Strange thing with Firsdefense

Discussion in 'FirstDefense-ISR Forum' started by sukarof, Jan 20, 2006.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. sukarof

    sukarof Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2004
    Posts:
    1,887
    Location:
    Stockholm Sweden
    I have 5 snapshots. One of these (my gaming snapshot) is freezed. Unfortunally I had freezed the snapshot with logon prompt so I have to enter a password to get booted into windows.
    If I didnt enter the password fast enough the freezed snapshot would not load and FDISR made my standard image freezed.
    Ususally I solved this by removing the freeze from the [standard] snapshot and refreeze my [gaming] snapshot.
    But this time I forgot about the password and had the snapshot waiting for the password for too long.
    The second mistake I did was I rebooted to my standard snapshot and did not remove the freeze before I booted back to my gaming snapshot.

    That resulted in that in Firstdefence boot meny my standard snapshot has been renamed to the same name as my gaming snapshot, which means there are two snapshots with the same name. This results in that I can not open the GUI for Firsdefence in any snapshot (when in windows), all I get is the error message:

    I have uninstalled firstdefence, but not the snapshots, and reinstalled it but with no luck.
    I do have an old MBR backup on floppy, but I have not tried it yet because when I did the backup I had only two snapshots and I´m afraid I will lose the three snapshots I´ve made after the backup.
    Any ideas what to do to access the GUI for Firsdefence in windows?
    Is it possible to erase a snapshot (the duplicate) from a prompt?

    So I can not do anything with firsdefence anymore. :( Well I can use the boot meny to boot into the snapshots I have (not the standard snapshot though because it is renamed) but I can not access the GUI so I can make new snapshots, freeze, erase snapshots and so on..


    *edit*
    Problem solved!
    I found ISRcontrol.exe which is the command utility for firsdefence and managed to delete the renamed snapshot and now I can access the GUI again :) But I lost my standard image :( but thats not a real problem because I had a backup snapshot for that one :)
    Now I have to talk to Raxco about the freeze-bug, cause clearly something is wrong here....
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2006
  2. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2003
    Posts:
    20,590
    Re: Strange thing with Firsdefence

    Hi Sukarof

    I don't know if its a bug or not, but intuitively I wouldn't use freeze that way. What are you trying to accomplish by freezing it. It would remain as you left it unless you change it, and if you want to save it why not just archive it to some external device. That way you can always refresh from the archive.

    Pete
     
  3. sukarof

    sukarof Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2004
    Posts:
    1,887
    Location:
    Stockholm Sweden
    Re: Strange thing with Firsdefence

    Hi Pete2150

    I have a snapshot that I use for gaming, mostly online. I have stripped it as much as possible so I´ll never have to have any hassle with anything when playing.
    No HIPS, only XP firewall and minimum of other software installed.
    I started this when Punkbuster decided to mess with Processguard. Allthough I switched to Appdefend I found this way of handling gaming convenient. Sure, before FDISR had the opportunity to freeze I could do the same, but the freeze option gives me a fuzzy warm feeling knowing that I dont have to bother about anything - just play :)

    It´s no use for me to freeze my primary snapshot because I do make changes to the system all the time.
     
  4. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2003
    Posts:
    20,590
    Re: Strange thing with Firsdefence

    I just don't see the need to freeze the game snapshot. Whole point of freeze is to return the machine to some preexisting condition. I would probably only use that if I wanted to return the primary to the same condition every day. Assuming you want to do that with your gaming snapshot, get it the way you want it, then archive it to another drive. Then after you play and go back to primary, just refresh the gaming snapshop from the archive. Very quick.

    Pete
     
  5. sukarof

    sukarof Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2004
    Posts:
    1,887
    Location:
    Stockholm Sweden
    Re: Strange thing with Firsdefence

    Yes, this is exactly the reason why I use the freeze option. But with my gaming snapshot :) I havent tried the archive thing you are suggesting, but freeze option is convinient and fast enough for me. It just takes 10-20 seconds longer than a normal reboot. Not that I have compared the booting, but It is no big/disturbing difference compared to a normal reboot.
    But maybe I will try your tip some day to see if it is even faster when loading.

    Anyhow an update on what was wrong with my first problem.

    I had a snapshot named "standard image.arx" as my primary snapshot ie the snapshot I use for everyday work. That is the name it gets when doing the first snapshot.
    When I did the freeze on my gaming snapshot it was named "Freeze standard.arx" as filename. Somehow firsdefence got confused when booting to the freezed snapshot (if I wasnt fast enough to log in) and mixed them two so the booting of the originally freezed snapshot didnt happen. So I have to do a reboot. When rebooting it booted to the standard snapshot which is now freezed and I could not gain access to the originally freezed snapshot. Confusing ey? :)

    For future reference: This problem was solved by renaming (in firsdefence gui) the "standard" snapshot (the one that was my primary snapshot) to another name and the problem I have described has dissapeared. It may or may not be the word "standard" in the filenames that causes the conflict, but regardless, renaming it solved this. :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2006
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.