The unofficial Shadow Defender Support Thread.

Hi bjm,
No, I just use Shadow Defender but I have had quite a few different pc systems over the years (where these sorts of problems have also occurred) so I know that it is not an isolated incident that is just confined to my system right now.

Patrick

 

How convinced are you that SD is the culprit? How do you know for sure that it's not caused by some other program that you've used on all of those systems (along with SD)?

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I have never experienced that issue on any of my XP/7 systems no matter which version of SD I was using!

 

Good question Scott
The answer is I don't know for sure...but these same sorts of things have happened over years in circumstances which lead me believe that it is Shadow Defender. Often occuring on re-boot from Shadow Mode to ordinary mode...and in the earlier versions that I mentioned where Nero, Alcohol 120% and Daemon Tools were effected Tony acknowledged the problem and took steps to fix it. Initially also there was a problem with Sandboxie but I think Tzuk and Tony ironed it out between themselves.
So I can say that there is an acknowledged documented history of this type of problem. I hope that answers your question to some degree.

Patrick

 

Oh, I wasn't aware that Tony had acknowledged that the problem existed (at any time).

 

Scott
You can see a brief history of Shadow Defender here

Patrick

 

So, you're not calling for a SD exodus

 

No, I am a long term supporter of Shadow Defender. I just wanted to bring this issue to general attention and debate because these sorts of glitches have been happening for a long time and are not immediately apparent as one big issue.
My personal uneducated laymans's view is it is something to do with Shadow Defender kernel driver trying to get underneath everything so desperately that it (at times) cuts the feet out from under similar status (kernel level) apps legitimacy in the system and even, (at times) the system's legitimacy to keep it's own configuration or the users chosen configuration of apps and system.
So I am just saying to members that certain glitches that appear might not look at first glance, that they are anything to do with Shadow Defender but could (at times) be.
I'd like this to be taken seriously as a problem that has (in my opinion) gone on for a very long time unresolved.
I want Shadow Defender to be predictable, secure, stable, understandable and useable. Many of us like to say that Shadow Defender is 'rock solid' and that's how I want it to be.

 

Hi Patrick ~ Hi Pete
So, if I may extrapolate... as user with SD 578. Current version may not be 'rock solid' ?

 

By comparison. I'm certainly a SD newbie. So, I'll sit quietly in the corner observing... Thanks !

 

Hi bjm, something that I found with programs like SD is that they really dont need to be updated that often. Me, I continue to use a version that was released about 2 years ago. I have never experienced the issue that Patrick describes but I get another one in my W7 if I move from the version that I use currently. So, I decided to stay put.

I suggest you settle down with one that you feel comfortable with and enjoy using the great program that SD is. Or, upgrade and see what happens. But don't assume that Patricks issue will also happen in your PC because it probably wont.

Bo

 

bjm_

My view is completely personal and subjective but I've experienced noticeable glitches in recent versions.
With the version that I am using 1.4.0,.519 I am finding it more stable on my XP sp3 ntfs.
Others certainly are not posting that they having the same experiences as me but I've said what I feel.

Patrick

 

Good advice Bo

Patrick

 

Since installing & using SD I have noticed couple changes sometimes after using SD.
I dont know if the changes are due to SD but noticed them after using SD.

1. Bitdefender free product update - Sometimes after using SD & system restart, Bitdefender free prodoct update happens.
2. Adblock Plus Internet Explorer - Sometimes after using SD & system restart, "Allow unobtrusive ads" is checked again, I keep this unchecked.

Recently 2 more changes noticed
1. msconfig - startup - Java updater - I had kept this checked but one time after using SD & system restart, Java updater was unchecked.
2. Google updater - I had unchecked this but one time after using SD & system restart, Google updater was checked.

 

hey guys, I need to recover the video of my brother's wedding, which is stored on an external hdd with usb connection.
The problem is that the hdd is not safe and may also contain malware!... So as not to risk infecting my pc, I would have thought to virtualize it
through SD (shadow mode) before connecting the external drive to the USB port.
According to you, with this method can I stay safe?.....Shadow Defender is able to protect my PC from any malware (or rootkits) on the external hdd ??

 

Yup, especially if it's a recent SD build (519 or greater)! Just be sure to place your C drive/partition in shadow mode before opening that USB drive and copying the video file to C: Once you have the file I strongly suggest scanning it with MBAM (or whatever you typically use to examine a file for malware). Of course (if you're so inclined) you can scan/cleanse his USB drive. In any case, if the video file is clean I would burn it to CD/DVD, then disconnect the external drive and restart your system.

Cruise

 

I don't mean to detract from the newer versions but I am finding that going back to 1.4.0.519 is a very stable version for me using XP sp3. One problem in particular has gone away (that occured in the newer versions) and that is that Password Agent would not maintain it's settings to open to the tray and opened locked but not fully functional to my desktop; only a re-boot would sort it out.
I always want a new version to be good and I usually embrace it as if it's going to be but those newer versions after some use started to show up some old problems that I recognised and even though they are not widely experienced, (it seems) were enough for me to revert to what is (for me) a safer version.

 

Hi Patrick,

Have you experienced this issue with every build after 519? Presuming you reported this to Tony has he been able to reproduce the problem?

Wendi

 

Hi Wendi,
There was a version Tony released that had an added hibernation option in the menu. I had massive problems with that version as I've described earlier on in the thread. It was like an extreme version of the type of glitches that I've experienced over the years. Lost settings in multiple apps and Windows itself including wrecking my connection.
Tony quickly withdrew that version when I e-mailed him about the extent of the problem.
I'm going by memory now but I think I think that the Password Agent problem (which is the sort of glitch I've had over the years) I've noticed in the last two versions at least.
Some of these old issues have started occuring again since this hibernate issue came up.
Shadow Defender 1.4.0.519 is not throwing up any of those glitches and I had used it for a long time when it was first released with no problem that I can remember.
I have e-mailed Tony a lot over the years but out of that no real discussion has arisen about why? or how?
It's like a dead area of conversation. I have gone into detail with all that I could muster to describe the problems. I know that Tony is aware of these things because (if you look in Shadow Defender history) you can see where he adddressed these issues (which I brought up initially) in Nero Burning Rom becoming unregistered after being in and coming out of Shadow Mode, Alcohol 120%, and Daemon Tools.

Version 1.1.0.252 - April 22, 2008
Fixed: conflict with Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, SPTD.'

Daemon Tools page here


There were others but these are the early documented instances of these types of problems where Shadow Defender overrode settings. Back in that time Sandboxie was also in conflict but Tony an Tzuk sorted it out.
Over the years Ive noticed these little glitches (usually) popping up now and again.
The funny thing is with many of the little glitches is that they do not appear at every re-boot, just now and again with no particular discernable pattern to them.
I hope that is is useful in some way Wendi

Patrick

 

Thanks for that recap Patrick. I first started using SD in 2012 with v1.1.0.331 (as I recall) and have upgraded with every new build never noticing any such issues, but now I will lookout for them.

Wendi

 

Perfect, very good ..... I knew that SD is a great software !!!

In the meantime I also thought another solution: instead virtualize Pc with SD, I could boot the system via Hirens live-CD, then copy the video that I need.
what do you think? ...... Is this solution even more secure?

 

I don't think so ...where would you copy that video to? ...your HD? ...even though the video file may be infected?
My preference would be the procedure I suggested above.

 

Hello Patrick,

You are not the only one. On my system when I exit Shadow Mode and then reach the desktop sometimes the icons are shifted out of position, some IE settings change, LastPass button moves from right side of IE tool bar back to the left, etc. And these are the only things I am aware of as they are readily apparent.

There is some form of stability issue occurring while in Shadow Mode. Quirky behaviors like app GUIs rendering in a "kraggy" manner.

The Write Cache to RAM causes an entire desktop hang once the size surpasses about 1.75 GB. I've emailed Tony and offered to supply memory dumps, but alas, there has been no reply.

Probably the most annoying thing that occurs is that after exiting Shadow Mode sometimes Windows Action Center will sometimes indicate that my installed AV/Firewall protections are "Off." I have to turn them back on in AC and then reboot. An annoyance...and who knows, maybe SD may ultimately have nothing to do with the issue.

Otherwise SD is a solid, indispensable tool for me for testing. As far as I can tell it hasn't broken anything...build 1.4.0.578. In fact, despite the quirks, I have to tell ya...SD is one of my most reliable/dependable apps. It along with Emsisoft Internet Security give me very little hassle.

Difficult situation - language barrier and one man living under local Communist rule...not to mention that "Saving Face" is a huge part of Chinese culture.

Best Regards,

hjlbx

 

I've had some little things occur as well, but so far... it's all cosmetic. Mind you, today I entered and exited SD three times, and bugger all happened. So who knows!

1) Windows Firewall Control - activation code missing

So far, that's the only heavy change made coming in and out of Shadow Mode.