Feature "Drop / Save all Changes" in Returnil 2010

I am a satisfied user of Returnil 2008. Trying Returnil 2010 gave me the impression that the handling of this new version is less reliable and comfortable concerning the safety aspect.

With Returnil 2008 it was clear: By enabling "Session Lock" I was definitely in the safe mode and I could be absolutely sure that when leaving the program (shutting down my computer) nothing would be saved on my system partition.

I am aware of the fact that with Returnil 2010 you created the possibility to save changes to the real hard disk. But to my mind the way you implemented this possibility is not very logical, user-friendly and secure:

The decisive moment for saving or not saving the changes to the real disk is the leaving of the safe mode (= the shutting down of the computer). So it makes no sense to me that the user is confronted with this option from the beginning (starting Returnil). I think a user can clearly decide only at the end of a session, if he wants to save or drop the changes. Who will go in the Safe Mode of Returnil when he is already sure at the beginning that he will save the changes to the real hard disk? I think this would be no logical behaviour.

Giving the user the possibility to change this configuration - from the (recommended) "Drop" to the critical (as you admit yourself in your manual) "Save" - from the first moment and during all the session is to my mind misleading, confusing and a source of errors – especially for not so experienced users.

Why not using a similar method as in Returnil 2008? This would mean:

Whenever I start the System Safe of Returnil I can be sure that nothing from what I am doing from now on will be saved to the real hard disk. No options (for the time being) to change this status, not even a necessity to mention it on the Home Screen of the program.

Only when leaving the safe mode (= clicking on "Restart" respectively shutting down the computer) there should pop up a window asking me if I would like to save my changes to the real hard disk or not.

And in order to be absolutely secure, even then it should not be used a simple dialogue-box "No" – "Yes" because there is a big risk of a wrong klick on "Yes" by error. Better the user's decision to save the changes should require an additional click - leading him to a window similar to the one the program has already now, where he can change manually from "Drop" to "Save".

In your manual for Returnil 2010 you emphasize very correctly the fact that the option "Save all changes"

To my mind you should consider this fact in a stronger way as far as the handling of the program by the user is concerned.

Finally a critical remark about a detail which has to do with this security matter:

Let's assume I decided to save the changes of my last session within Returnil to the hard disk and shut down my computer. When restarting the computer and opening Returnil again, Returnil "remembers" (= keeps) my last choice and starts again with the configuration "Save all changes". This is dangerous in case that I forget to take a look at the status of the feature. The situation then is the same like I would work outside of the virtual mode, and when I forget to change back to the option "Drop all changes" before shutting down my computer again, all changes will be kept on my hard disk (even if I don't like this any more).

So as a first simple step towards more safety when using the program, to my mind it would be important that in the next version Returnil opens by default with the status "Drop all changes" (whatever user's last option was when he had used the program the last time before).

Thank you for reading my remarks.

 

Hello Peter 123 and welcome to the forums

This is exactly the same in RVS 2010.

This is/was available in RVS 2008

Session Lock is still in RVS 2010. Just "Enable" System Safe without activating the home > System Safe > "Enable System Safe when I start Windows" option.

We cannot tell the intention of a user before hand. The default setting is "Drop all changes" and the "Save all changes" option is buried in the advanced settings so the program is designed to keep the chosen setting until the authorized user makes a change.

This is planned as part of optimization/automation in a future build. For now, to save content to the disk when RVS is using the default "Drop all..." option, you must use the File Manager to force the content to be saved to the real System.

Mike

 

Hello Mike,

thank you for your quick answer. I will have to think about what you have written. Maybe there were some misunderstandings either in my use of Returnil or in your interpretation of my posting.

Anyway, I am happy about your information:

That's good news.