PowerShadow
Reviewed September 2007

What’s It Do?

This program creates a virtualized “shadow mode” exactly as the original one from which the user can access all computer functions, test other software, etc. PowerShadow claims no loss of performance while in Shadow Mode and, upon restoration to the original hard drive, all configurations are restored to the original status, While in Shadow Mode, no virus/other intrusions can penetrate the original hard drive. The drive can be virtualized into Shadow Mode on the fly without rebooting, choosing either the system partition where Windows is installed, or all system partitions. PowerShadow works seamlessly with all other security software such as firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spyware, registry and process monitors.


Does it do what it Promises?

Reviewer 1:  Yes. PowerShadow creates a virtualized hard drive that is totally separate from the actual hard drive. With PowerShadow, the user can try out anything such as installing potentially dangerous software or visiting dodgy Websites, without risking any damage to the computer. Upon reboot, the PowerShadow session ends, wiping out all traces of r “experiments” and the PC is returned to its pre-“experiment” state.

Reviewer 2: If successfully installed, it does "virtualize" one’s session, allowing installation of software for short-term testing.

Reviewer 3: PowerShadow does create a virtual drive which is essentially a clone of one’s hard drive on which all system changes and user activities will be placed rather than on the actual hard drive, thus keeping any changes or activities off the PC. A simple reboot will revert the machine to its original state. PowerShadow states that “no. . . repartitioning is needed. . . .” In fact, unless there is a separate partition on the HDD for one’s OS, no work or activities from the virtual HDD (ShadowMode) can be saved to the actual physical HDD. Also, SATA HDD configurations are not “officially” supported, only the older ATA or IDE drive configurations.

Reviewer 4:  This is the easiest “virtual computer” program I have used to date. Others require a multi-step process of installing the program to create a “blank slate” virtual computer to which is installed an operating system and programs. With PowerShadow, the existing C drive is cloned to a virtual environment and one is ready to use the cloned drive as soon as PowerShadow runs. What a great idea!

Reviewer 5: Yes. I have a link to the program in my Quick Launch Bar (I put very few programs there), and when I call it forth, it quickly goes into Power Shadow mode. Everything looks the same, except that on the desktop, a small “Power Shadow” appears in each corner of the monitor. And once in a while, the screen seems to go a bit wavy but can be turned off. Everything done in this mode will vanish as soon as the computer is rebooted.


Was it easy to install?

Reviewer 1: Yes. Installation was fast and simple. My only complaint is that PowerShadow installed icons on my computer—on the desktop and on the Quick Launch bar--without asking me. I removed PowerShadow’s Quick Launch icon.

Reviewer 2: I first installed PowerShadow on my main computer. The installation appeared to work fine with no problems. Subsequently, and for unrelated reasons (the main computer died), I reinstalled it on my back-up computer for further testing. It installed fine but on first run I got an error message, cryptic as usual, that told me nothing. (error c0000010) I emailed support and, to their credit, they responded within a few hours on Sunday of a US holiday weekend.

Reviewer 3: Yes. It was a relatively small 3.61MB download that installed quickly and easily using standard wizards. Additionally, there is an excellent FAQ section on the Website devoted to installation matters and/or issues.

Reviewer 4: PowerShadow‘s installation was fast and easy. The terms of its license agreement were clear and contained no onerous restrictions. Use is limited use to one computer. Since it is shareware, 30 days’ use of a fully functional program is allowed before purchase or discontinued use. The only unusual part of the installation is found on the Website where it is highly recommended to disable all anti-malware protection during installation.

Reviewer 5: Installation requires shut down of all anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. It installs in c:/windows/system/shadow, without giving any choices about the location of the program or the shortcuts. Once installed, the computer must be rebooted for it to become available for use. To uninstall if necessary, the uninstall.exe file can be found at c:/windows/system/shadow; however, I would recommend using a program such as JV16Power Tools to uninstall it without leaving debris behind.


Good Points.

Reviewer 1: PowerShadow’s main good point is that it is easy to use and works very well. To enter PowerShadow, I could select the PowerShadow option presented to me when I started my computer, or I could start the program through the Start menu or the desktop icon at any time. I used PowerShadow when I installed unknown software programs. I wanted to be sure that the programs wouldn’t adversely affect my computer. As it turned out, none of the programs proved to be problematic, but if they had, it wouldn’t have mattered, since all traces of the programs disappeared when I exited PowerShadow. I also used PowerShadow to see what would happen if I went to some disreputable Websites. I downloaded programs from these sites, pursued links to related sites, and accumulated lots of dodgy cookies. All downloads, installations, and the cookies vanished when I exited PowerShadow. If the hard drive is partitioned, PowerShadow gives the option of using PowerShadow on just the partition containing the system files (thus making it possible to save to a non-system drive files or changed while using PowerShadow); or, PowerShadow can work on all partitions. (Since my hard drive is not partitioned, PowerShadow worked by default on my entire hard drive.) The FAQ states that PowerShadow may be used on home computer, work computer, and laptop, as long as only a single copy of the software is in use at any one time. (I should note, however, that the End User License Agreement is less clear about this, saying that “you may install the software product on a single computer provided you keep the original solely for backup or archival purposes.”)

Reviewer 2: PowerShadow provides an opportunity to safely test software or surf the Web’s questionable sites that tend to ambush computers with "stealth" installations of Trojans and keyloggers.

Reviewer 3: This is really a solidly designed and elegant program that takes a novel approach to keeping one’s computer safe from unwanted or undesired changes including, but not limited to, malware. It does this by simply creating a virtual copy of the hard drive so that when one enters “ShadowMode” he is working not on his actual physical hard drive but on a virtual copy or clone. Thus, nothing is being placed on the actual PC and in the event that something does so while in ShadowMode, a simple reboot of the computer wipes the virtual hard drive and returns the PC to its original state, since the actual physical hard drive has been untouched. Some work or activities done on the virtual drive can be saved to external drives or storage media, and under certain conditions to the actual hard drive. The program is simple to use with step-by-step pop-ups and ample and simple user-friendly FAQs on the Web site. The GUI is a bit Spartan but not unattractive and is very intuitive and user-friendly. It left a small footprint on my computer, used few resources, and caused no noticeable slowdown on my PC. There is a support forum that seems to be relatively inactive as well as free support through email. There is no telephone support available nor is there any mention of turn around time for support given on the web site. There is a 30-day free evaluation period before needing to purchase the $40.00 program after which there are no refunds.

Reviewer 4: If one’s system becomes corrupted or infected while in virtual mode, it will revert back to its unaltered, pristine state upon reboot. When booting the computer, a screen appears giving the option of booting Windows normally or under PowerShadow. If no response is made while the choice is displayed, Windows boots normally. With the exception of increased drive activity during startup, it was difficult to notice differences between my computer running normally and running with PowerShadow . There are red “Single Shadow Mode” notices around the corners of the desktop and a “Status” PowerShadow window that automatically start on bootup. All of my programs appeared to run normally under PowerShadow. I was able to communicate with other computers across my LAN and to surf the net normally. Scheduled batch programs ran normally. Overall, running PowerShadow was an easy and very positive experience.

Reviewer 5: This program works. I used it for several months on my computer, and tried it out in as many instances as I could. I installed and ran at least a dozen new programs, several of them which turned out to be badly-designed, and which would have compromised my computer had it not been protected. To see how well it would function on the Internet, I sought out and visited sites that were rated by one of my “protective” programs as dangerous; in other words, they would install different types of viruses, spyware, loggers, and other malware on my computer. After these sessions, I would shut down PowerShadow (which is always a reboot), and was unable to find any trace of the inadvisable activities that the computer had been engaged in or of undesirable nasties that had been able to sneak through PowerShadow. It protects specific drives or all drives. To save any files while you running in protected mode, one must leave a supplemental drive unprotected. This allows safely move any files from the protected drives to one which is not going to be reset back to the “pre-Shadowed” state when the computer reboots. Once installed, a new menu option allows booting directly into PowerShadow. Without making this choice, the computer will continue its usual procedure, and go into normal Windows mode. Also, in the Main Screen, PowerShadow can be scheduled to start up or shut down at designated times.


Weak Points.

Reviewer 1: In order to exit PowerShadow, I had to reboot my computer. On some computers, this can take an annoying amount of time. Although PowerShadow is useful for testing unfamiliar software, I couldn’t use it to see how a given software program or change will affect rebooting, since rebooting ends the PowerShadow session and thus wipes out all installations and changes made while in PowerShadow. PowerShadow seemed to ignore the instructions I gave it concerning “reminders.” I told it not to “remind” me when the system restarts or shuts down, but it continued to do so. Each reminder required me to check OK to get rid of it and proceed. Most of the PowerShadow Online section of the PowerShadow Master did not work. “Send Feedback” did create a blank email message addressed to PowerShadow support, but the other three options—“Fill Survey Online,” “Check New Version,” and “Buy and Register”—produced pages with a single line of what looked like hieroglyphics.

Reviewer 2: Running a virtualized session is a two-edged sword. While it allows one to safely skirt the edge with questionable software and then simply reboot to wipe it away, it does "wipe it all away" when the computer reboots. To save any files etc. the must be stored elsewhere on the hard disk or other external media such as a CD or flash drive.

Reviewer 3: There are no serious glitches in this program but there are several inconveniences and weaknesses that need to be addressed as well as needed improvements to make this a fully useable program. First, as I mentioned above, it does not support the newer and faster SATA hard drive configuration but is designed for the ATA or IDE hard drive configuration. Note to users: If you don’t know which you have, look inside your computer case. If you have the wide, usually gray ribbon connecting your hard drive, you have ATA or IDE; a small rounded cable will indicate SATA. Since virtually all PCs built in the last two or three years are configured as SATA, not officially supporting this configuration seriously limits who can use this product safely. Secondly, PowerShadow cannot be used with a RAID configuration on the hard drive. RAID configurations while not standard except on high-priced or power-user type PCs, are becoming more and more popular and many users are configuring RAID due to its increased speed and safety. The two aforementioned items would make PowerShadow not only limited to a small group of users, but sends a signal to me of a company that is a bit out of date in its R&D (research and development). Third, the user must be aware that while ShadowMode does protect the hard drive, it does not protect your MBR (master boot record section of the hard drive) and this can be corrupted even while in Shadow Mode. A big drawback for most users is that one cannot save work or activities performed in ShadowMode to the physical hard drive unless the physical hard drive is partitioned with the operating system on a separate partition of the physical drive. Even then, data can only saved in what is called “single mode.” This limits the practical use of PowerShadow to really only browsing more safely or online game playing since downloads, work done on a Word document, etc, will be generally lost when ShadowMode is closed. Fourth, needing to reboot each time to exit ShadowMode is not only an inconvenience but an unnecessary potential cause of wear and tear on one’s system. Finally, PowerShadow offers no support for VISTA nor does it support Windows 95/98 which is ironic since these older operating systems are more likely to be found on the older systems which are IDE/ATA configured and the only systems that PowerShadow does support. Support was well below average with one support inquiry answered in five days and a second not answered. This seems to be a young company in the midst of continued development of this product and for that reason I would give it a very cautious but limited recommendation based on the aforementioned limits to its usability and its lackluster support. I was also told that there is new version now in Beta (v 2.8) which is going to address some of the aforementioned weaknesses. My recommendation would be to wait for the next release.

Reviewer 4: The only major issue a user has to be aware of is that ALL changes to the C drive will be lost when the system reboots. This is desirable when installing trial software to evaluate or working in a risky environment, but undesirable when saved data or email just received is lost. Ample warning is given in the documentation with an additional reminder appearing as the system is shut down. The only problem I encountered while running PowerShadow was when QuattroPro, a spreadsheet program, became unstable. It happened one time and I could not replicate the problem so I don’t know whether it was an issue with PowerShadow or not. Other than that, my system ran smoothly and with stability under PowerShadow. Support for Windows Vista is lacking in this version. According to their Website this will be added in the future.

Reviewer 5: This is a product still undergoing considerable development. Although it ran successfully on my computer as advertised, the links from the Main Screen to the Website (www.powershadow.com) did not work. After a Google search, I found everything to be at www.powershadowsecurity.com. The Help file also refers to the unavailable Website. This is unfortunate, because to get to the Website for any reason at all, one must go outside the program. The User's Forum is very quiet. On the forum there is an announcement in April of a new Beta version, soon to be released. In May, there was an unanswered posting from a forum member asking when the new Beta version would be available. In spite of reassurances from the support people -- who were always very prompt in replying to my requests – one may feel hesitant about the long-term viability of the program. Finally, the English translations throughout the program and in the Help files need attention. I understand that this is to be dealt with when the new version is released.


Comments.

Reviewer 1: I was somewhat apprehensive about testing this program, fearing that it might impair my computer’s performance. I am happy to report that my fears were groundless. PowerShadow is there when I need it and invisible the rest of the time.

Reviewer 2: When my main computer crashed for reasons unrelated to PowerShadow, I was forced to reinstall PowerShadow on my game machine. It did not work there and as I found out from PowerShadow tech support it was because PowerShadow does not support SATA or SCSI drives. Unfortunately, my game computer is a RAID system with SCSI drives; thus I was unable to complete this review.

Reviewer 3: I was actually unable to give this product as thorough testing as I do normally simply because my system is SATA and RAID configured forcing me to do my testing and use on my office computer where I am much more limited in time. Had I realized that these restrictions or incompatibilities existed, I would not have offered to test this program. My office computer is configured with SATA which as I said is not “officially supported” but I experienced no problems as a result; however, the fact does remain that caution should be exercised doing his as, again, it is not supported for use with this type of configuration.

Reviewer 4: While it is possible to save work to alternative media such as a flash drive, CD, or DVD, the easiest way to use this program is to partition the hard drive and save work to the partition . If this is done, whether in normal mode or under PowerShadow, there is the side benefit of being able to easily backup or transfer just data by copying or moving just the data partition. This program works so well that a user could conceivably run under it all of the time, reverting to “normal mode” only to install new software, update Windows or programs, or to permanently tweak their system. While malware infections that occur in virtual mode will be reversed when the system is rebooted, protection must be maintained while in normal mode.
I did most of my evaluation in “single shadow mode” where just the C: drive is shadowed and all of the other drives/partitions are in normal mode where changes made are permanent. For fuller protection for your system, one can enter “full shadow mode” and all of the hard drives/partitions will be cloned.

Reviewer 5: The End Users License Agreement (EULA), states “You may install and use an unlimited number of copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.” However, the pricing includes a Family License for “Up to 3 users in the same household.” So I assume that I can use the program on my own “set” of computers -- home, office and laptop, for example, but would need additional licenses for my family members. In spite of the weak points mentioned above, I did not have problems with the program at all, and had good response from the support people. It takes few resources either while waiting to be used, or when actually running in Shadow mode on the computer. So I would recommend that people who might see a need for it in their situation to give it a trial run. The price is not extravagant, especially as the license agreement is entirely fair and seems to be quite flexible.


Will you continue to use it?

Reviewer 1: Yes. It performs a valuable function.

Reviewer 2: I might when I get my main computer rebuilt. It should run there since it has conventional ATA type HDD's. Obviously I cannot use it on my RAID equipped gaming machine. Running something in "shadow mode" has its uses. My main computer might still be working if I had followed the practice of using something like this for testing purposes.

Reviewer 3: No, but I will revisit this software when the new version is released

Reviewer 4: Yes!

Reviewer 5: Yes. Even though it still seems to be in “early days”, it works well and is an excellent tool to test new programs without fear of damaging my computer.

PowerShadow Security, providers of PowerShadow, commented: We appreciate everybody in the review panel. PowerShadow's virtualization technology is a brand new security strategy. Most of the weak points mentioned are in fact simple restrictions necessary to archive a high secure level. Our new release, Powershadow Workstation, will support more computer configurations (Including SATA/SCSI Hard drive). Powered by our essential virtualization technology, customers were, are and will be proactively and constantly protected against known and unknown threats.
 

OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home

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