Software Gadgets

VMWare has been in the news quite a bit since they released a freeware VMWare Player that allows one to install an operating system and its software into a virtual machine that runs as a window in your Windows or Linux system. Programs installed in the virtual machine, can't affect your main system. VMWare even has a virtual browser VM download that runs a browser VMWare Player where it cannot install spyware or viruses on your machine.

While VMWare is nice for testing entire operating systems, it is overkill for testing programs. If you download, install, try, and uninstall a lot of programs, it will eventually kill your Windows operating system as something will get wiped in the registry or a dll will get overwritten with a bad copy or .... After a year of testing new software daily, I'm to the point when I will soon have to wipe my main partition and start over with a fresh install of XP. However, I've discovered a program that should make my next installation of XP last a lot longer: Altiris Software Virtualization Solution 2.0 aka SVS.

SVS allows you to install a program into a virtualized "layer" that you can activate, deactivate, or even delete at will. No changes to your underlying system are made, SVS shunts all changes to the "layer" stored on your hard drive. Not just changes made by the installation, but all changes made by using the program. If you delete a layer, the program, all its registry entries, dlls, etc. are gone. Nothing is left behind. This makes it great for testing software. Install it into a layer. If you find the software troublesome or you just don't like it, you can delete it. If you suspect it is causing other problems on your machine, you can temporarily deactivate it which makes it appear as if it was never installed while it remains on your hard drive.

The detailed pdf manual that comes with the program lists many other uses for SVS as well -- such as installing multiple versions of the same program without the different versions interfering with each other or making a virtualized data layer than can easily be backed up or even moved from machine to machine. The 60+ page manual is well worth reading.

Altiris has made SVS free for personal use -- their paid enterprise version comes with a server that allows virtualized layers to easily be transferred from computer to computer on a network. You can even get a personal edition serial number without giving Altiris your email address, although if you do give them your email address, you get a very nice newsletter on using SVS.

This program isn't perfect. For example, it would be nice if there was a way to "flatten" a layer into the OS if you decide you really like a program, but SVS has enough useful features that it really belongs on any system used to experiment with new software.

Rating: 4.5
Operating System: Windows 2000+
License: Commercial Freeware
Price: Free (for personal use)
Version Reviewed: 2.0
Web Site:
http://www.altiris.com/Products/SoftwareVirtualizationSolution.aspx
Download Sites: http://juice.altiris.com/node/86