The unofficial Shadow Defender Support Thread.

Amen to that ...but effective with v1.5.0.726 the registered publisher of Shadow Defender is listed as
"Beijing YiChengWeiLai Culture-Tech Co., Ltd." (not Yang Ping, aka "Tony")! So who knows what's really going on (except that Avangate is still selling SD licenses)?

 

re "Beijing YiChengWeiLai Culture-Tech Co., Ltd." and Shadow Defender diskpt.sys



see here and here

 

I don't think, with the reinstatement of the Shadow Defender website, that Shadow Defender is dead.
In Shadow Defender history there have been large gaps of inactivity and breaks and difficulties in communication with the developer. Why? We don't know.
Although Shadow Defender has been developed and optimized, to a large degree and is still 'fit for purpose', there has been a long period of time since users have seen any change or signs of life, in terms of developmental activity.
I think that user and potential user confidence might grow if we could see that there was an active developer 'at the wheel' and we could see that changes to modern operating systems were being taken into consideration.

Recent developments in operating systems seem to have the intention to thwart third party development of privacy or security applications and force the user to consider those things only on their terms.
Some people argue that there is no longer a need for third party applications.
I believe that monopoly, is not, necessarily, a good or 'healthy' thing

 

v1.4.0.672, v1.5.0.726 have performed well on Windows 11 22H2.

 

...and I can add - SD v1.5.0.726 is performing very well on my Win11 23H2 laptop.

 

Yes, SD 1.5.0.726 on W11 23H2 ok

 

Hi everyone.
I love SD and have been using it for ages experimenting with many different versions after reading somewhere about different experiences depending on the version.
To be honest, I didn't find many significant differences and so I recently installed SD 1.5.0.726 which seems to run really fine under Windows 10.

However I recently discovered that if I chkdsk the OS partition (GPT) in shadow-mode just to test what was happening then it finds errors and suggests a reboot to repair the drive.
I then installed version 1.4.0.680 (on the same partition and without having repaired it since in normal-mode chkdsk does not find any error) which still runs really fine and does not report any errors when running chkdsk of the OS partition in shadow-mode.

Just out of curiosity, has by chance anyone had similar experiences?


Edited in order to correct the version from 736 to 726.

 

I think, that to some degree, Shadow Defender might have been 'over developed' and that is why you see these glitches occasionally (which I mentioned at the time) in more recent versions.
Users reported in newer versions of Shadow Defender.that some old, minor, Shadow Defender glitches, had returned, such as missing and lost icons etc, and other small and inconsistent 'bugs'.
If you look back at my posts shortly after the time of the later Shadow Defender releases you will see that I mentioned that I use an older version 1.4.0.519 which I felt was (rightly or wrongly, just my feeling) one of the most stable versions after security changes suggested by one of our members @camelia.
I think that during this period of incessant Operating System change, problems that people were having with the new operating systems, were blamed on Shadow Defender.
Developmental changes were made (I believe to fully optimized versions) in the light of that (maybe in the heat of the moment and with misguided user pressure) that were to the detriment of a completely stable and fully developed Shadow Defender
I have voiced this opinion previously (even to Tony, who disagreed with me on this point) but largely I was ignored by users and members.
I think developmental decisions, occurred in the 'climate' of fast change in an unstable time, due to the people's insatiable appetite for the 'new' with the advent and in the excitement of, the more modern operating systems (which really are a rolling Beta with constant updates, which in my opinion created/create a new degree of instability in terms of privacy and security, with the perating System developers constantly changing and updating in the context of them having a desire to be a monopoly, completely in control and diminishing (probably without care or thought) the use of third party applications.
I've found over the years when something is wrong with a pc, people (including myself) have jumped to the conclusion that there was something wrong with Shadow Defender. I think that most of the time we were wrong in coming to that conclusion.
Most of the larger problems with Shadow Defender were ironed out a long time ago eg incompatibility's with other kernel level software.
The whole concept of what constitutes an operating system completely changed during this period and consumers lost ground and were diminished in terms of their own 'ownership' and 'rights' in the new OS monopoly driven paradigm which leads to us eventually losing ownership of our lives and tools and in that, a diminished personal integrity, given,(or taken) away.
We all run complex and unique systems.
In our lives there are not two people that are the same. Our Personal Computers become unique and diverse in our hands and one problem encountered, is not necessarily the problem of another or one success the same for another.
Shadow Defender is (in my opinion) the best tool of it's class to meet the important demands of it's users and has met the challenge through the ups and downs of multiple operating system iterations.
Shadow Defender has had everything thrown at it and still works and works well.
Shadow Defender, is, (even in the newer versions that I mentioned) a constant lifesaver and has saved my neck alongside Sandboxie a hundred times with it's predictable function in an unstable and constantly changing environment.
Remember in the old days, the mournful cry of 'My computer has "blue screened!" and all is lost'. I've never experienced anything like that whilst using Shadow Defender. My pc always boots into the OS.
In my PC 'life' I totally rely on Shadow Defender for my daily security.
Shadow Defender does not (I believe) need further development but would benefit from the developer being more 'transparent' and 'available', to 'reassure' and 'guide' and in this way all the conjecture and 'drama' would simply disappear.

Sorry about my grammar. post is just, 'off the cuff'.

 

@sdmod

Thank you for your appreciated reply, you have a truly impressive writing ability and this comes from someone who also writes in a not exactly concise way.

I agree with pretty much everything you said about SD except that you rely on it "totally".
The best tool anyone has is their own brain.
And one can't totally trust that either, in my opinion.

However, since at least here the version 1.5.0.726 does show errors in file system running chkdsk in shadow-mode and nothing at all in normal-mode and that 1.4.0.680 version does not show any error in shadow-mode I would have liked to know from some users of version 1.5.0.726 under Windows 10 whether when they run chkdisk [from within Explorer > (C:\) > Right-click > Properties > Tool > Error checking > Scan drive] if they too happen to find errors, just out of my (also statistical) curiosity.

Thanks again.






Edited to say that I'll try the 1.4.0.519 version you mentioned since I found it among various others.






Edited in order to correct the version from 736 to 726.

 

@logon Thanks for your kind words.
Yes I agree about what you said about my comment 'rely on it "totally'...I suppose I meant, that I wouldn't feel comfortable in my daily computer life running W OS without Shadow Defender. I have come to rely on it..
In fact, it was my idea (and Tony implemented it), to change the original Shadow Defender slogan from, 'The way to a safe world', to, The way to a safer world' with the understanding that there is no such thing as absolute safety.
If I remember correctly, (I'm not sure)I think that @camelia recommends a slightly different version than me but they were both about the time when extra protections were brought in by Tony (Shadow Defender developer) on @camelia's recommendation to address vulnerabilities that @camelia brought to light..
I think @camelia recommendation was the next version on from mine.
These versions were before things started to get complicated by operating system rapid changes and updates etc.

Patrick (sdmod)


http://shadowdefender.com/help.html

 

@sdmod

Interesting, thank you very much.

However, I don't know in detail the mentioned vulnerability, but generally speaking I think that the combined use of one's brain and an effective tool can minimize the effects of a known vulnerability since a vulnerability is generally caused by the perverse use of someone else's brain, but it may never happen.

Just as an example, excluding my first steps in IT, I have not been using AV for decades.

 

It's hard to think that's the end of SD, more than 10 years of using it on XP, Vista, 7 and 8 without issue and actually always sure about its efficiency.
So maybe that's the good moment to remind review I wrote years ago?
Shadow Defender review | Wilders Security Forums

 

@ichito

Nice review, congratulations!

If I may, I would add 2 features much appreciated by me and that I have not found elsewhere:

The fact that SD also does work perfectly with VHDs, from which you can boot while they already are in shadow-mode.

The fact that you can create a backup image of the OS partition that is in shadow-mode and then restore it flawlessly and boot from it while it already is in shadow-mode.

AFAIK None of SD's competitors (if any) can do the above. ;-)

 

@ichito Thanks for reminding us of your brilliant review of Shadow Defender. Your review is recommended for anyone who wants to know what Shadow Defender is about.

 

@logon

@ichito refers to the vulnerability and change that Tony made to Shadow Defender in his superb Shadow Defender review which is mentioned above..

'SD allows you to protect the entire sector "Track0", not just the MBR sector itself, which is part of it, as it was only recently in previous versions ... it is important in protection against advanced forms of rootkits.'

The earlier versions of Shadow Defender did not have the rootkit protection.
Brought to Tony's attention by @camelia (if I remember correctly)

I think that Shadow Defender 1.4.0.519 was the first version (if I remember correctly) with the 'Track0' protection.

Patrick (sdmod)

 

@sdmod

Thanks for the welcome information, and I understand that being on these type of forums (the name here says it all, right?), security is a priority.
Personally, I take note of the risks and I like to know the possible consequences, and I respect all those who contribute to the progress of security with their research and dedication, but I don't like to delve too deeply into them.

I hope my words above have not been misunderstood, since when talking about the brain, I thought about representing a different way to enjoy this area of world more rather than focus on security which has never been a passion of mine.
But we are on this forum, and security is a priority, right!
However I thank those who have this specific passion since without research and sharing we don't get too far.

My modest attitude is just different.

Thank you.

 

And what was improved in .591 which says "optimize MBR protection"?

 

I haven't used SD in years. But, all of the discussion regarding it and the fact that it still works in Windows 10 and 11 is making want to re-try it again. I found that my license for SD is from 2013. Is this license still good or valid?

 

@Alexhousek, I haven’t been using SD for the last two months because of BSOD, but my license is from 2012 and it was still valid.

 

@Antarctica
Yes those licences should be ok and are lifetime licences
I'm curious to know when your 'blue screen of death' occurred and in what circumstances.
Which operating system were you using?
Do you have more than one anti virus running?
Do you have any kernel level apps that might be in conflict on startup?
Is all hardware ram etc seated properly and functional?
Are you in Shadow mode then booting into unshadowed when your blue screen occurs?
Which version of Shadow Defender are you using?
Have you had any blue screens when not in Shadow Mode during your normal usage?
Have you turned off Fast startup, hiberboot, hybrid boot, or hybrid shutdown?

Patrick (sdmod)

 

@sdmod,
Thanks for your message. I had been running SD for the last 12 years without any problems before BSOD happened.
I’m running Windows 11 for about two years. Only one AV of course, Eset has been on my system for about 12 months, before that I
was running Windows defender. No kernel level app installed.
As far as I know, all hardware is running fine on my system
What happened is that SD would not reboot, so I decided to reinstall it and on reboot BSOD. Macrium saves me once more!
I’m still running version 1.4.0.680 and fast startup has been turned off for many years on my system.
SD serves me well for many years for the price I paid, but right now I feel I don’t need it anymore as I rely on Macrium.
Thanks for your time anyway

 

Since it is not the first time I've read that the use of Shadow Defender is compared to that of restoring an OS image I take this opportunity to explain what I meant speaking of "brain".

First of all the question should perhaps be answered: how important is your data to you?

Taking the answer for granted and as everyone knows, the most important related thing in IT is that the only way to have your data safe is to perform the backup of your data themselves.

But even backing up your data is not enough because you also have to add redundancy to your backups (clouds included).
And only then, may be, you data are safe in IT.

Of course, the backup must also be performed for the operating system, Track0 or MBR (and included Partition Table) whatever you want to call it, not just for the data.
And nowadays I believe that only a few are naive enough to save their data on the same partition as the operating system.

However, I've never used Shadow Defender for "security" reasons, but only because I like to have every single element of the operating system set the way I like it and as I expect it to be and I also like to test and experiment with everything.
Of course I also benefit from the fact that SD creates a secure environment, but as already said that's not my priority.

My priority is to have fun with computing, and each of us has fun in our own way.

In other words, in my view, speaking of "brain" (and I didn't dare say "intelligence") meant creating an adequate secure base for the most catastrophic event possible in IT (also hardware failure events), which is not just malware.

Of course, tools are also necessary.

Not to mention the fact that partitioning the disk in GPT partition style appears in itself (much) safer than having the classic MBR partition style although well-known compatibility issues still exist.

The above is also the reason why I don't think AV and security software in general are interesting enough, in my view.
All they do is take over your system, slow down the system, impose on you a myriad of clicks that you could save yourself and give you an ephemeral feeling of security that can never exist in IT anyway.
If you don't know what you're doing...

 

@logon
I agree that a running anti virus bogs down the system. I use a standalone anti virus (not constantly running) to check any downloaded files or programs in Shadow Mode before opening or testing.
Shadow Defender has many uses.
I lock certain files in ordinary mode and open them only in Shadow Mode, knowing that, on a reboot they will go back to their locked or encr form if I happen to forget.
Shadow Mode gives us the opportunity to install software and explore, maybe venturing into areas that we are not entirely sure of '' in graphics , music, video editing and explore areas of those programs that we would maybe be scared to touch, in non shadowed sessions. When test editing we might have a whole jumble of outcomes. It's very easy within Shadow Mode to select any file or folder, that we may want to keep, by using right click menu 'Commit by Shadow Defender', knowing that the main program will be, on reboot, back to it's initial start point, irrespective of any changes and settings that we might have made during our exploration.
I tend to keep multiple copies of my drives with Shadow Defender and Sandboxie already installed on them.
I normally clone in Doze but recently have been using images (image for Linux) (which is great) for my Linux systems .
I also do not want my main focus to be on security when using my PC and I want to enjoy my 'daily' without worry.
Shadow Defender suits me because it is simple enough and I am a utilitarian in nature. Shadow Defender just does what it needs to do without bells and whistles.
Yes I understand that that strict adherence to the paradigm, pursuit of 'security', being the 'be all and end all' is a disease and (some might say), 'failure' of the neurotic and we can end up ruled by an iron 'lung' or restrictive cage, made from our own fear and apprehension , even paranoia but the internet (and 'life' generally) is a playground, a stimulating, slaughterhouse, for hacksters, hucksters, and advantage takers, sadists, careless, thoughtless, who would kill, rob, belittle, torment, any naive and trusting 'Lamb' without compunction.
We all play out part in that game. Nobody is blameless.
My faith in 'human nature' comes and goes.
The brain can be a wonderful instrument, in the right head and serves many of us well, in sometimes dire situations but there have been many times in my life when it has dumped me, without notice, in the gutter, leaving me crestfallen and bemused by my dependence on it's truth, motives, friendliness and articulacy.
To allow our brain free reign without constant analysis and questioning, particularly in isolation from criticism or advice, could lead us 'right up the garden path' in terms of outcomes.
Can the brain monitor itself?
A part of us says
'How did I get here?' 'I never meant things to work out like this'.
The brain without other input of the gut, intuition or 'feel' or use of the 'mind' may be to our detriment.
Third party positive intervention is often thwarted by the cunning brain, which insists, that 'I know best'.
As I said, the brain is very good at fooling and bamboozling us at times but do we want to enjoy life or be in a state of constant vigilance and apprehension?

 

@sdmod

I agree with many of the things you said (all?) and would like to add the following, but only for the moment because your answers deserve close attention.

The perversion of a part of humanity and of a part of each of us is always based on some human "weakness" (and on the other hand it obviously couldn't be otherwise).

If for someone who doesn't even remotely think of devising ways to stay safer in the wild the convenience of having everything at hand because let's say he's lazy, just as an example, is a priority compared to what could happen to him then it's there that the perversion of others is embedded.

And exactly the same thing happens in the so-called real life, but that doesn't mean we walk around with armor (which would greatly slow down our movements just like an AV does to your OS) or we arm ourselves with a knife and gun to duel with anyone.

Everyone has their own way of "exposing themselves" in public, what many don't realize is that their PC monitor isn't exactly a real screen as it seems.