Hey B0r1s,

This is Sam from Horizon DataSys.

Thanks for taking the time to test out the product, and I'm sorry for the problems you've encountered.

For the first thing you mentioned there about the updates, yes, the program doesn't have an automated function to install antivirus updates or Windows Update. The workaround here is pretty simple though - open up Reboot Restore Rx and turn the restore function off or to manual. That way you can download the updates and reset the computer without restoring to a point before it happened. Then, when everything is all done up, simply update the baseline image with the new updates.

As for the program itself, you're right in that there is no password protection to open up the program. This isn't there because of the man-hours and resources it takes to support something as simple as password protection. Inevitably, a user will forget or lose their password. Then they need to get it reset by us, which requires time and resources of our own. Since it's a freeware product designed to be a replacement for Windows SteadyState, we simply can't offer that kind of support on our freeware.

But that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to protect the integrity of the computer and the program. One feature you might be interested in is that the program will only appear to administrators. This is so you can hide it from other users without admin rights. That way they won't see the program, even if they were snooping for it to then turn it off!

Once again, thanks for your time and I hope you find a product that suits your needs :) If you have any other comments/questions, you can always message me back or shoot me an email at samuel@horizondatasys.com.

Cheers!

Added today's date to paragraph two.

Hey there ncldtech, this is Sam from Horizon DataSys.

Thanks for taking the time to comment on the product. As you've noted, Reboot Restore Rx does not have the option to allow for password protection, so potentially a user could open it up and uninstall like you said. The reason this option isn't available is because of the man-hours and time it takes to support something as seemingly simple as a password. No doubt users eventually forget or lose their passwords, and then they would have to come to the company to get it reset/find it. Since it's a freeware, we just aren't able to support it in such a way given the resources it requires. But there are other ways to avoid this, such as hiding the program from the users to begin with, so they don't know it's installed.

Really, the product is a great replacement for users who liked Windows SteadyState. We have lots of clients we know who enjoy the product in their small public access environments, and haven't encountered this kind of problem. But if it's something you're concerned with, yes, you might be interested in Drive Vaccine. While Reboot is freeware, Drive Vaccine is still cheaper in price than other alternatives with similar features. DV is also easy to use and understand, and will handle the functions of similar programs at the same, if not better, level.

Thanks for your time and I hope you have a great day! If you have any other comments/questions, you can shoot me a message if you like!

Thank you for your response, Sam. However, you did not address the issue I spoke of. During the boot process (before Windows loads) the user is prompted with the option to uninstall the protection. This cannot be hidden as you suggest. It would be a great freeware product, as you say, if this ridiculous option were removed.

No one expects support from a freeware product. That is not even an issue I was addressing. It is still NOT "a great replacement for users who liked Windows SteadyState." SteadyState was not easily uninstalled during the boot process without any password prompt as this program is. OpenSSL had "lots of clients" also who enjoyed encryption without knowing of the inherent flaws (heartbleed). I am just pointing out to potential customers the real and present flaw in your software so they can make an informed decision. Why don't you just fix it?

I will admit that your Drive Vaccine is much cheaper than SmartShield or Deep Freeze and may be equal or superior in functionality. I am not challenging that. I just feel you should not offer such an unsecure freeware product AND promote it as a good replacement for SteadyState. Until this boot-process-uninstall-option is fixed, I will make sure customers know of its security risks.

Hey ncldtech,

Ah, sorry about the mix-up there. I definitely understand your concern and I'll pass along your comments to our development team. You're right, anyone could open that up at the moment.

As for the other point I mentioned, I just wanted to clarify why there was no password protection as it seemed to me to be connected to your comments about program security and access.

I think we'll end up having to agree to disagree here, as I think it's fair to call Reboot Restore Rx a good replacement to SteadyState. It does have its setbacks being a freeware, and your concerns are valid about the subconsole access, but it still does a good job for what it's designed to do.

But, it's not perfect, and I'm very happy to pass along your comments to our developers. All I want is for our potential customers to understand all the pros and cons before jumping in, and these kind of conversations definitely help in those decisions. So thank you for your time, and I hope you have a great day!

I have to chime in here as I am looking for a solution to the same issue. It is due to this "anyone can uninstall it at boot time" that I cannot use this software. There is no way you can call this a good solution for any public facing machine with this feature left wide open. Anyone with a little bit of knowledge could force the computer to restart and then uninstall the software. The BIOS password option is just crazy too, simply because of the amount of time it would take to have to visit each computer and plug in that password just to boot the computer! What you really have here is more along the lines of freemium software because in order to truly use it for its intended purpose (to prevent users from modifying the computer) you would have to pay for one of your other solutions.
If you all are only worried about tech support then put a disclaimer in bold on the splash screens that state that support is only available for the paid products.
If I'm going to have to pay for the software that is fine, but ON PRINCIPLE I will not be purchasing this software. If this is your idea of a secure solution and you promote it as such, then how can I even take your paid products seriously? What other simple issues have you all overlooked? I just can't trust it.

Insanelycool,

Thanks for your time.

Although I think we're going to end up agreeing to disagree on the usefulness in particular public access environments. But hey, it's this kind of discourse that lets us know as a company what people think, and where we can improve upon in the future. So thank you for that.

I would like to offer you an NFR license of our software. This is the full version of Drive Vaccine. That way you can take a look and see if Drive Vaccine is up to your standards or not. If not, no sweat!

If you're interested feel free to shoot me an email at samuel(at)horizondatasys.com. Thanks again!