5 – ReturNil: Apart from featuring a virtual system. So are you willing to ditch your current software for one of these Sandboxie alternatives? If yes, then do tell us which one you'd like. List of Free Antivirus Allowed for Non-Profit Organizations. Free antivirus is strictly prohibited for commercial use but it is allowed for certain non-profit educational institution or non-commercial public library in the U.S.A. Check their EULA PDF file point number 2. This one is a free app and is a perfect alternative to Sandboxie. The tool is having all the features, which you usually get the tool, you use. The excellent features include perfect protection of your PC and your browsing experience. Since this one is a free tool, you can easily install it and experience the tool.
| Original author(s) | Ronen Tzur[1] |
|---|---|
| Initial release | June 26, 2004; 16 years ago |
| Final release | 5.33.3 (March 4, 2020; 9 months ago) [±][2] |
| Preview release | 5.33.6 Beta (March 24, 2020; 8 months ago) [±][3] |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | Windows 7 and later |
| Platform | IA-32 and x86-64 |
| Available in | 23 languages |
English, Albanian, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Macedonian, Polish, Portuguese (Brasil and Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. | |
| Type | Security software |
| License | GNU GPLv3+[4] |
| Website | www.sandboxie.com |
Sandboxie is an open-sourcesandboxing program for Microsoft Windows.[5][6][7] Sandboxie creates an isolated operating environment in which applications can be run or installed without permanently modifying the local system.[5][8] This virtual environment allows for controlled testing of untrusted programs and web surfing.[8][9][10] After various ownership transitions (Sophos[11][12][13] acquired Invincea[1][14][15] which acquired Sandboxie from the original author Ronen Tzur), Sophos eventually stated they would no longer be involved in the development of Sandboxie and that the open-source community would have to continue development instead.[16]
History[edit]
Sandboxie was initially released in 2004 as a tool for sandboxing Internet Explorer. Over time, the program was expanded to support other browsers and arbitrary Win32 applications.[17]
In December 2013, Invincea announced the acquisition of Sandboxie.[1] The original developer Ronen Tzur further announced he would no longer be involved with the program.[14][15]
In February 2017, Sophos announced the acquisition of Invincea.[11][12][13] Invincea posted an assurance in Sandboxie's website that for the time being Sandboxie's development and support would continue as normal.[18]
Windows XP SP3 was supported up to version 5.22, after which support for XP was dropped.[19]In September 2019, Sandboxie version 5.31.4 was released under a freeware license 'with plans to transition it to an open source tool'. The previous commercial license still applied to customers with active licenses until their license expired.[20]
In April 2020, Sophos released the source code (as source code-only version 5.40[21]) under the GPLv3 license. Sophos stated that they would no longer be involved in the development of Sandboxie and that the open-source community would have to continue development instead.[16]
Downtime[edit]
In April 2019, the official site was shut down, preventing downloads, installations and purchases, which prompted the creation of a temporary forum in the company's own domain.[22]
In May 2019, the official site returned with the original forums permanently shut down in favor of Sophos' own forums.,[22] which were later shut down as well.[23] Between May and September 2019 (when Sandboxie became freeware), the purchase options were still missing.[20]
In response to the announcement of the closure of the Sandboxie website, software developer David Berdik scraped the site's contents and published the archive on GitHub on May 10, 2020.[24]
64-bit Windows[edit]
As of version 4.02, Sandboxie has full support for 64-bit versions of Windows[25] with the exception of Windows XP 64-bit which was never supported.[26]
Reception[edit]
Video editing software with keygen free download. Sandboxie was included in Brothersoft's 2010 Editors Pick list.[27]
Gizmo's Freeware gave Sandboxie a rating of 9 out of 10 stars[28] and included it in their Editors' Choice List as the 'Best Free Browser Protection Utility'.[29]
Softonic has given Sandboxie a rating of 8 out of 10 with Elena Santos stating in her review that 'Sandboxie is a handy tool to test untrustworthy software without putting your system in danger.'[30]
See also[edit]
- Google Native Client, running native code in a sandbox in a web browser
References[edit]
- ^ abc'Invincea's Expanding Global Community'. invincea.com. 2013-12-16. Archived from the original on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
[W]e announced the acquisition of Sandboxie from an earlier transaction in 2013.
- ^'Sandboxie – Version Changes'. sandboxie.com. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ^'Announcing Sandboxie 5.33.6 release and open source update)'. Sophos. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
We are not making this an 'official' build.
- ^sandboxie/COPYING at master · sandboxie/sandboxie · GitHub
- ^ abOlzak, Tom (December 15, 2008). 'Use free sandboxing software to isolate risky behavior'. TechRepublic. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^Kassner, Michael (January 20, 2009). 'Minimize risk when downloading from the Internet'. TechRepublic. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^Grimes, Roger A. (December 15, 2008). 'Sandbox Security Versus the Evil Web'. PCWorld. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^ abPash, Adams (May 7, 2007). 'Featured Windows Download: Safely test new software with Sandboxie'. lifehacker.com. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^Martin. 'Ghacks Christmas Giveaway: Sandboxie'. www.ghacks.net. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^Horowitz, Michael. 'How to Defend Against Drive-By Downloads - Business Center - PC World'. www.pcworld.com. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ ab'Sophos Adds Advanced Machine Learning to Its Next-Generation Endpoint Protection Portfolio with Acquisition of Invincea'. Sophos. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ ab'Sophos grows anti-malware ensemble with Invincea'. Sophos. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
One may ask, if you already have great next-generation technology, why do you need Invincea's technology?..Think of Invincea as the superhero that takes our ensemble to the next level – the entity that adds neural network-based machine learning to the team.
- ^ ab'Sophos to Acquire Invincea to Add Industry Leading Machine Learning to its Next Generation Endpoint Protection Portfolio'. Invincea. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ ab'Goodbye from tzuk'. sandboxie.com. 2014-01-22. Archived from the original on 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
Today I depart from Sandboxie, as I announced a few weeks ago.
[*] - ^ ab'Questions About Invincea Acquiring Sandboxie?'. sandboxie.com. 2013-12-17. Archived from the original on 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
I am happy to pass the torch to the capable hands of Invincea..In about six weeks, I will depart from Sandboxie.
[*] - ^ ab'[IMPORTANT] Sandboxie Open Source Code is available for download'. Sophos. 2020-04-08. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- ^'Sophos open-sources Sandboxie, a utility for sandboxing any application'. ZDNet. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
- ^'Invincea acquired by Sophos'. sandboxie.com. 2017-02-10. Archived from the original on 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
Many of you are probably wondering, what does this mean for Sandboxie and its users? The answer as of right now, is that nothing is changing. We will continue to operate as we have since Invincea acquired Sandboxie. We have no current plans to discontinue developing Sandboxie updates or supporting it.
[*] - ^'Frequently Asked Questions - What are the requirements to run Sandboxie?'. sandboxie.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ ab'Major Sandboxie News: Sandboxie is now a free tool with plans to transition it to an open source tool'. Sophos. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^'Sandboxie - Download the latest version of Sandboxie'. www.sandboxie.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ ab'[Sandboxie Status Update] What happened to the Sandboxie site and forums?'. Sophos. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
We started experiencing issues with our servers due to a bug that is causing slowness accessing the Sandboxie site, as well as the licensing/activation options. Added to that, we found a security weakness in the software being used for the forums, and out of an abundance of caution, they were taken down for the time being. In order to keep communication going, we have created this temporary forum within our Sophos Community.
- ^'The Sandboxie Forum is now closed'. Sophos. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
- ^'[Sandboxie Website Archive]'. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
- ^'Sandboxie - Notes About 64-Bit Edition'. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ^'Frequently Asked Questions - What are the requirements to run Sandboxie?'. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
Sandboxie does not work on..Windows XP x64 bit
- ^'Brothersoft Winners 2010: List of Editors Pick Windows Software - Brothersoft windows Topic'. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^'Best Free Browser Protection Utility'. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^'The Editors' Choice List: Our Selection of the Best PC Freeware'. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^'Sandboxie - Download'. Softonic. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- 'Sandboxie: Blocking Web-Based Malware From Your PC'. esecurityplanet.com. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
Virtualization is a novel way to ensure no permanent changes are made to your computer; it allows users to safely test software and, if desired, protect against malware. Virtualization itself comes in two main forms. There is using a virtual OS, such as what is done with VirtualBox. Then there is the sandboxing virtualization, which removes all changes made to your computer upon reboot — such as what Returnil System Safe (formerly known as Returnil Virtual System) does. Toolwiz Time Freeze is another sandboxing virtualization tool.
What Is Toolwiz Time Freeze And What Does It Do
Toolwiz Time Freeze is one of those remove-all-changes-after-reboot type programs. When you turn on Toolwiz Time Freeze's TimeFreeze protection, Toolwiz creates a temporary cache file* on your hard drive. Any and all changes made to your computer while TimeFreeze protection is enabled are stored in this cache file — no changes are made directly your system, files, or folders. Then when you turn off TimeFreeze protection, you are given the option to reboot your computer, dump the cache file, and not save any changes to your system; or to transfer the contents of the cache file to your system and save all changes to your computer. If you reboot your computer while TimeFreeze protection is enabled – in other words, don't manually disable TimeFreeze protection – then the cache file is automatically dumped and changes are not saved to your computer.
*The cache file appears to be 4 GB in size but the developer of Toolwiz Time Freeze claims it dynamically scales depending on hard drive size.
In addition to TimeFreeze protection, Toolwiz Time Freeze has the ability to protect files and folders. This files/folders protection makes it so protected files cannot be opened, edited, deleted, etc.
TimeFreeze protection and files/folder protection are two separate features of Toolwiz Time Freeze — you can run them both or run only one of them, the choice is yours.
Using Toolwiz Time Freeze
Using Toolwiz Time Freeze is as straightforward as can be. After installing Toolwiz Time Freeze you must restart your computer before you can start using it. After restart, Toolwiz Time Freeze will automatically start at Windows boot, sitting in your system tray. From that system tray you can either right-click to start TimeFreeze protection and/or File Protection or you can double-click on the icon to open the main program window:
To enable TimeFreeze protection, you click the Start TimeFreeze button which brings up a popup window asking you to confirm if you really want to start TimeFreeze protection:
Once you click the Start TimeFreeze button from this popup window, TimeFreeze protection is enabled:
When you want to stop TimeFreeze protection, you click on the Stop TimeFreeze button after which you must decide if you want to save or discard changes:
Depending on which one you pick, TimeFreeze will either save all changes to your computer and disable TimeFreeze protection (no reboot required) or TimeFreeze will drop all changes to your computer and disable TimeFreeze protection (reboot required).
Alternatively, you can disable TimeFreeze protection by simply rebooting your computer — no need to click the Stop TimeFreeze button from Toolwiz Time Freeze's main program window. When you reboot or shutdown your computer while TimeFreeze protection is enabled, all changes are dropped and upon reboot TimeFreeze protection is disabled.
Using the File Protection feature is just as easy as the TimeFreeze feature. To use File Protection you first must select the files or folders you want to protect:
Once you have added the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to protect, hitting the Start File Protection button starts protecting those file(s)/folder(s). When protecting folders, all the contents of the folder are protected — including files and sub-folders. For example, I told Toolwiz Time Freeze to protect my C:UsersAshrafAndroid Screenshots folder. Trying to open a sub-folder brings up the following error:
Disabling File Protection is as easy as clicking the End File Protection button or, alternatively, removing the file(s) and folder(s) you no longer want to protect from the list. Take note File Protection is not disabled by restarting your computer — it stays on even after a reboot.
Password Protection
Gizmo's Freeware gave Sandboxie a rating of 9 out of 10 stars[28] and included it in their Editors' Choice List as the 'Best Free Browser Protection Utility'.[29]
Softonic has given Sandboxie a rating of 8 out of 10 with Elena Santos stating in her review that 'Sandboxie is a handy tool to test untrustworthy software without putting your system in danger.'[30]
See also[edit]
- Google Native Client, running native code in a sandbox in a web browser
References[edit]
- ^ abc'Invincea's Expanding Global Community'. invincea.com. 2013-12-16. Archived from the original on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
[W]e announced the acquisition of Sandboxie from an earlier transaction in 2013.
- ^'Sandboxie – Version Changes'. sandboxie.com. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ^'Announcing Sandboxie 5.33.6 release and open source update)'. Sophos. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
We are not making this an 'official' build.
- ^sandboxie/COPYING at master · sandboxie/sandboxie · GitHub
- ^ abOlzak, Tom (December 15, 2008). 'Use free sandboxing software to isolate risky behavior'. TechRepublic. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^Kassner, Michael (January 20, 2009). 'Minimize risk when downloading from the Internet'. TechRepublic. Archived from the original on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^Grimes, Roger A. (December 15, 2008). 'Sandbox Security Versus the Evil Web'. PCWorld. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^ abPash, Adams (May 7, 2007). 'Featured Windows Download: Safely test new software with Sandboxie'. lifehacker.com. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^Martin. 'Ghacks Christmas Giveaway: Sandboxie'. www.ghacks.net. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^Horowitz, Michael. 'How to Defend Against Drive-By Downloads - Business Center - PC World'. www.pcworld.com. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ ab'Sophos Adds Advanced Machine Learning to Its Next-Generation Endpoint Protection Portfolio with Acquisition of Invincea'. Sophos. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ ab'Sophos grows anti-malware ensemble with Invincea'. Sophos. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
One may ask, if you already have great next-generation technology, why do you need Invincea's technology?..Think of Invincea as the superhero that takes our ensemble to the next level – the entity that adds neural network-based machine learning to the team.
- ^ ab'Sophos to Acquire Invincea to Add Industry Leading Machine Learning to its Next Generation Endpoint Protection Portfolio'. Invincea. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ ab'Goodbye from tzuk'. sandboxie.com. 2014-01-22. Archived from the original on 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
Today I depart from Sandboxie, as I announced a few weeks ago.
[*] - ^ ab'Questions About Invincea Acquiring Sandboxie?'. sandboxie.com. 2013-12-17. Archived from the original on 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
I am happy to pass the torch to the capable hands of Invincea..In about six weeks, I will depart from Sandboxie.
[*] - ^ ab'[IMPORTANT] Sandboxie Open Source Code is available for download'. Sophos. 2020-04-08. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- ^'Sophos open-sources Sandboxie, a utility for sandboxing any application'. ZDNet. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
- ^'Invincea acquired by Sophos'. sandboxie.com. 2017-02-10. Archived from the original on 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
Many of you are probably wondering, what does this mean for Sandboxie and its users? The answer as of right now, is that nothing is changing. We will continue to operate as we have since Invincea acquired Sandboxie. We have no current plans to discontinue developing Sandboxie updates or supporting it.
[*] - ^'Frequently Asked Questions - What are the requirements to run Sandboxie?'. sandboxie.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ ab'Major Sandboxie News: Sandboxie is now a free tool with plans to transition it to an open source tool'. Sophos. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
- ^'Sandboxie - Download the latest version of Sandboxie'. www.sandboxie.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ ab'[Sandboxie Status Update] What happened to the Sandboxie site and forums?'. Sophos. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
We started experiencing issues with our servers due to a bug that is causing slowness accessing the Sandboxie site, as well as the licensing/activation options. Added to that, we found a security weakness in the software being used for the forums, and out of an abundance of caution, they were taken down for the time being. In order to keep communication going, we have created this temporary forum within our Sophos Community.
- ^'The Sandboxie Forum is now closed'. Sophos. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
- ^'[Sandboxie Website Archive]'. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
- ^'Sandboxie - Notes About 64-Bit Edition'. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ^'Frequently Asked Questions - What are the requirements to run Sandboxie?'. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
Sandboxie does not work on..Windows XP x64 bit
- ^'Brothersoft Winners 2010: List of Editors Pick Windows Software - Brothersoft windows Topic'. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^'Best Free Browser Protection Utility'. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^'The Editors' Choice List: Our Selection of the Best PC Freeware'. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^'Sandboxie - Download'. Softonic. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- 'Sandboxie: Blocking Web-Based Malware From Your PC'. esecurityplanet.com. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
Virtualization is a novel way to ensure no permanent changes are made to your computer; it allows users to safely test software and, if desired, protect against malware. Virtualization itself comes in two main forms. There is using a virtual OS, such as what is done with VirtualBox. Then there is the sandboxing virtualization, which removes all changes made to your computer upon reboot — such as what Returnil System Safe (formerly known as Returnil Virtual System) does. Toolwiz Time Freeze is another sandboxing virtualization tool.
What Is Toolwiz Time Freeze And What Does It Do
Toolwiz Time Freeze is one of those remove-all-changes-after-reboot type programs. When you turn on Toolwiz Time Freeze's TimeFreeze protection, Toolwiz creates a temporary cache file* on your hard drive. Any and all changes made to your computer while TimeFreeze protection is enabled are stored in this cache file — no changes are made directly your system, files, or folders. Then when you turn off TimeFreeze protection, you are given the option to reboot your computer, dump the cache file, and not save any changes to your system; or to transfer the contents of the cache file to your system and save all changes to your computer. If you reboot your computer while TimeFreeze protection is enabled – in other words, don't manually disable TimeFreeze protection – then the cache file is automatically dumped and changes are not saved to your computer.
*The cache file appears to be 4 GB in size but the developer of Toolwiz Time Freeze claims it dynamically scales depending on hard drive size.
In addition to TimeFreeze protection, Toolwiz Time Freeze has the ability to protect files and folders. This files/folders protection makes it so protected files cannot be opened, edited, deleted, etc.
TimeFreeze protection and files/folder protection are two separate features of Toolwiz Time Freeze — you can run them both or run only one of them, the choice is yours.
Using Toolwiz Time Freeze
Using Toolwiz Time Freeze is as straightforward as can be. After installing Toolwiz Time Freeze you must restart your computer before you can start using it. After restart, Toolwiz Time Freeze will automatically start at Windows boot, sitting in your system tray. From that system tray you can either right-click to start TimeFreeze protection and/or File Protection or you can double-click on the icon to open the main program window:
To enable TimeFreeze protection, you click the Start TimeFreeze button which brings up a popup window asking you to confirm if you really want to start TimeFreeze protection:
Once you click the Start TimeFreeze button from this popup window, TimeFreeze protection is enabled:
When you want to stop TimeFreeze protection, you click on the Stop TimeFreeze button after which you must decide if you want to save or discard changes:
Depending on which one you pick, TimeFreeze will either save all changes to your computer and disable TimeFreeze protection (no reboot required) or TimeFreeze will drop all changes to your computer and disable TimeFreeze protection (reboot required).
Alternatively, you can disable TimeFreeze protection by simply rebooting your computer — no need to click the Stop TimeFreeze button from Toolwiz Time Freeze's main program window. When you reboot or shutdown your computer while TimeFreeze protection is enabled, all changes are dropped and upon reboot TimeFreeze protection is disabled.
Using the File Protection feature is just as easy as the TimeFreeze feature. To use File Protection you first must select the files or folders you want to protect:
Once you have added the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to protect, hitting the Start File Protection button starts protecting those file(s)/folder(s). When protecting folders, all the contents of the folder are protected — including files and sub-folders. For example, I told Toolwiz Time Freeze to protect my C:UsersAshrafAndroid Screenshots folder. Trying to open a sub-folder brings up the following error:
Disabling File Protection is as easy as clicking the End File Protection button or, alternatively, removing the file(s) and folder(s) you no longer want to protect from the list. Take note File Protection is not disabled by restarting your computer — it stays on even after a reboot.
Password Protection
To prevent unauthorized changes to Toolwiz Time Freeze settings, Toolwiz Time Freeze has the ability to be password protected:
Whenever someone tries to access Toolwiz Time Freeze's main program interface, they are prompted to enter a password:
Shortcomings
Toolwiz Time Freeze is a relatively new program so without even using it I could have told you it has at least some shortcomings. After using it, I can tell you it has quite a few shortcomings, some of which may even be considered to be major:
- TimeFreeze protection only protects the Windows partition (i.e. C:). If you have additional disks or partitions, TimeFreeze mode does not protect them. You can, however, use File Protection to protect those additional disks/partitions.
- File Protection is buggy. When protecting files with File Protection, the name of the file(s) is still readable and file preview (such as the preview you see of image files in Windows Explorer) is still viewable. When protecting folders, the same thing happens to the files in the top level of the folder; the folder itself can be opened and sub-folder names can be viewed; and sub-folders are protected (they cannot be opened) but file previews are still shown (e.g. in Windows 7 sub-folders show image previews of their contents).
- If you turn on File Protection while TimeFreeze protection is enabled, File Protection settings are undone when you reboot your computer and drop changes. The same thing happens if you disable File Protection while TimeFreeze protection is enabled. In other words, TimeFreeze protection doesn't allow File Protection settings to be saved.
- When restarting/shutting down the computer while TimeFreeze protection is enabled, there is no visual warning telling users their changes will be lost; and there is no option to keep changes, such as what is done if you manually disable TimeFreeze protection.
- File Protection sticks even after reboot (assuming TimeFreeze protection doesn't undo it, as mentioned above). However, TimeFreeze protection does not — there is no way to make TimeFreeze protection automatically run with Windows boot. TimeFreeze protection is always disabled on Windows boot; you must manually enable it whenever you want to use it.
- The password protection feature mentioned above prevents users from accessing TimeFreeze's main program window without entering a password. However, it does not prevent users from enabling/disabling TimeFreeze protection and/or File Protection from the right-click menu of Toolwiz Time Freeze's system tray icon. In other words, even while password protection is turned on, anyone can enable/disable TimeFreeze protection and/or File Protection by simply right-clicking on Toolwiz Time Freeze's system tray icon.
Use Toolwiz Time Freeze for testing software, not for protection against malware
For these remove-all-changes-after-reboot programs, as long as they successfully remove changes after reboot that means they probably have the ability to protect against most malware (because malware is included in all the changes that are dropped after reboot). And, as per my tests, Toolwiz Time Freeze does successfully get rid of changes upon reboot which, by association, means it probably protects against most malware. The real test for remove-all-changes-after-reboot programs comes in the form of rootkits. Rootkits are special type of malware that have the ability to hide themselves and dig deeper than other types of malware. As such, many remove-all-changes-after-reboot programs don't protect against rootkits, specifically TDL rootkits. Toolwiz Time Freeze is no exception.
I have not personally tested it myself but based off reports by a few people at Wilders Security Forums, Toolwiz Time Freeze does not protect against TDL rootkits: Toolwiz Time Freeze is unable to get rid of TDL rootkits upon reboot. Combine this shortcoming with all the other shortcomings I mentioned in the previous section and that brings us to the conclusion that, until it matures as a program, Toolwiz Time Freeze should not be used for protection against malware. Rather, Toolwiz Time Freeze is best used for testing new software; it allows you to download, install, and use new software then get rid of the programs (and all changes the programs made, assuming they didn't install any rootkits) by simply dumping changes upon reboot. Now when I say 'new software' I don't mean shady software you get from shady corners of the Internet that most likely contain malware. I mean new software you are interested in using and are fairly certain the programs aren't infected with malware, but don't want the software to mess up your computer or leave behind leftover files and registry entries when you uninstall. Toolwiz Time Freeze is not a substitute for your anti-virus/anti-malware program.
Restoril Alternative Drugs
Conclusion
Because of its shortcomings, I won't be leaving Returnil System Safe for Toolwiz Time Freeze any time soon. However, despite its shortcomings, Toolwiz Time Freeze does offer an advantage over its rivals: It is lightweight – relatively speaking – coming in at 1.2 MB. So if you want basic remove-all-changes-after-reboot protection in a small program, Toolwiz Time Freeze is a viable option.
You can grab Toolwiz Time Freeze from the links below:
Version reviewed: v1.2.0.55
Returnil Alternatives
Supported OS: Windows XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7
Download size: 1.2 MB
Restoril Alternative
Limitation: Free for personal use only
Returnil Virtual System Alternative
Malware status: VirusTotal scan results (0/43)
Toolwiz Time Freeze homepage [direct link download page]
