The unofficial Shadow Defender Support Thread.

Discussion in 'sandboxing & virtualization' started by Cutting_Edgetech, Feb 14, 2011.

  1. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    @ sdmod & EASTER

    Well it was worth a shot. Of course we've had a similar situation before, with no communication for quite some. So lets hope it gets resolved again
     
  2. LockBox

    LockBox Registered Member

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    I've questioned this before, but hear me out...

    This whole thing is just weird. It was quirky for a time, but now it's even more fishy than ever. I'm not sure who, or what, to believe about SD and "Tony." When was the last time he posted on Wilders? Did he ever post after 2009? How hard would it be to sign-in and say, "I'm busy," or, well, anything. Patrick acting as a go-between, whether it be on indy forums, SD's old official forum, postings here, emailing "Tony" on behalf of users here, and deals with the eccentricities of the developer ... for how many years now? And to make it all sound so, "Awe, that's just Tony." No. It's not normal. It's not acceptable to not know who or what is behind a piece of paid software given as much responsibility as users allow Shadow Defender. At times it's made to sound like "Tony" lives in the middle of nowhere and the Internet must be two cans and a wire, email is iffy, on and on. Um, no. Official records associated with "Tony," whether true or not, tell us he lives here:
    https://i.imgur.com/WVY8J9J.jpg
    Chonqing is a city of around eight and a half million people. Maybe the Great Firewall blocks Wilders? Nope. Not according to Baidu or Comparitech which tests any site: https://i.imgur.com/j52BdCr.png This city has Internet available from two or three major providers at most any store, much like we have so many gift cards near the registers in the US. The speed doesn't fly, but the average download speed in Chonquing is 16 Mbps, but it's also dirt cheap and there's almost universal coverage. So, when we hear how "Tony" has disappeared and maybe he can't get internet access, again - no.

    One more thing. I question many things about the decade-long saga of Shadow Defender, but the "missing developer" who pays for dedicated IP hosting host for two websites on that IP address hosted on servers in Dallas, TX in the US, and has a long-term business relationship with Avangate/2Checkout (his payment processor) out of The Netherlands, and renews his domains on time makes clear "Tony" is not "missing" on the business end as he takes care of business perfectly fine. You can go to the SD website and buy a license for his software for $35, processed by Avangate. Any developer who has sold software through them knows they verify who you are, have a contact email and telephone number so they are able to contact you with business disputes, technical problems, and other purchase and payment issues - and they do so fairly frequently. A developer who "goes missing" and can't respond to emails for weeks or months later (if at all) won't last long with Avangate (now using the name of the company they bought, 2Checkout). Yes, the developer of Shadow Defender, whoever that might be, takes care of business and reaps the rewards.

    So, bet the house on this: Avangate makes nice deposits to a bank account - somewhere - and the relationship has gone on uninterrupted for nine years, without issue.

    Something is very wrong with all of this.
     
  3. Antarctica

    Antarctica Registered Member

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    @LockBox, I agree with you something strange with Tony.
    But in the mean time, I paid $35.00 eight years ago and since then Shadow Defender has been working flawlessly, so, I consider it is well worth the money I spent.:)
     
  4. imdb

    imdb Registered Member

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    long story short, mr "tony" 's gone awol and sd's about to (has already, maybe?) become abandonware.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2019
  5. Osaban

    Osaban Registered Member

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    I couldn't agree more, this program has been very reliable through the years. I still hope Tony won't drop it...
     
  6. aldist

    aldist Registered Member

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    Guys, stop shedding tears and snot. Maybe the person got sick, or family problems, or business problems.
     
  7. LockBox

    LockBox Registered Member

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    @aldist I would agree with you if this wasn't a pattern.
    My question, quite honestly, is there even a "Tony?
    A developer who goes AWOL for weeks, months, a year at a time, is just not credible over a decade. Especially in light of the fact that the business side seems to continue to operate flawlessly. The only thing that can be said with certainty is that somebody is on the other end of those Avangate payouts.

    As for the software, I agree with those who say that, for the most part, it operates flawlessly. As far as we know. The importance of the "missing developer" is that he is invisible for all practical purposes and the software, by its nature, has extraordinary abilities that aren't even logged at the key moments of boot and re-boot. The source code is private and nobody is accountable. This makes this whole issue (or should) a security and privacy concern. We may love the software, but this deceptive game is unacceptable. We don't even know exactly where SD image(s) are located and what happens at rest. The developer could be - at best - ecccentric. At worst, the developer could be a Chinese hacker and is using the facade of his eccentricity as a cover. We can walk through the doors of his most prominent competion and have a discussion. We can pick up the phone and call. Shadow Defender and "Tony?" again - completely 100% unaccountable under this now decade long charade. In the end, learning the truth could actually save this software.
     
  8. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    :thumb:
    Well none of us know what happened or if a return is even in it for SD. But one thing I can attest to is that the program is working as expected on this end many years now. In fact this virtualize program replaced another that came and went fast long ago. SD is been solid throughout on this end and that's a good enough legacy IMO to leave behind of an effort to contain Windows O/S sessions and dump the run after a reboot or shutdown.

    It's the only program of it's kind (besides perhaps DeepFreeze) that I threw every conceivable virus/malware at it without it unnerving me :rolleyes:
     
  9. guest

    guest Guest

    Or just like many devs/vendors, he got tired of the security forums "annoyances" (to be polite) and just maintain SD when he can and get the incomes while working on more interesting and lucrative projects...
     
  10. aldist

    aldist Registered Member

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  11. sdmod

    sdmod Shadow Defender Expert

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    I use an older version 1.4.0.519 on my xp sp3 system and I'm happy with it. There isn't really a program like it for ease of use. I have most versions after that in setup form if I needed to 'upgrade'

     
  12. sdmod

    sdmod Shadow Defender Expert

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    I understand what you are saying about long term cloaked hacking platform personality worry but I prefer to think of Tony as an accentric genius until proved otherwise. In my dealings with 'Tony' over the years in his consideration, particularly about the software and any perceived shortfalls or consumer worries, he has acted with response and attitude on a level that I would expect for a 'one man show'. I don't want to over romanticize things but in my own mind I see Shadow Defender being developed in a bedroom or home office.
    A certain proportion of complaints about bugs in Shadow Defender, are probably, system or hardrive faults unique to the person who has found the 'bug'. I imagine that engagement in following up on these types of bug reports, although necessary, can be draining.

    Tony gave me permission, some time ago, to use any emails as illustation of a point on the forum. The following email to me about an issue with an anti-virus, shows (in my opinion) a man that has the same concerns as everyone else.

    'Patrick

    Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 02:49:00 +0000
    From: support@shadowdefender.com
    To: patrick
    Subject: RE: Well done

    Hi Patrick,

    After a lot of tests, i have reproduced this problem.
    Here is my test steps:
    1, run internet explorer.
    2, sygate popuped up a query dialog.
    3, make 'Remember my answer...' option checked and click Yes.
    4, enter shadow mode.
    5, reboot.
    6, run internet explorer.
    then the query dialog popuped up again.

    After some research, i found why this happened.
    When i checked 'Remember my answer...' option, sygate didn't
    write
    my
    choice into its rule file immediately. if enter shadow mode
    meanwhile,
    my choice will be lost.
    but if i close sygate to force sygate to write my choice into its
    rule
    file. after that enter shadow mode, my choice will not be lost.

    This is why when entering shadow mode SD shows a confirm dialog
    'Please
    save your documents before enter shadow mode...'.

    I also noticed in wilderssecurity forum, someone had problem with
    Chrome.
    I will test it later.

    Best regars,
    Tony'



     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
  13. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    Since abandoning 10 permanently and just sticking with an O/S that works 8.1- I also have stayed with SD version 1.4.0.578
     
  14. ichito

    ichito Registered Member

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    I'm using SD ca 9 years and I saw few weird and mysterious incidents in history of Tony and his famous app...but I still keep my trust for them and I'm not going to change it basing only on someone's doubts and speculations.
     
  15. LockBox

    LockBox Registered Member

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    With all due respect, ichito, if it weren't for "doubt and suspicion," there would be no need for this forum, or the tools we use.
     
  16. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    Honestly I don't bother with caving to other user's issues simply because as long as it maintains both it's integrity for what it was designed to do on my machines (100%) and durability in performance for as long as it's proven on this end, it's a keeper.

    Every system is different in one respect or another and it's inevitable incompatibility will arise. I just not seen any locally.
    The thing is a Deep Freeze on steroids IMO but far more flexible. I run into real issues using Faronic's before and it wasn't pretty.
    Nothing of the such is even remotely raised any concerns on this end but then I don't constantly update either Windows or the SD Version. There's a thing called balance and once that balance is achieved, that's exactly where I keep it.
     
  17. guest

    guest Guest

    Honestly, who cares about the devs, if the app works flawlessly on your side.
    You are happy with it? keep using.
    You have doubts? Move away and find a replacement.

    Life is simple.
     
  18. ichito

    ichito Registered Member

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    Yes of course...you are right and even more one of my motto in one of forums is "trust is not a control, and hope is not a strategy". But...we have trust someones...we have trust some developers and his technologies, services, aplications to live in feeling of safety and mental comfort. Otherwise we get into panick and serious mental problems :) What we choose to trust is an individual case and depends of our preferences...expectations...skills and knowledge... and my chose was SD because I know this app...I know how it works (more or less:))...what are their (known) pros and cons.
     
  19. Frankfree

    Frankfree Registered Member

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    Is Shadow Defender made in China ? Why you do not have any company information in there?
     
  20. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

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    Yessss! I am a long-time happy user of SD. It works fine on my XP box & on my Win7 box. I don't care who the dev is -- even it was made on Venus by a Klingon, I couldn't care less..
     
  21. kakaka

    kakaka Registered Member

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    The developer is a chinese guy and once he wanted to sell the source code. I guess his website is co-controlled by his wife and now something happended and he stopped updating.
     
  22. majoMo

    majoMo Registered Member

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    In Toolwiz forum, some years ago, (not avaliable anymore) I read a post (from 'BillDog' poster) that had info that could be interesting for someone:

    See ichito post Here.

    Robot Dog Virus about: 1 - 2
     
  23. aldist

    aldist Registered Member

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    If you have Windows 10, Maсrium Reflect and Shadow Defender. After installing Windows Updates, the computer began to exit from Shadow mode for a very long time. To solve this problem, you need to remove the MR WinPE integration from the boot menu and integrate again.
    Most likely, this applies to other operating systems.
     
  24. lucd

    lucd Registered Member

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    some questions:
    what's the compatibility with vera crypt full system drive encryption
    what about RAMDISKS?, I know I can't virtualize them but can they represent a threat to SD mechanisms or security (malware in ram should be dead on reboot but still, maybe allowing ram access can lead to SD bypass)?
     
  25. guest

    guest Guest

    One advice, don't mess with the MBR.
    one mechanism only.
     
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