Windows Steady State – Free Hard Disk Protection

This post was written by admin on July 28, 2009
Posted Under: Technology, Windows Steady State

Please note: This supports Windows XP and Vista 32Bit only. It does NOT currently support Windows 7. Use XP mode in Virtual PC with undo Disks enabled.

Once you have Windows Steady State installed and setup, your computer can be simply restored to its earlier state by simply rebooting and all changes made to the drive will be undone.

Many users will knock Windows and Microsoft generally, but it is also the most widely used Operating System, although it does have many flaws which are exploited and then patches released to close the loopholes.

Sometimes though, along comes a program from Microsoft which can benefit users greatly and Windows Steady State is one of them. This application creates a large cache file on your hard drive which is essentially a second copy of your main drive, normally the C: Drive, and will occupy around half the amount of free space on the drive.

There are a few things that are essential to a successful installation and will also make it much easier to implement the Hard Disk Protection.

1. Uninstall any unwanted or unnecessary programs and delete any files that you no longer need.
2. Update all programs and ensure that all Windows Updates have been downloaded and installed.
3. Scan with your security programs to ensure that there is no malware present.
4. Clear the cache and history, removing all cookies and temporary files. Use an application such as CCleaner to do this for you.
5. Defragment your Hard Drive -- this is essential!

When downloading you must validate your copy of Windows.

Once validation is successful you will be able to download the installer.

Double click the installer to execute the program and install it on your computer. It will take several minutes as it installs the necessary drivers.

Then the program interface will open along with the help file, which is quite extensive.

The main user interface is where you set the program to the way you want it, add new users, import existing users and make changes to the Global Computer Settings. Set the Computer Restrictions, Schedule Updates and most importantly, Protect the Hard Disk.

The Hard Disk protection is initially set to ‘Off’ and when enabled there are three choices:

1. Remove all changes at restart -- Best option for daily use
2. Retain all changes temporarily -- For retaining changes for a set period of time.
3. Retain all changes permanently -- When installing updates or new programs.

Now, the easiest method is the first option, to remove all changes at restart. Your hard drive will be restored to its original condition even if malware has been downloaded or unwanted programs installed. This option simply removes ALL changes that were made by a user.

If you have updates to install, such as program updates, antivirus updates or you want to install a new program, you can either start from your clean settings and when you have carried out the operations to update or install restart the computer and the prompt window will give you the option to ‘Save changes then continue’, select this option and allow the computer to restart. It will take a little longer while the changes are implemented and the cache rebuilt, or you can open the user interface and select ‘Retain all changes permanently’, but remember to change back to ‘Remove all changes at restart’ once your changes have been implemented and you have rebooted.

Download Windows Steady State here
You may be prompted to download and run the Windows Genuine Advantage plug-in, follow the prompts to download and run the tool and enter the validation code.

Click here for more details on using Disk Protection
Troubleshooting and FAQ

System requirements:
Windows XP, Vista 32Bit computers only
NTFS File System -- NOT FAT32
Download size approx. 6.4 MB