Shadow Protect: How do you use it?

Can you please tell me which chipset is on your motherboard, as well as the make and model of any additional storage controller adapters (HBAs) that are part of your system (particularly the SATA controller). I'd like to dig into this a bit more if you're willing to help. Thanks! I image systems with SATA controllers all the time without issue. I suspect the problem lies elsewhere.

 

grnxnm

I am astonished by the blue highlighted text from your post.

1.How can there possibly be a limit to the number of legitimate activations??
If it is a legitimate activation there should be NO limit!!

2. You have left the door wide open to the use of the Recovery cd on multiple systems, yet still maintain that activation is to prevent piracy.

I am sorry, but this doesnt make sense.

 

Yes of course, I'm the very first user, who found out that there is something wrong with the activation of SP, because I tested this activation within the legal limits and it didn't work. Nobody does such tests in normal circumstances and that's why nobody found it.
They simply install it, activate it and that's what the majority does with SP.
I didn't do anything wrong, because I installed SP on the same computer.

Your activation doesn't work, when I install SP for the second time in another snapshot of FDISR on the SAME computer. I can do this with any software, except SP.
Your engineers never thought about that and most FDISR-users install SP in only one snapshot, so they won't find it either.
FDISR-users, who copy/update SP f'rom one snapshot to another snapshot, won't find it either, because copy/update is not the same as re-installing SP in another snapshot.

If I have two different snapshots with a total different contents, I can't use copy/update anymore, so I have to re-install SP and that doesn't work and is considered wrongly as piracy by StorageCraft.
I don't have to buy a license per computer, I have to buy a license per snapshot according your activation.

Download the trial version of FirstDefense-ISR at StorageCraft and install SP in the Primary Snapshot and Secondary Snapshot without using copy/update and you will see yourself how good your activation is on the SAME computer.
It will cost you nothing and FDISR has no activation, it doesn't even have a serial number.

 

You got that right. Each time you re-install SP, StorageCraft knows very well you are re-installing SP and that you PAID for SP.
Why is a limit and begging for a reactivation necessary ? After all you paid for it and StorageCraft KNOWS.
There is always a risk, that StorageCraft won't believe you anymore and that will be the final end of using SP for you.

What will happen if you buy a new computer to replace your old computer after 7 years. Will StorageCraft believe you and re-activate your SP

 

As usual I didnt read the fine print before I buy stuff (and now I cant find anything about any paragraphs about what to do when you re-install SP in a new machine or reformat. Anyone found it?)

But surely, as Peter2150 suggested and grnxnm said; a simple email should re enable the activation, anything else would be.... eh..not good, to put i mildly atleast that what I expect, thats why I use gmail for software related email conversations. (because I know once any info enter the Gmail universe it will be there until the end of time )

 

That is just TALK. That doesn't mean it will happen that way.
StorageCraft has all the power and you got nothing.

 

This would, to me anyway, suggest that there is more than one activation allowed, I am looking for a reliable backup software of this nature to compliment FD-ISR, however I will be likely updating my machine early to mid next year, if however this is a one time only activation product, followed by phoning / emailing for "permission" to reactivate it at the vendors discretion, then this product is simply not for me. Perhaps you could clarify the position before I remove SP from my shortlist. Thanx.

 

Sadly in my experience there is rarely such thing as a "simple" email, or even a "simple" telephone call, the world has moved away from the concept of "good customer service" In todays high paced throw away society, they know if they make it awkward enough you will just throw it away and buy another.

 

All fair points Pete, can't really disagree with any of them. If I was not so close to a Desktop update this would likely not undully bother me either, but it is what it is. So in the meantime I will most likely try another product, if that fullfuls my needs then I will stick with it, and if not maybe I will reconsider SP next year.

 

Yeah possibly not, I have given it some thought and decided to give TeraByte's IFW/IFD a try, I may evaluate SP at a later date.

 

I'm really sorry to see these issues with SP over something which should be a simple matter of activation as often as you the user might deem neccessary on your own machine.

There are 2 sides to every story and every experience, but this one seems to be taking a toll on some. Software piracy continues to spread like wildfire from what i been reading lately so i'm not sure if that can ever change. Software is machine code and those who have enough tech knowledge and disassembly proggys will likely always reconstruct whatever they get a hold of.

I'm not sure there really is any answer or any really secure method to distribute software without someone/or group dissecting it once they get hold of a release and then paste it all over their coven forums and the like or else resell it themselves.

It's a harsh reality we all have to live with i guess. It's a mighty big world out there.

Personally i might try it out someday but definitely not now, looks like StorageCraft products will have to wait, and then maybe one day if they finally realize some profitability they'll loosen up their strings enough for the common users.

There will always be alternatives in the meantime.

 

I have NOTHING against activation and when I pay for softwares, I expect also that other people pay for softwares.
The more money a company earns, the more money they have to improve their softwares and that is good for ME.

My problem with activation is the way they do it.

1. Microsoft - WinXPproSP2
Microsoft verifies TEN components in my tower to approve my activation.
a. If none of these components are changed, they don't have to count activations because it is the very same computer. So each re-installation of WinXPproSP2 is a VALID one and needs to be allowed without pestering the user.
Unfortunately Microsoft even counts the number of activations when none of these components are changed and that happened to me. That is wrong.

b. If one or more components are changed, then they have the right to disable the activation and then the user has to contact them with an explanation.

2. StorageCraft - ShadowProtect
There activation program is so badly written, that they don't even know, I'm installing ShadowProtect on the same computer.

This is StorageCraft's email reply, which proves without any doubt, that their activation program doesn't work.

I didn't install ShadowProtect on another computer with a different machine id.
I installed ShadowProtect on the same computer, but in another FDISR-snapshot.
I have only ONE computer and I don't want more than one computer.

That is nonsense, because that's what I did and it doesn't work.

They better verify their activation program, because there is definitely something wrong.
I wonder where they get that Machine ID. It can't be hardware, because I didn't change any hardware in my tower.
I only bought a printer and EXTERNAL harddisk after I bought my computer and these are all external components.
If that "Machine ID" is a variable caused by Windows, then EACH snapshot will have a different "Machine ID" and when I install ShadowProtect in each snapshot, then the activation program will find a different Machine ID.

What bothers me even more is that they don't seem to be willing to investigate this. Nothing in their email indicates that they might be wrong.
If I would work at StorageCraft and one of my honest customers is complaining I would double check my activation program and not insinuate that he installed SP on another machine.

My boss would say "Put your arrogancy aside and re-check your program and then we talk again."

 

Your arguments are well taken,so i grieve with you,but why did you even install SP anyway,imaging from the CD is easy to be done [ het installeren van welke software dan ook is altijd een potentiele bron van conflict] sorry for you english speaking but for me its easier to say this in dutch.And ofcource this is no solution to the activation issue.But i think becauce of the high quality of this app.you better get easier over this problem and use it anyway,the importance of recovery is more serious then the issue you encountered.

 

It takes time to change things, but I already replaced ShadowProtect with Karen's Replicator successfully for my DATA Partition.
I'm still thinking about my SYSTEM partition.
Until now, I consider ShadowProtect as a $70-mistake, unless they correct their activation program, which won't happen as usual. So I don't depend on it.
Maybe back to ATI or using SP's Recovery CD. After all my system partition is much smaller than my data partition and certainly when I use this solution :
1. Windows + FDISR as very small Image.
2. FDISR-archives as main restoration.

EDIT :
I installed SP under Windows, because the Recovery CD works much slower and I never expected any problems with activation.
I learned it the hard way, this time, but I won't forget it either.

 

I suppose it is worth considering, (no consolation to you at this moment of course Erik) that StorageCraft is a relatively new company, seems from their website they have only been around since 2003. Maybe they have not encountered a problem such as yours. My own problem is really one of timing, and as Pete stated could be attributed to a number of softwares. What I am most interested in here from your experiences is how their customer service behaves.
It has been said that StorageCraft is not trying to target people like you and me, but rather enterprise, which quite frankly I could understand, supporting the home user must be a nightmare, at least enterprise has it's own IT people who should in theory rule out user problems at that end before presenting to the companies support.
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=180742
Though from their website they clearly do little to discourage customer like us. Perhaps they haven't quite made up their mind to rule out home users.

Taken from StorageCraft website
So maybe they just need to all get together and decide who they want to target, then they can be better organised to deliver a product and service that meets all their customers needs. On the otherhand they could just sit back and let time take care of it, eventually customers vote with their feet.

 

I also sympathize with those frustrations suffered by ErikAlbert and i might add others I decided awhile back when the beta results looked promising to go for the IT release but after discovering what direction they were going to be going had to stop myself short of falling for it.

I live on a tight budget like so many other COMMON folks and the only one i have to subsist on by the way, at least for the foreseeable future, where companys and corps ALWAYS seem to have plenty of green to throw around and throw away.

Any software programs no matter how popular or fantastic appearing, MUST come into line with most peoples budget or they are given no more attention than an empty can in the rubbish bin.

StorageCraft has to play to Corporate multi-licenses and high-dollar figures to make their place in the market count for something this time around i suppose, and thats fine. Their in the business of mass producing a computer software product to fill a demand in this industry.

Unfortunately i can't speak either for or against the way they make for distributorship to the lesser dollar carriers but everyone has to decide if what they offer is really worth what you exchanged for it.
Personally, when it comes to computers, software for me has to contain built-in provisions for the life of my units or it's dismissed as not worthy of consideration. That's MY policy no matter how high on the hill someone's program idea might be.

 

Erik ,All i can say,don't ditch the gold because its contained in filthy bag(activation/storagecraft)and you thinking about using the SP CD is a good one,with your very small systempartion,imaging with the SP CD flash by in the blink of an eye![i backup in 8 min. restoretime is 6 min],overall backup/restore in 14 min with 14 gig]

 

Yess i second that all, but here we deal with a practical issue that has to be fixed fast,if COMMON people meet this problem,what do ou think about the great corporate environments meeting this issue,so the solution to Eriks problem is helpfull to forstall disaster in the future deals were much $$$ is involved,so Storage Craft owe something to Erik and give him a free IT license !!!

 

In the past, I was a Moderator in a forum of "Free Lottos".
I also tested several "Free Lottos" programs on-line and when I found errors, I reported these errors to the owner.
Most of the time I got replies like "Mind your own business", "Get a life", ...
Only two owners thanked me and corrected their program and one of them paid me even $10 via PayPal.
I'm getting tired of reporting errors, they never listen.

 

What a big dissappointment!!

I was going to purchase Shadow Protect Desktop v3 to replace Acronis True Image Workstation 9.1 with Universal Restore. Now, I will stick with Acronis which has worked very reliably, except for the Universal Restore feature, which I have found a workaround for.

Horizon Data Systems has the same problem with their RollbackRx product except that at least it will work on any FDISR snapshot on the same machine without having to call or email them and beg for an activation reset.

This StorageCraft licensing problem could be easily fixed if they weren't so paranoid and cared a little about their customer's experience. Another case of arrogant behavior coming from a software company.

Thank you, Erik, for pointing out this major flaw in the ShadowProtect software to the community.

Silver

 

Like i said before, everyone went head over heels with great jubilee when SP v3 was announced as coming up for it's debut release, but think about it, that company has only this new imaging product to go on in order to try to recover some lost revenue and set themselves in the black again.

Yeah it might seem disappointing right now but maybe somewhere down the line when that dust settles for them, they will fully accommadate the rest of us like we would like.

I for one am in no big rush, PARAGON is just peachy for me for the time being.

I do hope they soften their stand soon for the rest of you though, because it is frustrating i imagine. I say give it some time for them to realize a satisfactory quarterly profit earnings on sales. It's likely if they are pleased with those results, it'll trickle down to the rest of us eventually.

 

StorageCraft uses a "Machine ID" to verify that a user installs SP on the same computer or another computer and this has NOTHING to do with snapshots of FDISR or RBRx or any other existing software.
Never mix problems that have nothing to do with eachother.
The "Machine ID" = hardware and if it is not, then it is a mistake.

If the "Machine ID" is based on hardware there is only ONE "Machine ID" possible.
Nevertheless StorageCraft detected more than one "Machine ID" on my computer. How is that possible ?
That is IMPOSSIBLE, unless the "Machine ID" is not unique for some reason and NOBODY knows exactly where StorageCraft gets that "Machine ID", because it's a secret.

If the "Machine ID" is unique and the same, StorageCraft has no right to count the activations, because the user installs SP on the SAME computer.
If the "Machine ID" is different then StorageCraft has the right to stop the activation because that is PIRACY.

If a user creates 10 snapshots with FDISR and he installs 10 times SP in each snapshot, this shouldn't be a problem because it's on the same computer with the same "Machine ID".
Nevertheless it is a problem and there is only one conclusion : the activation program has a BUG and doesn't work in all situations.
It isn't even complicated to do it right, because they only have to verify the "Machine ID". Maybe StorageCraft doesn't even trust their own machine identification method, which is even more ridiculous.