Shadow Defender or Returnil - explain differences

[Serapis]

Hey again guys, since putting an extra virtual layer is my top priority I was wondering about the differences between these two products.

*could returnil paid, turn off virtualization without a reboot?

*Does returnil paid virtualize other partitions besides c:/ ?

*Which is more user friendly and set&forget in terms of recovery of documents to real system?

[jmonge]

i will say SD but dont forget tha returnil has antivirus engine/shield too

Serapis:

could returnil paid, turn off virtualization without a reboot? :NO.
Can Shadow Defender? NO.

Does returnil paid virtualize other partitions besides c:/ ?
Only the system partition,C, or whatever you name it.

Which is more user friendly and set&forget in terms of recovery of documents to real system?


The commit feature in ShadowDefender,is absolutely trouble free,though a little slower than the same feature in Returnil 2008.

It offers both commit through the GUI,and commit by right click context menu,modes.

I loved Returnil 2008,Returnil 2010 just went further,and added more than I wanted.

Respect,
wing

[Sully]

The criteria for set and forget, and ease of use, I will say SD. They are both very similar, with Rnil being a bit more feature rich. But, SD just works. I used it 24/7 for some time, and if you set your exclusions properly, you can do your day to day without much issue. Much can be said for a program that is simple and efficient, but not always does it have everything you desire.

I personally like dislike the virtual drive that Rnil saves data to, but others seem to prefer it. IMO that is the primary difference between the two, plus or minus a few side features.

Sul.

[Pliskin]

Originally Posted by Sully

I personally like dislike the virtual drive that Rnil saves data to, but others seem to prefer it. IMO that is the primary difference between the two, plus or minus a few side features.

Isn't that an optional feature? The primary difference is that Returnil has FREEWARE version so anyone can use it.

[pegr]

Originally Posted by Pliskin

Isn't that an optional feature? The primary difference is that Returnil has FREEWARE version so anyone can use it.

Yes, Returnil RVS has a free version that is identical to the paid version with some features disabled. If you don't need the additional features of the paid version then the free version may be all you require. I wouldn't describe the licensing model as the primary difference between the two programs though as the feature sets are also slightly different. I would say that RVS has the stronger security focus, but SD is easier to use (a personal opinion).

Although there isn't a free version of Shadow Defender, the SD license is lifetime and costs about the same as a one-year annual subscription to RVS. For a single one-time payment you get access to the full SD feature set that also covers all future upgrades. I have licenses for both programs and, from my own experience, I agree with Sully that, if you intend to virtualise the system partition on a 24/7 basis, Shadow Defender is easier to work with if you set your exclusions properly. My understanding is that the next major release of RVS will also allow permanent exclusions to be set.

Another point to consider is that I believe Returnil are planning to include in the next major release of RVS a method of allowing virtual sessions to persist across reboots. Addition of this feature would make RVS substantially more useful for software testing. As ratwing stated though, neither program allows exit from the virtual state without a reboot and this is unlikely to change, as it appears to be a technical limitation of the way disk virtualisation programs work.

EDIT: Clarification added.

[icr]

Shadow Defender:

• Allows to save certain files when in virtual mode
• Does not have any free version
• Doesn't have any AV for scanning malware
• Can buy lifelong license

Returnil:

• Has free version (Main + point)
• Yearly license