Standardize workstations, provides reboot-to-restore safety

Deep Freeze

Deep Freeze

  -  11.7 MB  -  Trial
  • Latest Version

    Deep Freeze Standard 8.71.20.5734 LATEST

  • Review by

    Michael Reynolds

  • Operating System

    Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10

  • User Rating

    Click to vote
  • Author / Product

    Faronics Corporation / External Link

  • Filename

    Faronics_DFS.zip

Deep Freeze makes your Windows indestructible. It protects endpoints by Freezing a snapshot of a workstation’s desired configuration and settings set by the IT Admin. With a simple reboot, any unwelcome or unwanted changes are removed from the system, restoring it to its pristine Frozen state.

Deep Freeze Standard provides ultimate PC protection that leverages ARD for deployment and management allowing IT Admins looking to secure their PCs and keep them running smoothly, without any restrictions.

It preserves your computer configuration. Any changes – either malicious or unintentional – are reversed on reboot. This is called Reboot-to-Restore where each reboot restores the computer to its desired configuration. Create virtual partitions to retain important data even if there is no separate physical partition available on the computer. Get enhanced security with protection for the Master Boot Record from rootkit injections and other alterations, making your security bulletproof. It uses patented technology to redirect information being written to the hard drive to an allocation table, leaving the original data intact.

Provide students with a flexible lab environment, where their learning can be taken to the next level, without any risk to computers. Prevent configuration drift and secure your public computers from malware that could cause data breaches. Erase session data and issues caused by multiple staff accessing patient data on COWs, with every reboot. Make your office computers even tougher. Revert system changes and the resulting issues caused by different actions with a simple reboot.

Highlights

Freeze and Restore
Freeze your endpoints to the desired state. Restore from any unexpected changes with a simple reboot.

Completely Non-Restrictive
Provide users with unrestricted access and avoid restrictive computer lockdown to maintain security.

Reverse Configuration Drifts
Reverse configuration drifts with a simple PC reboot while allowing users to save their work.

Protection Against Phishing
Reverse malicious changes on reboot and protect computers from phishing.

Eliminate Undetected Threats
Effectively reverse malicious changes to your computers including zero-day threats.

Achieve License Compliance
Only approved software stays and unauthorized software is removed thereby achieving license compliance.

Main Features

System Restoration
It allows users to create and define a baseline configuration known as the "Frozen" state. When enabled, the software ensures that the system returns to this baseline every time the computer is restarted. This feature helps eliminate unwanted changes, ensuring system consistency.

Protection Against Malware
It provides an extra layer of defense against malware, as any malicious software or changes made to the system during a session are wiped clean upon reboot. This helps in preventing persistent threats.

Password Protection
Users can set a master password to control access to the settings. This ensures that unauthorized changes to the software's configuration are prohibited.

ThawSpaces
It allows users to create "ThawSpaces," which are virtual partitions where users can save data permanently. This feature ensures that critical data is not lost after a reboot.

Scheduled Maintenance
Users can schedule maintenance periods during which the app can be temporarily disabled, allowing system updates and changes to be applied.

Centralized Management
For organizations, it offers centralized management through the Enterprise Console, enabling IT administrators to control multiple computers remotely.

Everything you need to protect your business
  • Secure the Master Boot Record (MBR) to ensure its integrity.
  • The Boot Control window allows for an immediate system reboot.
  • Utilize Stealth Mode to conceal the Deep Freeze system tray icon.
  • Maintain data persistence across multiple reboots by redirecting user and application data to a Thawed drive.
  • Employ ThawSpaces to store programs, save files, or make permanent changes.
  • You can specify the size of the ThawSpace and the host drive.
  • Enjoy easy deployment options, including silent installation for rapid network deployment and integration into your imaging solution.
  • Choose to deploy it on multiple workstations as part of a master image.
  • Ensure 100% workstation recovery upon restart.
  • Enable password protection and comprehensive security.
  • Safeguard multiple hard drives and partitions.
  • Support multi-boot environments.
  • Compatible with SSD, SCSI, ATA, SATA, and IDE hard drives.
  • Compatible with FAT, FAT32, NTFS, basic, and dynamic disks.
  • Available in six languages for localization purposes.
User Interface

It features a user-friendly interface with a straightforward design. The main window allows users to access all the essential functions, including freezing and thawing the system, creating ThawSpaces, and setting password protection. It's intuitive and suitable for both novice and advanced users.

Installation and Setup

The installation process for the app is relatively simple. Users can download the installer from the official website or FileHorse and follow the on-screen instructions. During the installation, users are required to set a master password, which is crucial for security.

Once installed, users can access the software's settings and define the Frozen state, ThawSpaces, and other configurations as needed. The setup process is well-documented, making it easy for users to get started.

How to Use
  • After installation, open the software and set a master password.
  • Define the baseline "Frozen" state of your system, which will be restored upon each reboot.
  • Create ThawSpaces if needed to save data permanently.
  • Use the software's controls to freeze or thaw the system as required.
FAQ

Can I uninstall Deep Freeze Standard?
Yes, it can be uninstalled, but you need to do it while the system is in a Thawed state. You'll need the master password to disable Deep Freeze temporarily and then uninstall it.

What happens if I forget the master password?
If you forget the master password, there is no built-in method to recover it. You may need to contact official support for assistance.

Does Deep Freeze protect against data loss?
It can protect your system against data loss by preventing changes to the baseline configuration. However, it's essential to use ThawSpaces for saving important data permanently.

Can I schedule Windows updates with Deep Freeze?
Yes, you can schedule maintenance periods during which the tool is temporarily disabled, allowing Windows updates and other changes to be applied.

Alternatives

Reboot Restore Rx: Similar to this app, it provides system restore capabilities and protection against unwanted changes.

RollBack Rx: It offers a comprehensive system snapshot and restore solution, allowing users to revert to any previous system state.

Pricing

Deep Freeze Standard is available as a paid software, and the pricing may vary depending on the number of licenses and the duration of support required. Faronics offers both single-user licenses and volume licensing options for organizations. Pricing details can be obtained from the official Faronics website or through authorized resellers.

Faronics Deep Freeze Standard Subscription License for 3 Years - $55 total.

System Requirements
  • Operating System: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • CPU: 2 GHz or higher
  • RAM: 2 GB or more
  • Hard Disk: 10% of free space
PROS
  • Effective system restoration and data protection.
  • Easy-to-use interface.
  • Password protection for added security.
  • Centralized management for organizations.
  • Scheduled maintenance options.
  • ThawSpaces for data storage.
  • Support multi-boot environments.
CONS
  • Forgotten master password can be problematic.
  • Limited support for advanced system configurations.
  • May require periodic updates.
Conclusion

Deep Freeze Standard is a reliable and powerful software solution for Windows users looking to maintain the integrity and security of their computer systems. It offers robust system restoration capabilities, protection against malware, and the flexibility to schedule maintenance and manage multiple computers centrally.

Before purchasing Deep Freeze Standard, it's essential to evaluate your specific needs, consider alternatives, and ensure that your system meets the software's requirements. When used correctly, it can be a valuable tool for ensuring system stability and protecting critical data.

Note: 30 days trial version.

Also Available: Download Deep Freeze for Mac

  • Deep Freeze Standard 8.71.20.5734 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

    Deep Freeze Standard 8.71.20.5734 Screenshot 1
  • Deep Freeze Standard 8.71.20.5734 Screenshot 2
  • Deep Freeze Standard 8.71.20.5734 Screenshot 3
  • Deep Freeze Standard 8.71.20.5734 Screenshot 4

What's new in this version:

Deep Freeze Standard 8.71.20.5734
Enhancements:
- Modern Standby & Hibernation Compatibility – Deep Freeze workstations now support Modern Standby, Hibernation, and Fast Startup power options, which can save energy and improve battery life. Requires compatible systems.
- Deep Freeze Log Files – Automatically back-up Deep Freeze logs on the client side for optimal performance
- Manage Virtual Memory – Enable this option during command line installation allows Deep Freeze to manage paging file size to better handle performance issues on workstations with limited RAM

Fixed:
- Resolved an issue where systems may randomly hang during Frozen state. It is recommended to always enable the new ‘Manage Virtual Memory’ checkbox to allow Deep Freeze to manage paging file size in order to optimize efficiency.
- Resolved an issue with Windows Defender blocking Deep Freeze executable files
- Resolved an issue where the laptop battery would drain at a faster rate when the computer entered modern standby mode
- Resolved an issue where services running in the background unexpectedly triggered and installed Windows Updates
- Resolved an issue where workstations were randomly hanging with no discernable pattern


Deep Freeze Standard 8.63.020.5634
- Change log not available for this version


Deep Freeze Standard 8.62.020.5630
- Change log not available for this version


Deep Freeze Standard 8.61.020.5611
- Change log not available for this version


Deep Freeze Standard 8.60.020.5592

Enhancements:
- Thaw for Multiple Restarts
- Set the number of Thawed reboots from the Cloud Console. Option available for Reboot Thawed or Reboot Thawed Locked action

Pause Scheduled Task:
- Choose to pause or resume Scheduled Tasks in the Cloud Console. Click the Pause or Play button in the Deep Freeze Schedules grid
- In addition to Security, Critical, and Feature updates, choose to install all types of updates when downloading Windows updates from Microsoft (vs. WSUS)
- Launch Batch, VB, PowerShell Scripts
- In addition to .exe and .msi file types, now you can also launch .cmd, .bat, .vbs, .ps1 file types via the Remote Launch and Push & Launch actions in the

Cloud Console:
- Specify URL or FTP for Remote Launch
- Instead of specifying an existing file path for Remote Launch, now you have the option to specify a web URL or FTP location. The file will be automatically downloaded from the specified location and launched on the computer.

Windows XP End of Support:
- To ensure Deep Freeze continues to take advantage of the latest technologies, Faronics is officially dropping XP and Server 2003 support in this version of Deep Freeze. Microsoft officially ended Windows XP support on April 8, 2014 and Server 2003 support on July 14, 2015.

Fixes:
- Resolved an issue where Windows Updates on demand task was interrupted if it crossed midnight and overlapped with scheduled task with defined end time
- Resolved an issue where the system crashed when some specific software was installed on Deep Freeze workstation (such as PUBG, Fortnite, Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye)
- Resolved an issue where the user was able to boot into Advanced Boot Options from Frozen state
- Resolved an issue where users were not able to log on after installing Deep Freeze on client machines
- Resolved an issue where, if scheduled workstation task crossed midnight, the next scheduled tasks did not get performed on workstation

Known Issues:
- 11387 NTFS Storage Spaces not supported. BSOD occurs on reboot on Windows 8 and higher computers with single or multiple NTFS Storage Spaces
- Announcements are displayed as ‘New’ every time workstation reboots when in Frozen state
- DFInstall.log file does not have error entry, when silently installing workstation with ThawSpaces to be hosted on StorageSpace
- On 64-Bit Systems: Network Drive should not be listed in the drop-down list on ThawSpace configuration page while installing Deep Freeze
- Unable to activate computers that do not have network cards enabled
- Installation of Deep Freeze workstation fails if user login name contains double byte characters
- Installing Deep Freeze on workstations in some circumstances results in slow login when in a Frozen state
- Unable to install apps from the Windows App Store once Deep Freeze is installed. Enable Windows Update service as a workaround
- Running Deep Freeze with Boot Camp on systems with NVMe-based SSD drives results in blue screen
- Issues with Dell full disk encryption software when Deep Freeze is installed. Knowledge Base
- Resolved an issue where Windows OS did not start up while Imation device was attached
- Deep Freeze shows Automatic Repair screen after upgrading to Windows 10 Fall Creators update
- Deep Freeze will not freeze systems on a Hyper-V Gen 2
- Workstations running Windows 10 have slow login times when the device is in a frozen state
- Deep Freeze workstation may not start up in some circumstances
- Workstation crashes when loading virtual disk image using Arsenal Image Mounter software while in Frozen mode
- Deep Freeze workstation cannot be Thawed on Intel Compute Stick device
- Workstations are expiring if the workstation date is set to more than 20 years into the future
- External exception in FRZSTATE2k is reported when logging into workstation
- Deep Freeze causes Windows 10 to become unresponsive in Mac computers running Windows in Boot Camp
- Error running VIAware when Deep Freeze is installed
- Workstation goes into BSOD when OWC ThunderBlade drive is attached to system running Deep Freeze
- Deep Freeze Enterprise 8.57 causes BSOD on some specific setups


Deep Freeze Standard 8.57.020.5544

Fixes:
- Resolved an issue where Windows Updates did not install all approved updates from WSUS during Windows Update task

Known Issues:
- NTFS Storage Spaces not supported. BSOD occurs on reboot on Windows 8 and higher computers with single or multiple NTFS Storage Spaces
- Announcements are displayed as ‘New’ every time workstation reboots when in Frozen state
- DFInstall.log file does not have error entry, when silently installing workstation with ThawSpaces to be hosted on StorageSpace
On 64-Bit Systems: Network Drive should not be listed in the drop-down list on ThawSpace configuration page while installing Deep Freeze
- Unable to activate computers that do not have network cards enabled
- Installation of Deep Freeze workstation fails if user login name contains double byte characters
- Installing Deep Freeze on workstations in some circumstances results in slow login when in a Frozen state
- Unable to install apps from the Windows App Store once Deep Freeze is installed. Enable Windows Update service as a workaround
- Running Deep Freeze with Boot Camp on systems with NVMe-based SSD drives results in blue screen
- Issues with Dell full disk encryption software when Deep Freeze is installed. Knowledge Base
- Systems hang on startup while using an external hard drive (certain models only)
- Deep Freeze shows Automatic Repair screen after upgrading to Windows 10 Fall Creators update
- Deep Freeze will not freeze systems on a Hyper-V Gen 2
- Workstations running Windows 10 have slow login times when the device is in a frozen state
- Deep Freeze workstation may not start up in some circumstances
- Computer crashes when loading virtual disk image using Arsenal Image Mounter software while in Frozen mode
- System crashes when some specific software is installed on Deep Freeze workstation (such as PUBG, Fortnite, Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye)
- Deep Freeze workstation cannot be Thawed on Intel Compute Stick device
- SMART Board device touch function does not work correctly when Deep Freeze locks keyboard and mouse

Deep Freeze Cloud Connector Known Issues:
- Deep Freeze is unable to apply Windows 10 version 1803+ feature update


Deep Freeze Standard 8.56.020.5542

Fixes:
- Resolved an issue where the system became unbootable after installing Deep Freeze workstation on computers with NVMe drives using Advanced Format (4K) technology. (These types of drives are mostly used in modern Mac computers)
- Resolved an issue where Deep Freeze workstation booted into Recovery Screen due to some system settings being reverted by third-party software or after upgrading Windows
- Resolved an issue with connecting to an iSCSI target while Deep Freeze workstation was installed
- Deep Freeze Cloud Connector Fixes
- Resolved an issue where Deep Freeze workstation occasionally did not exit Deep Freeze task when keyboard and mouse were locked

Known Issues:
- NTFS Storage Spaces not supported. BSOD occurs on reboot on Windows 8 and higher computers with single or multiple NTFS Storage Spaces
- Announcements are displayed as ‘New’ every time workstation reboots when in Frozen state
- DFInstall.log file does not have error entry, when silently installing workstation with ThawSpaces to be hosted on StorageSpace
- On 64-Bit Systems: Network Drive should not be listed in the drop-down list on ThawSpace configuration page while installing Deep Freeze
- Unable to activate computers that do not have network cards enabled
- Installation of Deep Freeze workstation fails if user login name contains double byte characters
- Installing Deep Freeze on workstations in some circumstances results in slow login when in a Frozen state
- Unable to install apps from the Windows App Store once Deep Freeze is installed. Enable Windows Update service as a workaround
- Running Deep Freeze with Boot Camp on systems with NVMe-based SSD drives results in blue screen
- Issues with Dell full disk encryption software when Deep Freeze is installed. Knowledge Base
- Systems hang on startup while using an external hard drive (certain models only)
- Deep Freeze shows Automatic Repair screen after upgrading to Windows 10 Fall Creators update
- Deep Freeze will not freeze systems on a Hyper-V Gen 2
- Workstations running Windows 10 have slow login times when the device is in a frozen state
- Deep Freeze workstation may not start up in some circumstances
- Computer crashes when loading virtual disk image using Arsenal Image Mounter software while in Frozen mode
- System crashes when some specific software is installed on Deep Freeze workstation (such as PUBG, Fortnite, Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye)
- Deep Freeze workstation cannot be Thawed on Intel Compute Stick device

Deep Freeze Cloud Connector Known Issues:
- Windows 10 version 1703 and up: Windows Updates are not being downloaded when Windows Update cache is enabled in Deep Freeze
- Deep Freeze is unable to apply Windows 10 version 1803+ feature update
- Workstation task works incorrectly in certain scenarios


Deep Freeze Standard 8.55.020.5505

Fixes:
- Resolved an issue where in some circumstances where error (DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL) is displayed upon reboot
- Resolved an issue where Deep Freeze workstation was showing the message of activation grace period expiry on already activated machine
- Windows 10 version 1803: Resolved an issue where Deep Freeze workstation does not boot after enabling Memory Integrity in Core Isolation settings

Known Issues:
- NTFS Storage Spaces not supported. BSOD occurs on reboot on Windows 8 and higher computers with single or multiple NTFS Storage Spaces
- Announcements are displayed as ‘New’ every time workstation reboots when in Frozen state
- DFInstall.log file does not have error entry, when silently installing workstation with ThawSpaces to be hosted on StorageSpace
- On 64-Bit Systems: Network Drive should not be listed in the drop-down list on ThawSpace configuration page while installing Deep Freeze
- Unable to activate computers that do not have network cards enabled
- Installation of Deep Freeze workstation fails if user login name contains double byte characters
- Installing Deep Freeze on workstations in some circumstances results in slow login when in a Frozen state
- Unable to mount a virtual disk of Encase software when Frozen
- Unable to install apps from the Windows App Store once Deep Freeze is installed. Enable Windows Update service as a workaround
- Running Deep Freeze with Boot Camp on systems with NVMe-based SSD drives results in blue screen
- Issues with Dell full disk encryption software when Deep Freeze is installed. Knowledge Base
- Systems hang on startup while using an external hard drive (certain models only)
- Deep Freeze shows Automatic Repair screen after upgrading to Windows 10 Fall Creators update
- Deep Freeze will not freeze systems on a Hyper-V Gen 2
- Workstations running Windows 10 have slow login times when the device is in a frozen state
- Deep Freeze workstation may not start up in some circumstances
- Computer crashes when loading virtual disk image using Arsenal Image Mounter software while in Frozen mode

Freeze Cloud Connector Known Issues:
- Windows 10 version 1703 and up: Windows Updates are not being downloaded when Windows Update cache is enabled in Deep Freeze
- Deep Freeze is unable to apply Windows 10 version 1803+ feature update
- Workstation task works incorrectly in certain scenarios