Get the Latest
Subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email address below to get the feed delivered to you by email:
New! Follow Gizmo on Twitter
Security Wizard
Hot! Get our free security suggestions customized to your needs. Get started
Navigation
User login
| New: | Help keep this site independent with few ads by buying a Gizmo Cap or T-shirt or by Donating |
| Hot: | Get free personalized security suggestions from Gizmo's Security Wizard |
| Help: | Know your freeware? Then suggest a hot product or become a reviewer or moderator for Gizmos |
Premium Virtualization Security Program Free Until Jan 2
Returnil is offering the Premium $24.95 version of their virtualization package for free until January 2, 2009.
This is a great way of beefing up the level of protection on your computer. Basically it's another form of sandboxing so if you already use Sandboxie you don't need this. However Sandboxie is troublesome on some PCs and Returnil is an alternative that's well worth trying.
And if you don't use currently any form of sandboxing then you should, so go get this while it's free.
Here's the blurb from the download page:
"The Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition provides an altogether different and highly complimentary level of defense. It is designed to protect your computer from all types of software, downloads, websites or anything else that might harbor viruses, spyware and other malicious programs. Returnil virtualization technology clones a computers System Partition and boots the PC into this system rather than native Windows, allowing you run your applications in a completely isolated environment. Hence the session and all activity, malicious or otherwise, will happen in the virtual environment, not in the real PC environment. If the PC is attacked or gets infected, all you need to do is to simply reboot the PC to erase all changes. After reboot, the system will be restored to its original state, as if nothing ever happened. All of this without sacrificing computer performance or usability."
How to Get Returnil Pro
Go to this page and follow the instructions: http://www.ghacks.net/2008/12/20/ghacks-christmas-giveaway-returnil-prem...
This page says the offer expires on the 24th of December 2008 but the Returnil page says it is good unil Jan 2, 2009.
Note that you won't get your license key emailed to you until the new year.
Thanks to regular contributor Rick Farrow for letting me know about this offer.
Gizmo
- Article type:
Comments
I went to the supposed January 2nd Returnil Giveaway Site that Gizmo directed me to not Giveaway of the Day. Filled out Returnil's Form not Ghack/Whack/Smack or whomever. Never received ANYTHING FROM ANYONE. No spam. No ham. No green eggs and lamb. This whole offer was BOGUS and I will never use RETURN-ILL'S STUFF EVEN IF ITS THE BEST DAMN THING ON THE PLANET. It's February now. You lose your credibility with stuff like this Gizmo. I did have a very high respect for you, still due, but its gone down a notch. One more of these bogus deals and you become very suspect on all future recommendations. And by association, Brian Livingston and Windows Secret.
P.S. GiveAwayoftheDay should be renamed FreeJunkwareoftheDay as 98% of its offerings are crap.
I did receive. The problem you refer was not Gizmo's fault, and I do apreciate Gizmo's awareness of this sort of offer. Thank you Gizmo ! That's life, some days you win, other days you don't. Lot's of garbage @ GiveAwayoftheDay, yeah, but then again, no other site eventually offers you (fully functional and updated) +100 USD commercial programs for free. Use RSS to monitor it, trash whatever doesn't suit you.
Once again, many thanks Gizmo (and Rick!) for the heads-up on this offer. The license code just arrived today and I downloaded the program from the link provided; now I can install it when I'm ready, or even put it on another PC. Unlike the GiveAwayOfTheDay offering, which, although the same, is subject to their parameters: must be installed right away, no tech support, and no chance to upgrade should the opportunity arise. Plus, you can't re-install it should you have a drive crash (and no image backup!). Their site is still an excellent way to obtain commercial software at no cost, despite the restrictions, and I'd actually found out about it through the sorely-missed TechSupportAlert newsletter...
I have Returnil installed from a previous giveaway (May 2008) and would have jumped at the latest offer had I been home at the time, just to extend the license for the extra 5 months, so this was a timely chance for an even better deal! Sandboxie is different, and may be a great alternative, but I've had some problems with it, particularly with an older Win 2k pc, making Returnil much more suitable for me. Being on their mailing list is a very small price to pay, and I have more chance of getting spammed from well-intentioned and well-meaning friends and family who mass-forward stuff all the time. For those who worry about giving out their address, I recommend signing up for a free email account (Hotmail, Yahoo!, etc) and using it only for these sites that require you to provide one.
I appreciate this website, and all the hard-working people who make it such a valuable resource. Thanks again!
I received code today at 9:35 AM (GMT).
You must be the only one that received a code.
He he he, what do you want me to say ? There you go:
Dear Ghacks reader,
Thank you for participating in the Ghacks Christmas Giveaway with the Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition.
To activate your copy of "Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition 2.0", please follow the steps below:
1. If you haven't done so, please download Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition 2.0 from
http://www.download.com/Returnil-Virtual-System-Premium-Edition/3000-265...
2. Install it on your computer
3. Use this activation key to activate your version of Returnil Virtual System Premium Edition 2.0:
----------------------------------------------------- (I removed code)
For your convenience, the Serial Number is also valid for the 2.01 Beta series. If you are comfortable with testing or experience any issues with the current 2.0.0 release series we invite you to try out the newest beta version which addresses all known Vista issues, please download a copy here:
http://majorgeeks.com/Returnil_Virtual_System_2008_Premium_Edition_Beta_...
If you have any further queries, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.returnilvirtualsystem.com/faqs.htm or feel free to contact us via email at support@returnil.com.
Sincerely,
Libor
Returnil Support
This electronic mail message may contain information that is
legally privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure.
It is intended only for the use of the individual or organization
to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient,
it is strictly prohibited to disclose, use or copy this information.
Well, today is January the 5th and still no code or whatever needed to switch to full version.
On the other hand they have my email (though no spam till now to be honest); maybe the true meaning of giveaway is spreading your precious spam-free email address out there...
It appears that I already have my reply: it is spam and they have my email address. Going through an unknown third party named ghacks.net to get a deal on any software is extremely risky, and giving them your address to get the installation code a disaster. If others have the same problem, let us try to get them on every spam list possible.
I installed Returnil on my Dell XPS 1330 laptop with Vista Home Premium. The program crashed by hard drive and I couldn't recover it. I'm glad I performed a back-up 2 weeks ago.
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/returnil-virtual-system-premium-edition-...
Also featured on Giveaway of the Day for December 30th only!
Wow, installer is quite small (2,2 mb) !
I guess I will wait and see, after I get the license key. So far I don't find it very user friendly, unlike Sandboxie. But Sandboxie won't install properly on my new 64- bit Vista laptop :(
Sounds like a good program, but maybe I missed something. Since its good for a 1 year subscription, whats it going to cost to renew?
Hint - Re-read the first line of the article you supposedly just read.
Not very convenient to have to boot and reboot to get in and out. Not worth all the trouble since Sandboxie does not force you to do this.
actually, you have to wait until after the New Year to get the code, this is mentioned above.
So read from the link....make sure you go to the PAGE (highlighted in blue) noted in the first paragraph at the info link to register....download Returnil from that location as well. Nothing to figure out, you have to be patient...& wait till the new year, when they will send you the key code.
Cant figure it out. Registered my info to the web site said to get free version I have to do the trial pay thing. :-\
You download the Premium Trial Version. You then visit the Christmas giveaway page mentioned right after the download link. When they send you your license key you just use the key to change the downloaded program from a 15 day trial to a one year subscription.
Post new comment