BitDisk - anybody heard about it?

Dear TheMozart,

I have known you for a very long time and every time I have noticed that if the developer doesn't give away his/her program for free, you tend to be very, very critical of that program. The developer of the program has to make money, to pay for his/her efforts and living.

The free version due to reasons to make it effortless for the user, remains in the virtual state even after reboot. This is the best feature of the program as far as I am concerned.

Therefore, it remains in the same virtual state reboot after reboot (effortless), until the user decide to get it out of the virtual state which then requires a reboot.

Then it stay in non-virtual state reboot after reboot, until the user decide to put it back in the virtual state, which requires a reboot.

The above is the best feature of the program. Be a good reader.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

Dear Skudo12,

Yes, I tried it and it cleans up very good.

Not in the free version, one cannot commit files. However, the BitDisk PRO and BitDisk 7 are not very expanisve to buy.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

Thanks for testing KOR. .

 

Is the program in German or English? And how badly crippled is the FREE version, seeing you want to buy the program?

 

So the free version cleans up, but disabled to keep changes?

And does it clean up \Programs folder etc etc, just like a program was never installed?

Do you think its better than Toolwiz?

 

Dear TheMozart,

I haven't tired Toolwiz Time Freeze yet.

The free version of BitDisk does the following:

1. It allows custom installation.
2. It allows only one partition to be protected.
3. It allows any one partition to be protected, which can be other than the C. Returnil doesn't allow that, the last I tried it.
4. It stays in virtual or non-virtual state, boot after boot, until such time the decision is made to remove it from either state.
5. It doesn't allow to commit changes.
6. It is very light and easy to use.

I haven't tried Toolwiz Time Freeze yet, maybe I should try it. I have a partition called, "Unwanted" where I keep all files regarding internet, IExplorer temporary file, Firefox profile files, .temp files and .tmp files. This is the partition which I like to keep at all times in virtual state, which BitDisk allows me to do this.

I will now try Toolwiz Time Freeze.

Best regards,

KOR!

P.S. I like the fact that BitDisk doesn't create UpperFilters like Shadow Defender and Wondershare Time Freeze does. I don't remember about Returnil if it does or not. Maybe, Someone can confirm about Returnil?

 

Thank you KOR, I respect your conclusions and opinions.

 

Thank you my dear friend TheMozart. You have chosen your internet name very wisely.

I tried the Toolwiz Time Freeze and it doesn't create UpperFilters, like BitDisk, which is good. However, Shadow Defender and Wondershare Time Freeze do create UpperFilers. I don't know about Returnil.

Here is how I see all these programs.

Toolwiz Time Freeze, Wondershare Time Freeze and Returnil:

1. The above programs only allow to make virtual the "system drive" which is partition C only and no other drives/partitions.

Shadow Defender and BitDisk:

1. Both the above programs allow to make virtual any and/or all disk/partitions, which is very, very good. The free version of BitDisk allows only one partition, this being the choice of the user.

Therefore, I can see BitDisk a potential replacement for Shadow Defender as the later is not being develop at all for the last two years. I would like the developer of BitDisk on this forum to answer my questions.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

You are welcome, dear friend!

You should try it. The free version is a keeper for me.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

As a result of your comments and testing, I have installed FREEWARE BitDisk and tested it and it seems to have restored everything

Will keep it installed and use whenever I want to try new s/w

Thank you KOR.

 

Thank you KOR for testing the software and thanks for the questions! I look forward to the answers from the developer. Once again, thank you for your work!

 

For info, Returnil does now support multi-partition virtualization.

Regards

 

@ King of Rapture, very appreciated your test and conclusions.

1. Can you clarify me "BitDisk doesn't create UpperFilters" about? What is UpperFilters thing? Thanks in advanced.
2. Can BitDisk allows to do exclude folders, so it commit such folders from virtualization in protected partition (in non-free version perhaps)?

EDIT: I saw that point 2. was answered in post #32 yet...

 

Good questions.

And seeing Toolwiz does not support UpperFilters, what does that mean exactly when restoring a system?

 

Thank you my dear friend for your kind comments.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

Dear majoMo,

1. The UpperFilters are created in the registry and they usually point to the LowerFilters. I don't like them, as and when the softwares are uninstalled, then they can create BSODs and make the system unstable. Especially, the problems being with Acronis products. See the following thread:

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=316447&highlight=Acronis

Usually, the UpperFilters one company conflicts with the UpperFilters with another company. Both Shadow Defender and Wondershare Time Freeze create UpperFilters, where as Toolwiz Time Freeze and BitDisk don't.

I am not sure about Returnil as it has been long time since I have used it.

2. Yes, there is no commit function in the free version. The paid version has commit function but it is not available for testing. The paid version seems to be at par with Shadow Defender.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

Dear pegr,

Thank you for this information about Returnil. It has been long time since I have used it. The problem I found with Returnil Safe (free version), it was very heavy due to the fact, it had antivirus built into it, even this function was disabled.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

Dear friend TheMozart,

Please see my above post #47 to majoMo.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

Dear Securit,

I am also looking forward for answers from the developer. I am willing to buy either BitDisk PRO or BitDisk 7. Out of these two, BitDisk 7 is the most expansive, which is for $25.

It is quite cheap, if the upgrade policies are generous and one license is allowed to be used on multiple computers owned by one user, not all the computers owned by the whole family. I personally own two desktops and two laptops.

Waiting to take the plunge. The free version is quite good and based on that I am sure the paid version will be even better. One of the things I am curious if it protects the MBR.

Best regards,

KOR!

P.S. And, if works flawlessly with SSDs, which is the future.

 

Hi King of Rapture,

Thanks for your clarification! I understand your point UpperFilters/LowerFilters'registry entries. It's apprehensible your concern about.

- 1. IMO the culprit is the app. uninstaller itself indeed (like in linked Acronis post). Not a new issue with this kind of app. that are unable to do a clean uninstall. The same with Comodo Time Machine and others security software.
- 2. I have avoided such annoyances using a third part uninstaller, snapshot based, that allows me not to have such issues. Firstly I run owner uninstaller; reboot; uninstall with ZSoft Uninstaller analized install'log. Never had annoyances using ZSoft for these kind of app.. It allows to overcome installers that doesn't allow their own uninstallers to do a clean uninstall.
- 3. BTW, Toolwiz Time Freeze changes a UpperFilters entry (tracked with ZSoft analized log) in: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{71A27CDD-812A-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F}

 

ot posts removed

 

1. I removed BitDisk because of the huge 60GB file it places on my C:, as I need to regularly backup my C: using Paragon Imaging, so I cannot have that large 60GB file there which cannot be made smaller in the Freeware Bitdisk. So I am now using Toolwiz Time Freeze which only creates a 4GB file if being used.

2. Thanks for the testing majoMo about the UpperFilters. Did KOR miss that somehow? Perhaps KOR can retest Toolwiz Time Freeze for UpperFilters and report back here with his recommendation if it's OK to keep using Toolwiz Time Freeze or not.

3. On COMODO forums they are talking about COMODO Time Machine 3.0 being released soon, so can't wait for KOR and others to test that when it comes out.

 

Dear mojoMo,

The UpperFilters I am talking about are in the following registry key in my computers:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

UpperFilters
phylock
PartMgr
diskpt
fltsrv

As you can see the fltsrv is left over by Acronis 2012. If I try to remove it, I get BSOD. Lots of people are having the same problem. I own Total Uninstall v6, I installed Acronis again, and tried to uninstall it with Total Uninstall v6 and again I got BSOD.

The above UpperFilters point to LowerFilters.

Best regards,

KOR!

P.S. You can see diskpt belongs to Shadow Defender.

 

Dear friend TheMozart,

During install BitDisk takes 30% of disk space for it use. However, it gives you an option to reduce it to whatever you want. I have seen Brian K who is an expert on imaging software given you advice to reduce your Drive C to 60gb-80gb. He is an expert on imaging software and he has given you some very good advice.

1. Time Machine and Rollback Rx are alike.

2. Toolwiz Time Freeze, Wondershare Time Freeze, Shadow Defender, BitDisk and Returnil are alike.

3. Paragon, Acronis, Image for Windows, Macrium Reflect, Shadow Protect, 1-Clk Restore, Drive Snapshot and so forth are alike.

The above 3 categories are not alike at all, not even same.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

Hi mojoMo,

Let us say that one has both Rollback Rx and Jetico BestCrypt installed in his/her computer. The UpperFilters in the following registry key will look like this:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

UpperFilters
Shield
bcfnt

If one will have bcfnt above Shield, Rollback Rx will not function properly. If one will have bcfnt below Shield, then everytime the computer is started, Rollback Rx will give error, "improper shutdown of computer".

Thus, these two programs which modify the UpperFilters, do not coexist with each other.

Best regards,

KOR!