This is the notion of "freezing" Windows in time, such that it can work as-expected but be "rolled back" to a previous state.

Software (Security) >

https://web.archive.org/*/social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/home?forum=windowssteadystate

I'm also lumping similar projects into this page, for reference.

See also:

• Reboot to restore software

• Snapshot (computer storage)

Steady State ∞

Windows SteadyState [discontinued] does imaging which is disk-intensive.

• Group Policy Settings for Creating a Steady State
• Creating a Steady State by Using Microsoft Technologies

• Windows SteadyState Reference Spreadsheet

What one guy does:

• Symbolic link user folders and data to equivalents on D: and continue keeping their documents on the NAS.
• SafeGuard / Guest Mode the user accounts and use Disk Protection on the C: Drive to revert the contents on reboot.

• Use AppLocker to eliminate the possibility of running anything un-sanctioned.

Similar tools ∞

• Windows has Shadow Copy, which is a per-file history feature.

  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 10 hid it, but it's still there.
• Clean Slate

• Deep Freeze (on Wikipedia)

  • I believe I had used this far in the past.
  • Decent, but it looks like I'd probably want their anti-executable product too, and maybe a third app. Hrm.

• SmartShield

  • requires internet access. lolwut?

• Returnil System Safe

  • Doesn't seem good to me..

• Horizon DataSys - Disaster Recovery

  • Snapshot-based, not what I want?

• ShadowProtect

  • Snapshot-based, can boot those shapshots as virtual machines, neat!

• Comodo Time Machine [gone]

  • Was free, snapshot-based
  • Does not support SSD/TRIM! Cannot install with a Linux partition visable!
  • https://web.archive.org/*/www.comodo.com/home/data-storage-encryption/data-recovery.php

• Wondershare Time Freeze 2.0 [gone]

  • Virtual system software for 32&64-bit Windows 7/XP/Vista
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20130818085133/http://www.wondershare.com:80/pro/time-freeze.html

• Norton GoBack

  • (previously known as WildFile GoBack, Adaptec GoBack, and Roxio GoBack)
  • Deep Freeze was certainly superior to this.

• RollBack Rx

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/RollBack_Rx
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20121027130851/http://www.horizondatasys.com/169614.ihtml