I installed this and have used it occasionally over the past few weeks. Today for the first time I made more extensive use of it.

And now I am currently trying repair my Vista Home Premium installation...

WARNING!
Be Sure, BEFORE you install this software, that you understand:

ANYTHING! YOU DOWNLOAD OR INSTALL WHILE THIS SYSTEM IS RUNNING WILL BE REMOVED WHEN THE SYSTEM RESTARTS!

it does what it says on the box! and it does it very well. i mark this 11 out of 10

This one of the best programs I've seen offered here but it is necessary to read the manual before using it and if you don't understand the information in the manual than this program is not for you. I would only recommend it to intermediate and advanced users. If you sometimes go to websites that may not be safe or if you download software that may not be safe then you should be using this program.

Installed Returnil and was fine for about 15 minutes, after that error message after error message started popping up. After closing 30 plus error message boxes I restarted and uninstalled the program, whereas it took with it 3 other programs (desktop icons gone, folders still in place but empty), and the 20gigs of space I gave it to partition on my hard-drive is basically useless, I cannot even access it and there is no drive "Z" to be found, but it shows in my Advanced System Care scans as used space. Proceed with extreme caution. I don't know how long or what lengths I might have to go to get my system back in order, and what other problems I might not have discovered yet. :(

This Program fried my computer. It woul not even boot. I had to do a clean install to fix it. lucky I was able to save some of my data. I would not install this program if I were you.

I tried it and it works excellent. Wow, maybe my windows will work much longer without a reformat! As a webmaster, I constantly have many, many MB's of files to clean up daily. This does it for me in one reboot.

All I can say is sweet! I'll be linking to GAOTD soon when I rebuild my site. http://ClickThisOne.com

AVOID THIS PRODUCT! I tried it hoping for an easier to use version of Sandboxie. But it's worse. I never figured out how it's supposed to work, and must admit, didn't even want to learn how. Why? It puts a notifier onscreen- when it's working you have a non-removable text box!
So i went to uninstall it. Or tried. I quickly learned that it doesn't uninstall normally. Its makers blame its uninstallability on "corrupted files' and direct one go to into Safe Mode and uninstall it from there.
That works. But any program that has to be uninstalled in that manner raises grave confidence issues.
Stick with Sandboxie: it's an ugly nerdy little utility and if you're using it for browsing you will have problems, but it offers superlative safety. And for trying out problematic programs like Returnil without mangling your registry, it's a Must Have.

Excellent program. I had no difficulty installing it, and unless something way weird happens between now and then I am certain to upgrade my copy when the year is done. Some of the posts above outlining problems installing and uninstalling I believe come from users who didn't take the time to read all the FAQ's or who are not at all familiar with running virtual systems.

My only suggestion is that there should be more information in the readme file regarding settings that can only be selected during installation. Some are things most users would never think about until after the program is installed and by then they would need to uninstall and reinstall to get the settings correct. And with GAOTD, that would be too late - the registration would not work the second time around.

Thanks!

Jim

Good program , does what it advertises , installed last night without a hitch , system actually ran alot smoother but had to uninstall today due to HD limits , the virtual drive mounts a mirror of your OS either on disk or in memory in order for the software to do what it is supposed to , if I had enough room on one or the other I would have kept the software on , maybe when I get a bigger HD or more memory I will buy it .

I installed Returnil,Decided that it wasn't for me and uninstalled the program.Then the problems began.It deleted my favorites,disabled drag and drop on my desk top and i ended up having to edit the registry to get things back to how they should have been.

I would not recommend using this unless you intend leaving it on your system for ever.

Maybe others would swear by this program,I just swored at it for 4 hours solid!!!

#167 stexe.
From post #54, "The serial number is contained in the “readme” document which accompanies the Returnil setup file.

The Returnil version offered here today is the Premium Edition v2.0.0.5007. Returnil also has a Premium Edition beta v2.0.1.8510 available which corrects a problem some users experienced with Vista’s hibernation on their PCs. I just checked and the GOTD/Returnil serial number also works to install this beta version."

So if you still have the GAOTD download, you have a serial to use on the beta installation.

Thanks GAOTD and everyone who commented on this SW. I think I can really use this for keeping my computer safe when in the sketchy parts of the internet. I read all 164 comments before installing it!
Good thing it was commented to defrag my hard drive before installing or I would not have met the deadline.

Vic

I understand that this program protects your operating system, but what if you have multiple partitions of your PC. I have four partitions on the same hard drive. One for the OS, one for programs , one for data , one for the index file, and one for other files.
Will Returnil protect all the data in those partitions when I reboot my system?

Doesn't support Windows 2000 NT :'(

Oh well, I would install it on my XP machine, but the deadline on installing is 30 min away.

I really wished you could only download the program during the allotted time, but install it whenever you wanted. Would make life a lot easier, now if I want the program I have to resort to piracy. Of course I could actually buy it, but all these programs are so overpriced for what little they do.

Can anyone tell me why several features are grayed out and unavailable? I do not have access to Session Lock, Virtual Partition, or Advanced Settings. I did a Repair re-install, but it made no difference.

Technical support is not available for this product because I didn't buy it, but without these capabilities, it is really crippled.

I am heavily dependent on browser session management with iepro7 on IE and with Tab Mix Plus on Firefox. I keep lots of tabs open and when I crash or restart all my tabs reload.

If I use Returnil what happens to my browser sessions? As I understand the only way to disable Returnil is to restart. And any changes made while using Returnil are lost upon restart. So that means Returnil makes tab session recovery impossible.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong or if you know a way around this predicament. Losing the ability to recover browser sessions is a dealbreaker for me.

#51 Victor

You don't have to change your C drive letter.

During installation of Returnil, you are given the option to choose the virtual drive letter.
This is the virtual drive where you can store all the stuff you don't want to loose when Returnil is active.
Anything you store on this drive will still be there after reboot.

Hope this helps.

This is 1 of the best software i would recommend to those who lazy,feel bored about updating the antivirus or antispyware!Since last time it had been published in this website i had been really trust it.I know that a lot people will say that always need to restart their computer when going to put some file in the main partition that protected,but wny not just make it " on " whole time as u can save or install any programme in ur second partition which will not be protected if u set it so,hence u dont have to restart ur pc anymore!Since i use it,i never and ever experience any virus or spyware attack.For me those antivirus and antispyware just been a symbolic to scan whther theres any virus in ur pc.But if u restart ur pc with the Returnil on,then u will not get infected!Regarding the "unstable" which post by friends out there,i also experience it once in a while but,u dont have to uninstall it! Just to restart your pc,then u will get back to usual condition.Hence i really recommend those guy try to use it and u will know the different!Even if you use the free edition will also help you a lot!Trust me,its 1 of best software out there that can protect you from virus/mallware instrusion.

The one suggestion I would like to make, although it may not be feasible, would be if it were possible to make it so that Returnil uses less CPU.

I personally have never had any problems with Returnil on my xp desktops or my vista laptop. I did have to disable it on my other xp desktop but that was due to the resources being so overextended (and hdd totally full), not the program itself.

I used Returnil free before the paid versions were offered at GAOTD and have always appreciated the attributes of this program. I've not had it conflict with anything else I've been running and it's never caused any problems so far, anyway!

Just a comment. If you use a program like this and set your system up to back up data to an alternate partition/disk, but you do not need a Virus Scanner (saw a lot of comments about conflicts with Virus scanners and just needed to point this out). You are vitualizating your main partition meaning you can't get a virus. Really no need to get OS updates either unless there is an optimizing effect in doing so. I've seen programs and devices that does what Returnil does such as Deep Freeze work quite well. If you really need to install a program, it looks like Returnil adds provisions to temporary disable itself for this purpose. I think Microsoft should have implementing this technology in their OS; wouldn't have gotten hammered with security issues if they have done so. I still prefer Sandboxie for how I work my PC, but still, for what this gem does, it gets my vote.

Again, if you are religeous with this program, you don't need a virus scanner; keep the firewall to prevent outside programs from viewing your HD data. :)

This software basically mimics my hardware (Google Red Reset Card)

Film yer PC full of junk, Restart PC and all works well again.

I would'nt trust this though as software CAN be destroyed by a vicious virus...I'll stick with Hardware.

Hello,

I just wanted to say thanks GAOTD for this awesome software. I'd never heard of it before and was a little apprehensive at first, however thanks to the many people who have taken the time to post their experiences I felt assured enough to install.

I've read most of the comments above and some reminded me of PC problem I had about a year ago. It took me 2 hours to manually remove a virus that AVG couldn't (no disrespect to AVG, it was a nasty virus). If I'd had Returnil installed and switched on then all that would have been needed was a 30 second reboot! Outstanding

Nice user friendly, intuitive interface. I'll be recommending this to my friends.

When I try to run Setup.exe I get a "Failed To Connect" message. This is the first time a GAOTD program has had this problem on my computer. Could there be a conflict with resident program?
Why? Why? Why is this happening?

(also happens when I Run as Administrator)

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
If you activate Returnil (to clear all changes after reboot) ant the you local email client download any new mail (it can do this even in background, if they runing) then anfter reboot you even not notice this fact (everything will be deleted) and very likely lost this emails forever.

Also its very likely that you simle forget, maybe even several times (we all humans), about activating this software, and lost you work. And if you have habits not restarting you PC by weeks or even month (as I am) than this can leed to BIG losts.

Hay this may be useful if you go on a porn sight and dont want your wife to know. Just reboot and all traces are gone......Another good use for this software. Protects you and your computer...LOL

HELP! I downloaded and installed this program. I am unable to start it, as I get a message I must be logged on as Administrator...which I am. I have logged off and on again, but the same thing keeps happening. What do I need to do to open it? Also, I read, a few times, about having the option to save downloads or files even after rebooting, but I didn't see that option when I downloaded the program. Where is that option located?

Is this a giveaway or only good for a year? Well it does what is says. reg. good. and fast! I like the software. Runs good on vista 32. I may keep this around a while.

#79 - SV

Has anyone tried this software on an intel mac using bootcamp? I’m running WinXP SP3

How did your trial of it go?

I run WinXP SP2, but using Parallels, not Boot Camp, which means I don't have to log off and on, and I can bounce from OS X to WinXP and back again by simply switching focus to the appropiate window or minimizing the Parallels window to the dock.

What I do in Parallels is take a snapshot of my virtual Windows system before installing new software on it, and name it "Before installing Name-of-Program" for easy identification. Then if the new program causes problems, all I have to do is revert to that snapshot I took, remembering to copy any new stuff to another drive as I work on it (which is a good practice anyway), or before I revert to the snapshot.

Not sure how VMWare works, but it might have a similar feature.
Have you checked to see whether Boot Camp has it, too? Because if it does, then you can use that instead of Returnil. And if it doesn't, then maybe you could do a backup image of your Boot Camp installation before you add any new programs to it...

But that's just a guess, since I've never used Boot Camp and I have no idea how it works. My critical Windows software runs best on Parallels -- found that out when doing my research before switching to Mac. So far, everything I need (including WinXP) runs much better on my Intel Mac + Parallels than it ever did on a Windows box!

My computer came with Phoenix software hidden on some kind of invisible partition on my drive. Factory reinstall is stored here. However, I had to purchase a license to use the software. I didn't but now when I attempt to backup to external drive and restore to new hard drive - can not boot. I presume this is because it copies only the c drive and not the phoenix partition. Could I use Returnil to uninstall this software from within windows and test the system without it and then shut down and have the system back to the original condition? Or since the uninstall would change more than c drive, I would not be back to original state?

#51,
If you have a single drive or partition (I use the words interchangeably), during installation, Returnil gives you an option of creating a Z drive, the size of which can be determined by you depending on your requirements. You can of course accept the default size proposed by Returnil. Anything stored on this Z: drive will be saved and will survive a reboot. If you choose this options, you will have 2 drives, the C: drive and the "virtual" Z drive. You can of course transfer/ copy anything saved on this drive to C drive when the Returnil icon shows green.

Also any Windows updates, anti-virus, anti-malware updates, from TRUSTED sites should be done while the icon shows green. After carrying out the updates, you can then right-click the icon, enable the protected mode (this step does not require a re-boot) and browse the internet. You can then download docs, programs etc. into Z drive. You can even test the downloaded programs them while the icon shows red. Any changes made while in this mode will disappear after a clean re-boot. In case you want to install a program permanently, you will have to do it when the icon shows green (this requires a re-boot). Though it is troublesome, I think it is well worth the trouble.

Okay, I'm still a novas but even I can see that this looks like a great program and once again, I can see that you people, some of you know your stuff. So... on that note, can I ask a question? Like an idiot I downloaded a software and I think it gave me a Trojan. I ran Avira and then I ran Spy Bot and then Ad Aware because I remember someone said just run everything to get rid of it. Well, it's confusing what all these files are that show up as cookies and or tracking or "threats" and I don't want to delete anything until I know I'm not deleting something that I need. My problem is I want to try everything and then I run into these troubles. If anyone at all would be nice enough to respond you can do it at linnea@informationsystemsstrategies.com. Thanks :)))

Meanwhile I'm just holding steady til I know what to do but I have a lot of downloads in my "download" folder that it looks as though I can try them with Returnil and appease my curiosity without picking up bugs or changing the registry! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This program seems to work well for those who understand computers. I used this program when it was offered last year, but never understood it. It seemed to be the cause for malfunction on my Win XP so decided to uninstall. BING_____PROBLEMS! It took weeks to get ALL of RETURNIL off my machine. There seemed to be traces that would show up no matter how I tried to remove it. Even weeks later. Because of the problems I encountered, I would not recommend this program to a newbie.


Sounds like a great program and I wish I could use it! However, the program has so many things to remember to do that I would end up crashing my machine... ;-) (I have a short memory.)


Thanks readers for offering alternitives to this program. Perhaps I will have better luck with one of them.

Before hitting the sack I would like to get to know from you guys another thing about sandboxies or virtualization applications such as this GAOTD.


We all know, as internet users, that the security of PC connected to the WEB is a tricky issue nowadays despite the efforts of major Anti-malware companies to make us more secure, since a high proportion of computer viruses remain undetected even if you are the best Firewall, AV and Antispyware to protect your PC from infections.

That means that INTERNET CRIMES continue to grow and new malware are created by crackers, lamers and hackers at the rate of many tens of thousands per day exploiting the existing inadequate security technologies.

Even if you have a properly freeware configured Firewall such as COMODO or JETICO or ONLINE ARMOR, an updated and frequently used Anti-Virus with the Web Guard option such as AVIRA and award winning Antispware with protection in real time such as A-SQUARED ANTIMALWARE 4, you will still likely become infected.

Why? Because Anti-virus and Anti-spyware scanners are not able to cope with the enormous volume of new malware created every day (and in fact it appears, by recent surveys, that more than 30,000 new viruses appearing each day).


So the question is: in your opinion, since Viruses, Trojans, Worms, Adware, Spyware and unwanted content disappear with a simple reboot, can these kind of sandoboxies applications (RETURNIL or the FREEWARE Sandoboxie, GesWall and Safe Space I previously mentioned above) be considered as the best solution against MALWARE?

Or must they be anyway combined along with FIREWALL, AV, Antispyware and even HIPS?

After all applications like this behave such as HIPS programs, don't they?

And they also allow us to avoid the REGISTRY CLUTTER and all the tons of Registry cleaners and boosting programs that often mess up the window registry not to mention that if you use sandboxies applications such as this you can also reduce or even eliminate the need for routine disk de-fragmentation of your HD, can't you?

RETURNIL and other sandboxies applications are also great tools to save our privacy because they leave any trace of our computer activities and can even replace powerful SPAM FILTERS programs because they are able to eliminate the consequences of opening infected e-mail and/or attachments.

That's why I consider this GAOTD a GEM...but maybe I'm too much optimistic!!

What do you make of it guys?


By the way, has somebody tried to use SAFE SPACE?


Absolutely a KEEPER…and best of all it’s FREE…LOL!!!

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/SafeSpace.shtml

See screenshots here:

http://www.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/SafeSpace-Screenshot-81690.html

Here the SAFESPACE PUBLISHER website where you can download not only the program but also its USER GUIDE in PDF:

http://www.artificialdynamics.com/content/products/personal-edition.aspx


Do you have spotted any difference with RETURNIL besides being FREE?



Sorry for my silly questions but I still have to install it...LOL!!



Good night!

Giovanni

# Funkster


Hi man!!

Yes you are absolutely right about RETURNIL but to be honest a few seconds after posting my today's message I had immediately realized to have made a blunder (I was in a hurry so couldn't correct it in time...LOL!!) because I didn't specify that RETURNIL is just a protection sheet over our systemdisk and not a virtual OS (I had just copied and pasted my past message sent here in the PREMIUM BOOSTER room a couple of days ago...that's why I made such a blunder...LOL!!).


I had hoped that nobody could spot my mistake and get away with it but here there are so many geeks and IT experts like you that in the end my hope turned out to be just wishful thinking...LOL!


Having said that do you agree with me that this kind of virtual applications can actually let us avoid getting not only VIRUSES and SPYWARE but also the REGISTRY CLUTTER and all the junk and temporary files we usually get surfing on the web?


Good night from Italy (0.10 am now).

Giovanni

There is a provision to save changes or drop changes before rebooting!
however it will save or drop everything new to your hard drive, during the period while using the Returnil program.

#104 - Win2K is not on the list of operating systems that the program is compatible with. It helps to read the system requirements at the top before downloading and installing.

After you save files to a new partition, drive, CD, etc and then reboot, you can put them on the system drive (usually C:) and they will remain there like any other file.

This program can allow you to use non-portable software (like most software is) as if it were portable -- meaning it won't save data to the system drive that you don't want put there (as in the registry, for example). Your passwords and other "secret" items don't get saved to the system where they could "perhaps" be uncovered by malware or other users.

Note that this is just ONE possible use for this program. If you give it a really good tryout, you will come up with many more very helpful uses for it. Plus, you will have learned a lot about how computers work, which will be of even more benefit in the future.

Be careful to backup all important stuff before getting on this. Its awesome when it works, real gem among software. I've had to reinstall vista 3 or 4 times while suspecting a conflict with security software (kaspersky maybe, not sure I use a few/ try to make a mask or exclusion in your antivirus for returnil), and also with vista UPDATES (I try not to download any that are not important- you can check out what they do in google, itsvsita.com, microsoft.com). I wish someone had told me TO BACKUP, BAKCUP GOOD, before using Returnil (again a great concept in software). I miss the cars Ive lost in need for speed, but I guess Im wise on that now.

I got tired of the need to restart the PC everytime I'd needed to get out of the protected mode.Can not stay in the protected mode for long since after next restart all the changes to virus definitions etc. which one wants to keep are gone and have to be downloaded again.I'd say it is a good program if you do not want to have any changes to your PC saved-e.g. if you own an internet cafe.But for a normal user it becomes nagging after a while.

Ok, I am really confused now. I read through the posts again and saw that it is useless for drives with multiple partitions. could the Factory Image partition or the multiple drive names already used for Peripherals be causing my trouble?

Also, "1) When installing it: make sure to choose a Virtual Drive Letter that is not easily used by your other removable disk (such as E or D; choose something like Y or Z).
This avoids your machine getting confused if you ever use different removable drives and therefore avoiding conflict with Returnil."

I reinstalled may times and never saw any option for choosing Drive name, wth?

If I'm reading the other comments correctly, this program will allow me to trial a program every day, save the output to a different drive and then when I reboot, the program will be gone.

Then I would be able to download the program again and keep trialing it for a full year if I wanted. Hmmmmmmmmmm

Also experiencing a no-go with Vista 64. It will not create the virtual partition.

This is excellent protection concept and software. I bought the premium version a few months ago and have never regretted it (til now because I could have got it free). Negative commenters here obviously have not read carefully how to use Returnil or have not tried it. The Premium version is considerably more versatile than the free version and getting it free here is a worthwhile gift. I have even removed anti-virus and anti-spyware software from my computer with resulting noticeable speedup. As stated, any malware picked up is quickly gone with a reboot. Anything you want to save, just put on a separate partition.

doesn't work on vista 64 bit, uninstall leaves 22 registry entries.
no thanks not accepting your gifts haha

After using this a few times I understand what it is for and I have to take back what I said. This is fantastic. You can do what you want, visit sites that are shaky, reboot and life goes on with out any problems whatsoever. Great job GOTD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder if the people who've had problems after installing RVS (and I quote) 'taking all the defaults' had read the earlier advice here—from several others—regarding DEFRAGGING your (real!) HD BEFORE installing Returnil?

And if not, or if they didn't do that; might that be a possible cause of their woes?

I try it and it didn’t let me do updates on anything. I try to uninstall it and after long time I did it only on safe mode. It is wasting of time pouf. By the way happy New Year to all!

Awesome program, tried it last time it was offered and it worked great, the only downside is that you cant really save anything, at least not easily. And for that reason i give it a 4/5*. A good alternative to this would be using a virtual machine, such as VMWare, VirtualBox, Virtual Pc 2007. These virtual machines are full fledged Operating Systems within your operating system, perfect for testing software, even if it requires you to reboot. If you VM gets infected, just simply roll back to another snapshot, or just delete it and reinstall the OS within you OS. Very handy! But this is a good program non the less.