Disabling RSS 2011 during program installs

I am again trying RSS 2011 on my wife's new Windows 7 64-bit laptop. I am new to this version of Returnil after using RVS 2008 for ages.

I was wondering what is the best way to disable RSS 2011 while installing/uninstalling other programs such as AV's or firewalls? I think it's sometimes wise to disable other running programs when installing/uninstalling other software, especially security software. (Returnil even advises disabling other security software when you install it.) Do I just kill the Returnil GUI in Task Manager and/or stop the RSS Core Service?

Thanks

 

Here's what I do. I have disabled the returnil from startup. I only start returnil when I want to test/do something risky.
If this is not what you want, you will have to stop returnil from windows task manager processes and not just close the gui to prevent any conflict with the antivirus/firewall or other safe programs you are installing (assuming of course you are NOT running in virtual mode, else you will have to stop that first). Don't forget to start returnil again after you are done.
Hope that helps

 

I think to really disable Returnil, you have to uninstall it.

 

Hi,
All you need to do is to ensure that the Virtual Mode is deactivated. You can go a further step to disable the Real time monitor in the Virus guard if you think it necessary, but to date, the VG RTM has not been a source of reported issues when upgrading or installing new applications. This is of course assuming the update and/or program you are installing is clean...

The warning to disable other security programs when installing RSS is due to the fact that these programs can interfere with or block the installation of the drivers for the virtualization, but also for the core process in RSS.

The only current AV we caution users about is if you have or are considering installing the CA AV and/or suite. This is due to an issue between the Frisk engine component in the Virus Guard and CA, not because of our proprietary portions of the same component. We continue to research this, but early results indicate that it is likely to be something that we may not be able to adjust in our own code.

For all other alternate AV configurations, we suggest the following:

1. Deactivate any/all real time protection and monitoring components in the AV you are currently using. In the majority of cases, this should be sufficient to eliminate any potential blocking or interference with the RSS components being installed properly. Once RSS is installed and verified as working properly, go ahead and reactivate the disabled components in your alternate security application(s).

2. For the rare cases where there is some form of interference, even with the above configured as suggested, try uninstalling the alternate security applications, install and verify proper function in RSS, then reinstall the alternate security applications.

Mike

 

Thank you for the responses.

@Coldmoon - If I choose to disable not only the Returnil GUI in Task Manager but also the RSS Core Service while installing/uninstalling a program (just as a precaution) I assume there wouldn't be any ill effects to Returnil after rebooting as long as before I disabled the service I had dismounted the virtual partition and of course was not in virtual mode. Correct?

Thanks again.

 

The main thing I would be looking for if I tried this approach would be when the services were restarted for RSS. In most cases, it should play out as described in #1, but may move to #2 as a restart of the services could be blocked by the other security solutions.

Chances are however that if your programs work and play nicely with RSS installed, they are more than likely to work as expected following the upgrade. This is not universal as there is no way for us to anticipate every change other vendors may introduce, but we work hard at ensuring compatibility as much as possible with frequent testing against the 1st and 2nd tier solutions.

Mike

 

Thanks for the prompt reply Coldmoon.

I just wanted to eliminate any potential conflicts as I uninstall and reinstall Avast and my firewall so I planned to disable Returnil and other running programs while doing the uninstall/reinstall of the AV and firewall programs and then re-enable Returnil.

 

@Coldmoon

Everytime I attempt to dismount the virtual partition in RSS 2011 I get a message stating that it can't be dismounted because it is currently in use. I never had this happen with RVS 2008. As far as I know there are no programs accessing it. I even attempted to dismount it after a fresh reboot before opening any other programs.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

How are you trying to dismount the VD? Through Virtual Mode > Tools > Virtual Disk or by moving it to a backup partition?

Mike

 

Just through the Returnil GUI, Virtual Mode > Tools > Virtual Disk

I don't have access to that PC at the moment but I believe those are the steps to get to it. Anyway I am just using the option provided in the GUI to dismount the partition.

 

The virtual partition is also showing 40MB used even though it is empty.

 

I found out that if I disable the virtual partition from being mounted at Windows boot that I can mount/dismount it at will through the Returnil GUI. If however, I allow it to be mounted when Windows boots, I can not dismount it. I then get the message about the virtual partition not being able to be dismounted because it is currently in use.

 

Ah - that was my next question. Yes, if you configure the VD to mount with Windows, it will remain locked as in use as you describe.

Mike

 

Ah, in RVS 2008 I could dismount the partition even if it had started with Windows so I expected the same in this version.

One other change I have a question about...I keep getting a popup from Returnil with almost every boot with the same message. It is info about a restore service not available in the free version. Can it be disabled somehow that I don't know about?

Thanks for all your help.

 

Look in Home > Messages for an unread message. If you don't at least mark them as read, you will keep getting an alert popup.

Mike

 

I have tried reading it, marking it as read, leaving it unread, and deleting it but it still comes back. If it is intentional and just a price of having the free version then I understand. I was just curious if I could disable it but hadn't found how.

Thanks again.

 

Send me your Installation ID (preferences > Advanced tab) by PM and will have a look at the server logs.

Mike

 

OK, I will, but I even tried blocking Returnil from accessing the internet via firewall and the message still came up. I assumed it was inbuilt into the program. Give me just a minute to send via PM as I have PM's turned off right now.

 

PM sent

 

No, messages come from the server or the management console for corporate network customers. This description however makes me think there might be something damaged in the queue at the client level as the message should stop displaying as soon as it has been read.

Mike

 

Thank you again for all your help. I will await further information from you.