Have you ever wanted to undo all the changes your kids have made to your home computer? Or maybe you would like to install some software on your system to test it before purchasing, but you don’t know what exactly it will do with your system?
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just restart your computer and all the changes you made were just erased? Fortunately, there is a way to do this with Faronics’ Deep Freeze software.
You would be right if you looked at this page and thought that this is a program used by large companies or institutions. However, these are not their only clients. They sell the standard version of the program for $ 45, which is cheap given the benefits in my opinion.
I spent a lot more on software and was usually frustrated. This is why I currently only use freeware or buy subscription software such as Office 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud. However, this is one of the programs that I can recommend to get, because there is simply no free software that can do the same in such a convenient way.
It’s worth noting that Faronics or something like that didn’t ask me to write this review. I found out about the program because the local college where I study uses it and it works exceptionally well. I decided to try it out on my test PC, which I use to install software when I write reviews, and it made my life a lot easier.
Features and benefits
Since I talk so much about the program, let’s take a look at what it does. Basically, it is so that whatever you do with your computer can be fixed simply by restarting your computer. Want to delete the entire System32 folder? Take action. Accidentally delete keys from the registry? Not a problem. Install malware and viruses on your system? It will not be after reboot!
The last point about viruses raises one limitation of the Deep Freeze program. It essentially acts like resetting your computer’s hard drive. When it reboots, it reloads to its last frozen state. Everything that happens between reboots is free for everyone. This means that the installed virus or worm will definitely be removed on reboot, but may damage other systems until the next reboot.
In a corporate or office environment, user accounts are also limited, and computers usually have to reboot at least once a day. For home use, I use it, so I don’t need that kind of control. If I am working with something that I know is dangerous, I will make sure to restart my computer right after that.
What I love about the program is that you don’t have to waste time trying to lock your computer, and you don’t have to spend extra time restoring your computer. I have previously written articles about using system restore, backing up and restoring the registry, restoring your PC to factory settings, and even a clean install of Windows 10, but they all take a lot of work, plus extra work to reinstall your programs, etc., etc. . d.
Deep Freeze also has another state called Thawed. You can reboot the system in “unfrozen” mode, where you can install more programs, update settings, drivers, etc., and then re-freeze the computer in a new state. This is similar to using a virtual machine, but not exactly the same. Virtual machines are great and I use them a lot, but setting them up can be time consuming and require a lot of technical knowledge.
Installation and use
Using Deep Freeze requires virtually no technical knowledge. The program is very technical, but the interface is simple and very easy to use. Also note that the support is excellent. As they have many large corporate clients, they have local staff who speak excellent English. After installation, I had one problem, which I will cover below, so I called and met with a representative in less than 2 minutes.
After purchasing the program and downloading the ZIP file, unzip it and launch the application. You should see the main installation dialog box.
Click Next and accept the license agreement. After that, you will need to enter your license key, which should be on the last purchase page and sent to you by email.
On the next screen, you’ll choose which disk to set up for deep freeze. My computer has multiple hard drives, but I decided to just use the C drive since it contains the operating system. You can also use it for data discs if you like.
Then you need to adjust the ThawSpace size. This is a virtual partition that can be used to store the data you want to keep even if the system is frozen. I personally recommend unchecking the Create ThawSpace checkbox because it only complicates things.
If you want to save something like a file, your best bet is to save that data to a disk or partition that is not frozen. If you have only one disk with one partition, you should cancel the installation and partition the hard disk. If you have a tiny disk and not enough space to partition, you can create a ThawSpace that will appear as a different disk when using Windows.
The program will be installed and the computer will restart. You should see a Deep Freeze icon in your system tray.
Now this is where I had to call support. When I right clicked or double clicked on the icon, nothing happened. I couldn’t figure it out and the rep told me it was a security feature. You must either hold down the SHIFT key and then double-click, or hold down CTRL + ALT + SHIFT and then press the F6 key.
You will see a pop-up password dialog, but you can just click OK as no password is set after a fresh install.
On the main screen, you will need to click the “Activate Now†button to activate the product. You can also click on the Password tab and enter a new password so that only you can access the settings.
The Boot Management page has only three options that make the program easier to use: Frozen Boot, Unfreeze Boot on Next Restarts, and Unfreeze Boot. “Thawing” the download means you can make changes to the system and they will be saved, not deleted.
I suggest choosing Boot Thawed, then restarting your computer and then installing all Windows updates, software, etc. Often Windows does not update in one boot, so you will have to reboot several times. After all updates are complete, set it back to Freeze Boot and restart.
Conclusion
Overall, it works very well, probably because it has been around for a long time. I would not recommend using this on your primary computer until you test it on a secondary system. I use it on my test computer, but don’t use it on my main computer as I’m the only one using it and I already have security measures in place.
It also has a minor impact on performance. If you have a low spec computer, I wouldn’t use Deep Freeze. You don’t need a super-fast computer, but it shouldn’t be more than 3-5 years old. With its low price, great customer support, and easy setup, Deep Freeze is definitely a program that more people can benefit from. Enjoy!
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