[Public Beta] Returnil Virtual System 2007

Hello,
I am posting this thread so we can interact with the members of the forum and testers during our Public Beta release for the Returnil Virtual System 2007. All feedback is not only welcome, but greatly appreciated.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Returnil_Virtual_System_d5451.html

New in this release:

• Session Lock – Lock your system partition down, without rebooting, with a simple mouse click that can be used by anyone logged into the computer

• Take your Virtual Partition with you – The Virtual Partition now has legs! You can copy it, back it up, or take the entire partition with you when you travel (RVS and adequate storage media required)

• New User’s Manual – Completely re-written and re-designed. Also includes a comprehensive Troubleshooting guide!

• Complete User Interface (UI) and Tray Icon re-design – We took our customer and user feedback seriously!

• Fully compatible with Windows Vista (32-bit) – The Virtual Partition now works seamlessly in Vista! Development continues for compatibility with 64-bit versions of XP and Vista

• Program access protection support – Now supports program access restrictions via password. Also, Returnil now supports an option to hide the Tray Icon by configuration

• New GUI language support – The Beta currently supports US English, Portuguese, and Chinese. Additional languages will be included during the testing period and with the final release as they become available

• Custom languages – Users can create their own language files through simple editing of the INI file

• More intuitive error/warning messages – We have spent a great deal of our development time to make sure all messages were as transparent and useful as possible.

• Multi-skin support – We will add more choices in the future, currently there are 5 included designs

• HotKey support – Access Returnil with a user-defined key sequence

 

Hello Halo,
I am only part of the Development team where English text and the manual are concerned.

As for developing, no I am not a developer, but will act to answer questions and to facilitate communication with the lead developer to ensure all commentary and requests are addressed.

As soon as possible, the lead developer will also be participating in the discussion as his time difference allows.

Testing reports should be sent to the e-mail address so the team can review them quickly, but we also want to maintain an on-going dialog with the community regardless of whether it is a beta or not.

 

So this is sorta of a deepfreeze type application? Im curious.

 

Hello Colemanguy,
Yes and no - Ok, so what does that mean?

Yes, it provides a means to lock your system partition and configurations but does so in a totally different way. Returnil will actually re-create your system partition in memory rather than using a Ghosted (redundant) image that would be used to restore your partition after something had happened. RVS is cloning the partition in real-time.

This means you can install and test-drive software, download files you are uncertain about, or unwittingly open sites that contain malicious content and have the changes made disappear after a reboot (Note: Assuming System Protection is ON here...).

An interesting consequence of this approach is also Privacy related - when you reboot with the Protection ON, all history, traces, and even cookies, disappear as well - as though they never happened, unless you have configured this data to be saved in an alternate, non-system partition.

 

When will a version be released for Vista? Is a Vista version being considered? Bazza

 

Hello bigbazza,
This version is already compatible with 32 bit Vista; a 64 bit version is in development, but may not be ready for release until later this year. I will ask the lead developer for a better idea here, but keep in mind that it is impossible to predict software development with 100% accuracy.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

Your link at MG,
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Returnil_Virtual_System_d5451.html

does not mention Vista, which is why I asked.

Extracted from the link is:

Author: Returnil
Date: 2007-03-27
Size: 3.1 Mb
License: Subscription $24.95/yr
Requires: Win XP/2K/2003
Downloaded: 1150 Times

You may want to consider adding Vista to it? Bazza

 

Bazza,
Thanks for the heads up. I'll ask Jim to update the page...

 

Is this fast enough to run while gaming, ie if im playing a game am i gonna need to fiddle with it each time i run a game, i understand a new game would need changes, but just playing a game thats already been installed? or is this part of the dev that needs testing still? I am considered the demo.

 

You're welcome.
I couldn't figure why all the effort was being expended on XP (and others) when Vista is the "in" thing. Bazza

===

 

Very good question. The actual footprint is very small, but as the the image is created in Memory, having more memory is always better.

We have not tested specifically with a gamming configuration, but have tested with memory issues in mind by trying to stress the system while using System Protection. We would be grateful for any feedback you might have using RVS while gamming.

There should be no need to alter your default Protection Settings while gamming other than to choose a non-system partition to save your game sessions (saving the sessions in your %s:\ drive will not be saved unless saved within the Virtual Partition with Protection ON for EX).

 

You are right and I apologize for missing that earlier. This version's development was spurred (among other things) by the need to upgrade the technology for use with Vista. It may be interesting to note that the System Protection feature was not the real issue as it was working well with 32 bit Vista; it was actually the Virtual Partition that required the most development considering the new architecture of Vista.

 

Hello - New Build available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Returnil_Virtual_System_d5451.html

New in build 1.62.3818:

Language support added for German and Spanish

 

And Vista gets a mention. Bazza

===

 

New build available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Build number: 1.62.3824

Updated

English
Portuguese
Spanish
Deutsch
Chinese-Simplified

New

Italiano (new)
Français (new)

Corrections

* Corrected text display issue when using German localization
* Corrected issue with uninstaller displaying in English regardless of default language chosen

The testing program is going better than we could have expected and we want to thank everyone for his or her feedback – keep it coming!

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Build Number: 1.62.3825

Updated to correct spelling errors:

Italiano
Spanish
Portuguese

Insider News - We have completed work on two new features we will be adding this coming week for testing. The first is an option that will allow the authorized user to change their language preferences from within the RVS GUI. The second feature will add an optional button to Internet Explorer that allows the user to turn on System Protection from within their browser. Fire Fox and Opera support are still under development, but we hope to have something ready for testing within the next couple of weeks.

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Build Number: 1.62.3833

New

New

Change language preferences "on-the -fly". Please note that you will need to be logged into an Administrative account to make changes to the program preferences. To change the language:

1) Open Returnil
2) Select "Other Settings"
3) Select "Others" tab
4) Select the appropriate language from the drop-down menu
5) When you are satisfied with you selection, click "OK" to save your preferences

 

New Build Available

Build 1.62.3855

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Updated:
* All languages

New:
* Korean language support in the GUI

* New RVS Desktop Toolbar (Minimal mode) - The RVS Toolbar will allow users to activate the Session Lock feature (if System Protection is OFF) and to open the main user interface. The option to activate the toolbar can be accessed during the installation process as well as in the "Other Settings -> System Protection" tab after the program is installed.

Note: For testing purposes, this option is ON by default. By design, the toolbar will be on top of all open windows and can be moved anywhere on the desktop at the user's preference.

** The Toolbar can be used at the same time as the Tray Icon.

In a previous Beta release we announced that we would be adding a button to activate the Session Lock feature from within IE, and then later, FireFox and Opera. During our internal development and testing it became obvious to us that this was not the way we should approach this.

So we went back to the drawing board and began to design a Toolbar that could be used regardless of what browser the user prefers. Also the Toolbar adds an important visual aide that allows the user to act quickly if needed.

Thank you to all who have sent in feedback and reports to betatest@returnilsoftware.com!

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Build 1.62.3868

New:

Finnish (Suomi) language support added. RVS interface now supports English, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Korean, Chinese-simplified, Spanish, and Finnish

Updated:

* Internal program integrity checking - this update requires that RVS be installed using the system's default language. After installation, authorized users can change their language preferences as required.

Fixed:

Minor change to address registration issues reported in older versions of RVS.

Beta testing update: We are extending the current testing period to complete some final changes to upgrade some of the User Interface (UI) graphics and the User's Manual. Thank you to all who have sent in feedback and reports to betatest@returnilsoftware.com

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Build 1.62.3881

Updated:

*Minor string updates for all included languages
*Mouse-over hints added to available Toolbar buttons

Improvements:

*Virtual Partition engine optimization that reduces the time required to create a new Virtual Partition during program installation

New:

*New feature added to the toolbar that allows the user to mount and dismount their Virtual Partition without needing to open the main program interface

[Я] - This button will activate the Session Lock feature if protection is OFF

[V] - This button will alternately Mount or Dismount the Virtual Partition depending on current mounting status. NOTE: Administrative rights are NOT required to Mount or Dismount the Virtual Partition through this Toolbar feature. This feature is convenient for those who have multiple backup copies of their Virtual Partition's) or when moving partitions between different computers using RVS.

- This will display the current status you would see in the main program interface. NOTE: This is a display feature only, to make changes to your Current System Protection mode, change password, or alter any other preferences, you must open the main program interface and access the appropriate section or configurations tab as a computer administrator.

Fixed:

*Minor correction made to the program GUI to address a rare display issue on some systems

Thank you to all who have sent in feedback and reports!

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

1.62.4006

New:

* Brazilian Portuguese language support added

Updated:

* Finnish (Suomi) language file updated

Fixed:

* Minor correction for text fonts displayed while using Windows Vista

Thank you to all who have sent in feedback and reports!

 

New build available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

1.62.4013

updated:

* Minor updates added to Brazilian Portuguese language support

Fixed:

* Registration issue where RVS does not show it is registered within limited account in Windows Vista.

To all who have sent in feedback, thank you! :cool

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Build 1.62.4016

Fixed:

* Correction added to address issue where the Program Access Password could be bypassed.

We would like to thank the members of the Asian RVS user's forum community for their feedback. Great work!

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

Build 1.62.4025

NEW:

*MBR protection added as a component of the RVS System Protection Feature - now when you turn ON protection or use the Session Lock feature, your MBR will also be protected against unwanted/Malicious changes

FIXED:

*Correction included to address issue in Windows Vista where RVS shows as "Registered" when used by a computer administrator but showed as "Trial" when using the program as a Limited user on some systems.

We would like to thank the Wilder's Security forum community for hosting a great discussion about RVS and to the Asian user's community for their outstanding feedback!

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

1.62.4029

Updated:
* MBR protection now includes all 62 sectors

Fixed:
* Correction added to address shut down issues experienced by some users with build 4025.

Thank you to those who reported this issue!

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

1.62.4049

Updated

* User's manual updated
* Toolbar and Tray icon graphics
* Minor performance improvements

Thanks to everyone who has sent in feedback!

 

New Build Available

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5451.html

1.62.4076

Updated:

* Product name changed to Returnil Virtual System Business Edition

Fixed:

* Corrected "Write Delay" issue experienced by some XP users with Duel Core processors
* Correction added to address hibernation recovery issues on some Laptops
* Added logic to address low-level disk change issue

Special thanks to the Wilder's Security forums for alerting us to the Low-Level disk issue!

 

Returnil Virtual System 2007 official launch

It is time to take control and leave the fear, uncertainty, and doubt behind. You deserve better from your solution providers!

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our first public beta and for making the process a resounding success. A special thank you to the members of the Wilder’s Security Forums and the testers from our Asian users community for their outstanding feedback and discussions about Returnil.

http://www.returnilvirtualsystem.com/index.htm

 

Will Returnil run on Win2k? I'm hoping we will be able to use the Business Edition on our Win2k boxes. One of the three links on Returnil's home page for download mirrors links to Softpedia which shows it does.

Returnil's home page:
http://www.returnilvirtualsystem.com/index.htm

Softpedia's download page:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/Returnil-Virtual-System.shtml

Thanks, Roy