so lets just make the best of it.

Thanks again for this nice thread as I have laerned a lot by reading and asking questions. I hope everyone is cool. So thanks everyone..


Best Regards,
cJ

 

Hi cj

Have a look at this post which explains some essential things about RX:

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=2069829&postcount=5

Make sure you set your RX settings the same as on my pictures on the above link. This will stop RX from auto-creating a snapshot when you choose to restore one (saving you a lot of space in the long run). It will also stop RX from auto-deleting snapshots when you are running out of space. It is best if you keep an eye on available space yourself, and delete the snapshots you don't need manually if you are running low on space. There are also two boxes on the options that enable/disable the RX icon on the system tray, and show/hide the big RX logo when you boot. If you want you can keep those two first boxes unticked, I personally don't need the boot logo and the taskbar icon so I ticked those two first boxes and removed the ticks from all the other options (to stop RX from auto-taking and auto-removing snapshots). Even if the boot logo is disabled, you can still press the HOME key before Windows starts loading, to access RX's pre-boot interface.

"Reset to baseline" will delete all your snapshots and return your computer to the state it was when you first installed RX. Everything you have installed in the meantime will be lost, so don't do it unless you really want to start fresh and lose all your snapshots!

"Update baseline" will merge all your snapshots into one new baseline. Again, it's not a good idea because you will lose the ability to go back to your older snapshots, they will be gone.

"Snapshot Defragmenter" cleans up and optimizes your snapshots. It reclaims disk space after adding/removing snapshots and also defrags the current snapshot to ensure Rollback uses the closest disk sectors in alignment. Always defrag after deleting a snapshot, and also after taking a new one.

In my opinion it is best if you always take, remove or defrag snapshots outside of Windows, by pressing the HOME key before Windows loads to access the RX pre-boot interface. This way there will be no files in use, and the defrag process will be optimal. Just install what you want to keep, reboot, press HOME, and save the snapshot before Windows loads. Give descriptive names to your snapshots so you know what is contained in them. RX doesn't allow you long snapshot names so what I do is to give them numbers instead. Then I create a text file stored on a USB stick, and describe there in detail what software each snapshot number includes.

Also, NEVER defrag your C: drive with the Windows defrag tool or with any other defrag tools. Rollback RX is totally incompatible with normal defragging, you should ONLY use RX's snapshot defragmenter instead.

It's OK to use checkdisk, but it is not really needed: If your system crashes just restart the system, press HOME, and load an older snapshot, and the crash will be instantly undone, before even Windows has the chance to warn you of an improper shutdown. No need for chkdsk, but you can run it if you want.

CCleaner is great, I use it too. Just make sure you never use CCleaner's Drive Wiper tool on your C: drive, it will mess up your snapshots. For the same reason you should also untick the Wipe Free Space option in CCleaner.

Make sure you save your RX and SD registration details in a text file somewhere safe, you'll need them after you re-install Windows later.

Good luck!

 

Hey guys...it's probably time to go into other room...now we have some stupid "Rollback week" on fourm...I hate it already...

 

I'm just trying to help the kid, that's your problem? I understand I deviated from the thread but it is hardly the first time this has happened on this thread anyway!

 

Sarcasm was my intention...but I'm probably already tired "Rx week"...sorry

 

You're actually right, I shouldn't have gone off topic, it would have been best to PM cj with that info. I just hate irony...

 

@ cJ7

Hi, i hope you continue to love SD, as much as i & many others do

Regarding installing programs. If any require a reboot after installing, i'm afraid you will be disappointed SD doesn't allow that.

All the best with your skills & school etc

 

Hello sir CyberMan969,

I would just want to say thanks for giving me a quick guide to properly use this two cool softwares and by answering my questions. Just followed all ur settings in the thread given above and all is working flawelessly now.

Cool, now I know what the Do's and Dont's of each program and I am really happy now 'coz I won't make a User error anymore. All I have to do now is to read more here at wilders in order to learn more.

Thank u so much.


Best Regards,
cJ

Hi sir Ichito,

I just want to say thank you sir because of your pro input and answering some of my questions regarding my first post on the previous page. Your answer did hepl me a lot on deciding to install Shadow Defender and now I am also one happy Shadow Defender user.

Anyway, I just want also to say sorry if I've gone Off topic lately, its just because I am excited to try them out. I do promise to stay on topic from now onwards, thank u for the reminder.


Best Regards,
cJ

Hello sir CloneRanger,

Honestly sir since the first time I've heard of Shadow Defender I am already amazed of what it can do and I felt excited to use it. Just needed to gather more info about it so I would not make any User error on my part and now I really love Shadow Defender more.. Cool software, this is really an essential tool.

May I just ask if its okay, what do you mean I would be dissappointed if I install a new program that needs rebooting?

Do you mean to say Shadow Defender wont let me install new programs anymore that require a reboot even if "I am not inside Shadow mode"??

So thanks again everyone. Be safe guys.


Best Regards,
cJ

 

Dear cJ7...SD is used also to testing some new apps - of course testing make sens only if system is in Shadow Mode (virtualised). After restarting nothing is saved on real disk...also tested program that need reboot. If tested app was useless for you - no problem...you haven't it If you decided that it can be usefull - just switch to real system and install app in it.
Of course you can always install any app in real system as you only want or need

 

Hi sir Ichito,

Thats really cool of u, thank u so much sir for clearing out the above query of mine. Just a bit confused that I thought I might not be able to install new programs anymore if Shadow Defender is installed whether I'm out of Shadow mode.. Haha.. I misunderstood sir CloneRanger's post but now I know.

Yup, for me I only use Shadow mode in testing a new sofware or game and at the end I decide if I want it or not. This is what I like in Shadow Defender and the part that we can put exclusion in it.

Have to play more with SD so I can familliarize myself more with its features. Thanks sir Ichito.


Best Regards,
cJ

 

CJ, it's probably best if you put C: in shadow mode before going online. Also, if you add new Favorites while in Shadow Mode and you don't commit them, they will be gone when you reboot. That's why some people add their Favorites folder in the exclusion list of SD.

The only problem with adding the Favorites to the SD exlusion list is that some malware may add their own Favorite entries which may point to malicious websites. It is safer not to use exclusions at all. When you're in Shadow Mode and you have added new Favorite links or created new Favorite sub-folders that you want to keep, then do the following: Right-click on the Favorites folder, and on the menu that pops up click Commit with Shadow Defender. A dialogue will pop up with two options. The Commit Deleted Files option is useful if you have deleted Favorites when in Shadow Mode, and you don't want them to come back when you reboot. This option when ticked essentially commits the deletion itself. There is another option there (Do not recurse into sub-folders). This means that SD will only apply the commit action to the folder you right-clicked and also to all files in that folder; but it will not commit any subfolders that may be in there and their contents.

I just mentioned the Favorites folder as an example, you can perform these actions to any folder on C: in order to manually commit new files and folders, and also to stop deleted ones from coming back.

Also remember that if you have Shadow Mode scheduled to always auto-start with Windows and then you restore an earlier RX snapshot where Shadow Mode was not scheduled, then when the snapshot loads Shadow Mode will be off, (the same way as it was when you saved the snapshot). RX overrides SD in this manner.

If you need to update your antivirus definitions or any other programs that need updating it is probably best to come out of Shadow Mode first, making sure that Shadow Mode is not scheduled to auto-start next time. The system will reboot, and when back in normal mode you can install/update what you want to keep, reboot if it is needed, then activate Shadow Mode again before going online. Some users choose to commit all system changes before coming out of Shadow Mode, personally I would be careful doing this often, for obvious reasons. Only do this when you are 100% sure that everything that has occured is the meantime is safe.

If you get infected and Shadow Mode is on, don't give the malware time to call back to its maker! As soon as you realize that something is wrong disconnect from the internet immediately, turn off your router or unplug any network cables, then turn your laptop off. If your system is frozen hold the power putton for a few seconds until it turns off (hard reset), or remove the power cord and the battery. Wait 20 seconds or so, then power the laptop back on. All trouble should be undone and your system should be reverted to its previous state.

Don't forget, SD works per-session only, once you commit changes and restart the only way to go back to a previous state would be by restoring a previously saved snapshot, or by restoring a traditional backup.

Talking about traditional backups: When it's time to take one make sure you use a backup program that allows sector-by-sector backups including all free space. This way your RX snapshots will be backed up as well. It's best to use a backup program that allows you to create a bootable media (bootable optical disc or bootable USB stick). This way you can start the computer with the bootable media and perform the backup outside of Windows. Also always verify your backup after it is complete, to make sure that there is no file corruption. Having a corrupt backup is like having no backup at all.

Do not backup directly to DVDs or any other optical media, this is a basic rookie mistake. It will take ages to complete, and it is prone to errors depending on the quality of the discs and the quality/condition of the recorder used. If there is an error with just one of the discs, then all the discs you have already burned will be useless. It's best to backup using a different hard disk as the destination for the backup (in your case you can use an external USB hard disk for this purpose). When the backup is finished make sure you verify it for corruption, most backup apps allow you to verify your backup after it is created. Once it verifies OK boot back to Windows, and make a copy of your backup on another disk, then boot back into your backup application and verify that copy as well. This is important, if the hard disk that contains your first copy develops bad sectors or dies, you will still have the second copy saved on another disk. Never rely on a single medium for your backups, always make a second copy and store that copy somewhere safe, away from the computer.

Also remember that sector-by-sector backups tend to be huge in size, so the destination disk that will hold your backup has to have enough space for this. For example, my Acronis True Image full sector-by-sector backup of C: is 26.5 GB in size, and this is with just Win7 plus some smaller apps installed, I don't have any large software like games installed on C:. Just by adding a couple of modern games to C: could bring the backup size up by 20GB or more, so for me it's a bad idea to install large software on C: or keep space-consuming stuff like movies, music, games, etc. on it. If you store or install large stuff on C: then your snapshots and your future backups will be huge, and you'll run out of space much faster.

Probably best to get yourself a decent 2TB USB3 hard disk and install games there. Also keep all your multimedia files on it. I say USB3 instead of USB2 because the price difference is not really that large, and if you buy a USB3 disk now you will be able to use it at its full speed later when you get a new computer. I got two of these and I'm very happy with them:

http://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Minimus...340791572&sr=8-1&keywords=Minimus 2tb USB 3.0

I know it's too much info all at once so it's probably best to copy what me and other users wrote, and paste it in a document for future offline reference.

Again apologies for deviating so much into backup-land, I just hope that someone with enough TLDNR resistance may benefit from it. I wish someone would have told me some of these things when I was a beginner, no internet back then so I got burned and learned the hard way!

 

CyberMan969

Nice post

 

Thank you sd! I learned most of the stuff about SD from you guys back at the old SD forum, and also here at Wilders. Plus some trial+error!

 

Hi sir CyberMan969,

Thank u so much for taking time teaching me with this easy to understand guide u have made, I do appreciate it a lot sir. This will help a lot of users such as myself to gain more knowledge not only on the proper use Of SD aswell as proper backup techniques.

Did copy your post and the previous ones aswell so I could review them again later on,this is really informative for me. I am so happy I came here at wilders and get to know u guys as I really learned a lot. Today I also learned about Md5 checksum and its use just by reading, cool.

Anyway, I am in Shadow mode now and it felt so cool. I just love it, its like Shadow Defender is The man of steel, pc version style of course. Hehe

Ahm I do have a quick question tho and I think its a bit late to ask this 'coz I'm already using SD since yesterday. Anyhow, I have a installer of SD1.1.0.325_Setup.exe (32bit) with MD5 checksum of 101cdc867f7771faae6810483ef16439 Is this an authentic version or I should use the other SD1.1.0.325_Setup.exe (32bit) with MD5 checksum 4ed0f50233680ffc37fbe5cf8057c634?

Honestly, I just found this infos about checking thiere Md5 a few pages back but a liitle confuse if what may the original Md5 checksum maybe. Thanks again everyone.


Best Regards,
cJ

 

You're very welcome cj!

I use x64 SD but the x32 file I have is 4ed0f50233680ffc37fbe5cf8057c634

I downloaded it two years ago from the the SD site when Tony was still around. It has a modified date of ‎26 ‎February ‎2010, ‏‎12:12:54 and I believe it is the silent update that Tony released after finding out about issues that some users faced.

My x64 file is 35EDF53C0B4D3B8960047CFBFCBAE7E3 modifed ‎26 ‎February ‎2010, ‏‎12:13:00. Again I think this is the silent update (Patrick please correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Hi sir CyberMan969,

Ahm is it okay if u could upload the x32 bit of SD 325 that u have please? I honestly could not find it anywhwere. All I've found was dated Feb. 24 with diff. checksum.. Thanks again sir.


Best Regards,
cJ

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?k803c8qk739fy2o

Both x32 and x64 versions of Shadow Defender v1.1.0.325 (this is Tony's silent update as far as I know).

x32 file checksum is 4ED0F50233680FFC37FBE5CF8057C634 modified ‎26 ‎February ‎2010, ‏‎12:12:54

x64 file checksum is 35EDF53C0B4D3B8960047CFBFCBAE7E3 modified ‎26 ‎February ‎2010, ‏‎12:13:00


Remove both - symbols at the begining and end of the link, for some reason it doesn't seem to be displayed like a normal link when I paste it in here...

 

In short, I broke up with my boyfriend and he has all my CDs back ups, Can someone please help me to recover my SD version 1.1.0.325?
I read you don't consider version .331 as a legitimate update

Thanks you for your help

 

I posted a link just above your own post, here it is again anyway:

http://www.mediafire.com/?k803c8qk739fy2o

 

Thank you very much,

I just downloaded them from mediafire, but before install I will check the checksums

Can I ask you if the files are clean (Free of malware)?

Thank you

 

As clean as cool mountain water! I'd never share something if I wasn't sure.

So your guy disappeared with the CDs... Can't get more typical of a break-up than that!

 

Cool, thank u so much sir CyberMan for both version..
You're the best.


Best Regards,
cJ

 

I have the

32 bit checksum 101CDC867F7771FAAE6810483EF16439 not silent update

and

64 bit checksum 35EDF53C0B4D3B8960047CFBFCBAE7E3 not silent update


Patrick

 

Thank you Patrick. So what is the checksum for the x64 silent update? The x64 one that I have the same checksum as yours. According to its "modified" date, it is just a minute older than my x32 file whose checksum is different to yours. I was under the impression that these two checksums were that last v225 versions that Tony released (the silent updates).

 

Hello sir sdmod,

Ahm I'm a new user of SD and I would just want to ask some question if its okay sir. Anyway, I am currently using the release version last Feb. 23, 2010 with checksum below in #1. I would just want to know sir which of this SD v1.1.0.325 32bit version has the fixed in Random BSOD and also Bug fix when cutting from an excluded folder to a normal folder which is posted in the changelog at SD website?


1. SD 1.1.0.325 (32 bit):
Release date: Feb. 23, 2010
Time: 4:42:58 PM
MD5 checksum: 101cdc867f7771faae6810483ef16439
Size: 1,270,611 bytes or 1.21mb

2. SD 1.1.0.325 (32 bit):
Release date: Feb. 24, 2010
Time: 3:51:38 AM
MD5 checksum: 4ed0f50233680ffc37fbe5cf8057c634
Size: 1,141,856 bytes or 1.08mb

3. SD 1.1.0.325 (32 bit):
Release date: Feb. 26, 2010
Time: 5:12:54 AM
MD5 checksum: 4ed0f50233680ffc37fbe5cf8057c634
Size: 1,141,856 bytes or 1.08mb

4. SD 1.1.0.325 (32 bit):
Release date: Feb. 26, 2010
Time: 12:12:54 PM
MD5 checksum: 4ed0f50233680ffc37fbe5cf8057c634
Size: 1,141,856 bytes or 1.08 MB


And also, may I ask which of the above is a silent update? Just asking this because I don't want to experience BSOD while using SD mode,so whats the safest version above?. Just curious.. Sorry if I ask to much questions.

Thank u.

Best Regards,
cJ