Windows SteadyState

User Reviews

• It was good product by Microsoft

  memegan816August 19, 2013

  Pros

  - One the good restoring software - Easy to restore the by simple reboot - Simple to install and manage

  Cons

  - Not compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8 - Not able to manage enterprise computer network

  Summary

  I was very happy with Windows SteadyState. It was working fine with Windows XP. But Microsoft has phased out it in 2010. So it is not compatible with latest version of Windows i.e. Windows 7 and 8. To restore the data, I need to change group policy setting for that which is very tricky. As a alternative to it, right now I'm using Faronics Deep Freeze which works exactly what we looking for. It also provide different advance features. I'm happy with it.

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• Could not install. It was considered dangerous SW

  jose_luis2006March 27, 2012

  Pros

  NoneNoneNo

  Cons

  My Antivirus SW did not allowed me to run it because it considered it contained a virus or something similar.

  Summary

  Not recommended. Not a good idea to keep it as an available download at CNET.

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• Fantastic-- exactly what we need

  VacavilleGordonDecember 1, 2011

  Pros

  Keeps computer somewhat 'fresh' Similar in philosophy to industrial operating systems, it can allow saving of your data without saving changes to the operating system. Highly configurable. As much or little protection as you want. Depending on how it is set up, it >can< speedup most boot-ups.

  Cons

  Very slightly inconvenient, in that you are presented with a dialog box upon shutdown or log-off asking if you want to save changes. And, it does take some time to set up.

  Summary

  1.)If you crashed your car, insurance would help you buy a new car. And hopefully you weren't injured in the crash. But what if you could crash your car, not be injured, and have your car back to 100% just by rebooting? That's what Steady-State is all about. 2.)What slows your computer down the most, and usually just when you want to use it the most? OS updates, anti-virus updates, and various program and hardware updates can slow your machine to a crawl on boot-up, and all you wanted to do was check for movie times or directions, or to get email. WHY do you need daily updates? Oh, because your computer can get trashed by viruses. Well, if you run Steady-State you can set all updates to Manual and only run them occasionally, every few weeks or similar. Your computer now only has to boot the OS, without the update overhead, so it is faster out of the gate, not to mention faster from having a relatively pristine, uncorrupted OS. 3.)Ask yourself why you NEED for your operating system files to be as volatile and changeable as it is. Your data- sure. You WANT to be able to save that paper you are writing, or the spreadsheet you programmed, database entries, or mp3's or videos. But, your OS? REALLY? By keeping your OS vulnerable, you will need to upgrade more often, which puts your $$$ into who's pockets? Anyone? Anyone? Buhler? (Which is probably why MS pulled SS off of their website, because it is too good, cuts future business.) I have used MS Shared Computer Toolkit and now Steady-State on five different computers. Yes, some time needs to be spent setting them up, but it's not hard. It IS do-able. Do a search for Steady-State and Windows 7 and you'll find that there are a HUGE number of very knowledgeable IT professionals who bemoan the loss of Steady-State, and say that is the #1 reason why they cannot upgrade their businesses to Win 7. So far, MS doesn't have an answer as to why they've not made Steady-State available for Win 7. If MS wants to rake in a huge amount of sales right now, despite this bad economy, make an SS version for the newer 64-bit OS's available. Make a version of Win 8 that has SS capability. Then and only then will you see IT professionals buying and upgrading again!

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• Great product. I'm not a Microsoft fan but ...

  tg3793February 8, 2010

  Pros

  Does just what it says.

  Cons

  Not good for gamers who require Flash

  Summary

  I use this for managing the computer at home but there is some preparation involved if you want it to work well (which is covered Microsoft's instructions BTW). You can either A) install it on a fresh clean windows installation before you create any additional user profiles or B) remove the other user profiles on your computer and defrag your HD. Windows Steady State does a wonderful job of locking down your system but it integrates so tightly in the operating system that Windows needs to be in a really good state before you install it.

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• DONT DOWNLOAD UNLESS YOU WANT TO SCREW UR COMP

  shoupz23January 17, 2010

  Pros

  NOTHING I CANT GET IT TO WORK

  Cons

  EVERYTHING

  Summary

  IT GAVE MY COMP BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH AND I JUST REINSTALLED IT TODAY THIS WAS MY FIRST THING TO INSTALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br /><span class='notifyMsg'> Updated </span>on Jan 17, 2010<p/>screw up i mean XD

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