Shadow Protect v4 now available

[John Gray]

See this StorageCraft webpage - I look to the more knowledgeable among us to give more details!

[Bigaldoc]

See this StorageCraft webpage - I look to the more knowledgeable among us to give more details!

Last time it was Eileen's Lounge • View topic - Shadow Protect Desktop Edition 3.5.2 update From Bob Archell.

I don't know if 4.0 is a free upgrade or not, since it masquerades as a "major update." I too will have to wait for someone more close to them than I am. StorageCraft have never had a very good, concise web page.

[Bigaldoc]

This from "guru" Nate at the SP forum seems to answer MY question about whether it's free or NOT:

• • ShadowProtect 4.0 does release today. I expect that the installers will be posted on the website somtime around mid-day Mountain Time.
    
    If you have active maintenance on a 3.x product, then when you upgrade from 3.x to 4.0 (no need to uninstall 3.x - just install 4.0 on top of it) you can go to the menu to Activate and your 3.x product key will automatically show up in the activation dialog and you can simply press the activate button to auto-activate your 4.0 product with your 3.x key.
    
    Regarding the questions on maintenance, above, without maintenance you still get access to minor updates (.x updates, such as 4.1 or 4.2), but with maintenance, you get free MAJOR updates (free update from 3.x to 4.x for example).

[Bigaldoc]

This is very frustrating! As much as I love the Shadow Protect product and how it has covered my butt ever since I've been using it, their web pages are, and always have been, terrible! I happen to be one of those customers who DID NOT pay for a software maintenance agreement. Call me foolish if you will, but that's the way it is.

1) I cannot find anywhere on their web pages what the @#$%^& is in version 4.

2) I cannot find anywhere on their web pages whether there is an UPGRADE price for existing customers or if I have to pay FULL PRICE to get version 4.

Their forum is nice, but ...

If it weren't for other Loungers who DO seem to find the correct links for answers to questions, I would be completely lost in their jungle and I don't consider myself an amateur when it comes to web searching.

If clearer information isn't forthcoming, I think I'll stick with the 3.x version I have until I can find another product. As you can tell, I'm not a happy camper with StorageCraft right now!

[BobArch2]

See this StorageCraft webpage - I look to the more knowledgeable among us to give more details!

Ask and ye shall receive. The following is an updated "template" from the message I posted when 3.5.2 was released.

Shadow Protect Desktop Edition 4.0.0 update has been released

Desktop 4.0.0 update module (can update your installed software without uninstalling older version)
Does not impact the number of downloads you are entitled to.

http://www.storagecraft.com/software_update.php

Recovery ISO file for 4.0.0 (makes reference to Server Edition... is also Desktop Edition)

http://www.storagecraft.com/release/

You will need your ShadowProtect serial number in order to download their Download Manager.
When you run the DM a 467.759MB zip file will be made available for downloading.
Does not impact the number of downloads you are entitled to.
Unzip the downloaded file to obtain the ISO file and burn to a CD.

Once the ISO file has been burned, you can examine the contents for documentation. Check for the folder called Documentation. The documentation appears to be completely rewritten.

You can also go to: The ShadowProtect Desktop page:

http://storagecraft.com/shadow_protect_desktop.php

which has three separate links for… Desktop User Guide, Recovery CD User Guide and ImageManager User Guide.

Attached is a PDF file showing what's new.

SP40Readme.pdf

Here endth the updated "template". Some additional info as follows...

The above is valid for anyone who has a current license and has a current maintenance agreement. When one purchases the app, there is an automatic one year license agreement which includes all maintenance. However, where SC falls down is that they do not advise one when the maintenance agreement has lapsed. here's a cut-n-paste from one of their articles:

Renewal : The Agreement renews automatically on the renewal date unless the Agreement has been previously cancelled. A renewal form will be sent in conjunction with the automatic renewal to the contact provided at the time maintenance was purchased. If a response is not received within 30 days, the Agreement will be canceled. Renewal fees will be calculated based on the software list price at the time of renewal.
Also the white paper has contact information:
You can contact StorageCraft Technology regarding maintenance purchase or cancellation by any of the following means:
Telephone: +1 801-545-4711 Fax: (801) +1 801-545-4705 Email: sales@storagecraft.com

When my agreement expired, I sent a query to the sales group. It took 3 months before I heard from. They waived the period that I was "unprotected" and I bought the agreement for a 3 year period... $16/year. So Al, I might suggest you start by contacting the sales group to see if they are willing to bend a wee bit.

[BobArch2]

This is very frustrating! ...
1) I cannot find anywhere on their web pages what the @#$%^& is in version 4.
2) I cannot find anywhere on their web pages whether there is an UPGRADE price for existing customers or if I have to pay FULL PRICE to get version 4.

Version 4 spiel: http://www.storagecraft.com/shadow_protect_desktop.php

Regarding the upgrade cost, I was not able to find an amount. I did find the page where I could ask for the upgrade but once I entered my user name and password, it knew about my agreement and said... you're protected until August 2012. No help for you there Al. However, go here:

http://store.storagecraft.com/acb/store ... 48C21.aspx

... and look for the Upgrade link.

[BobArch2]

I should have added in any of my replies above that I have yet to test version 4. My current schedule calls for a full backup on Fridays with incrementals Saturday through Thursday. After the Thursday's incremental and before Friday's full backup, I intend to install v4 and give it a whirl.

[Bigaldoc]

Regarding the upgrade cost, I was not able to find an amount. I did find the page where I could ask for the upgrade but once I entered my user name and password, it knew about my agreement and said... you're protected until August 2012. No help for you there Al. However, go here:

http://store.storagecraft.com/acb/store ... 48C21.aspx

... and look for the Upgrade link.

THANK YOU Bob! I don't know how in h e l l you find all these links because, believe me, I did try.

That last link DID let me put in my current serial number and buy 4.0 WITH MAINTENANCE for $45 bucks. I thought I had searched everywhere for "upgrade" and found nothing. Mea culpa and my sincere thanks.

And to continue being perfectly honest, I don't know if I really need any of those 4.0 things listed in that other link but, like you, I'll give it a whirl. I can't thank you enuf for easing my anxiety and "heartburn!"

[BobArch2]

That last link DID let me put in my current serial number and buy 4.0 WITH MAINTENANCE for $45 bucks. I thought I had searched everywhere for "upgrade" and found nothing. Mea culpa and my sincere thanks.

I'm glad you got the issue resolved. If you haven't done so already I would suggest that you diarize a note 330 days from now and send an e-mail to the sales group about extending the maintenance agreement. As previously stated the current maintenance rate is $16/year. For $48 you get 3 years protection and it is probably correct to assume that v5 will be issued sometime in that time span. However...??? :-)

There appears to be some new features regarding Virtual Machines. I haven't toyed with VM but I believe you have... if I'm not mistaken. In my first reply above, I did post the ReadMe file. perhaps that will give you more clues about the new features.

[Bigaldoc]

... I'm glad you got the issue resolved...

We're fortunate to have guys like you here to keep guys like me on the correct path! Thanks again...

[BobArch2]

I should have added in any of my replies above that I have yet to test version 4. My current schedule calls for a full backup on Fridays with incrementals Saturday through Thursday. After the Thursday's incremental and before Friday's full backup, I intend to install v4 and give it a whirl.

OK folks... time for an update. I installed v4 as a direct update over 3.5.2 before Friday's scheduled full backup of drives C: and D:. Here's a copy of a message I posted on the ShadowProtect Desktop Edition Forum:

=========================== Start of posting on SP Forum ===============================

My normal schedule is full backups on Friday with incrementals rest of the week. Before today's full backup I installed v4 as a direct update over 3.5.2. The install went fine without any hitches. (After the install, the license was shown as deactivated but I was able to activate the license in the normal manner.)

I deleted all the Backup History entries as there were literally hundreds going back in time and I decided to start fresh with the v4 logs.

The backup process is set up to send me an e-mail displaying the results of the processes after the backup. Two e-mails were received showing that the backups (C: and D:) were successful. However, what I found strange was that the times in both e-mails showed a start time of 7:45PM (the scheduled time) with a completion time stamp of 7:45PM.

I then went to the Backup Jobs tab and everything looked normal except that the View Details line was greyed out. Then went to the Backup History tab and there were two lines, one for each of the drives with start times of 7:45PM and finish times of 7:57PM (C:) and 8:16PM (D:). Then in the panel below those two summary lines was an entry with a red X'd radio button with the following 23-Apr-2010 21:31:21 (under Timing) "service" (under Module), "-2147024891 (under Code) and "Access is denied" (under Message).

I then went into the Event Viewer and saw an entry made around the install time of 11:30 AM. It carried an Event ID code of 8194 with a descriptive of:

"Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error querying for the IVssWriterCallback interface. hr = 0x80070005, Access is denied.
. This is often caused by incorrect security settings in either the writer or requestor process. "

I could not find any entries in the Event Viewer for any items with a time stamp of 21:31:21

Any suggestions before I uninstall the entire package and try a clean install from scratch?

Bob

Edited 7:55AM April 24,2010

OK, uninstalled everything, then manually deleted the C:\Program Files\Storage... folders; rebooted; reinstalled v4 and rebooted. I did turn off my AV - NOD32 during the install. Then rebuilt the schedule to start a full backup @ 11:20PM Fridays with incrementals balance of week. The backup started without a hitch and all logs were available to be viewed. However the issue still remains regarding the e-mail sent message where the start and finish shows the same value. In this case - 23/04/2010 11:20:00 PM
=========================== End of posting ===============================

I'll report back here when I hear from Storage Craft

[Bigaldoc]

As you know, I purchased version 4 also and did an install over the top. Now I can't get the blessed thing to activate! Where must I go to clear up this problem?

Damn, these guys, in spite of an excellent product, are a pain in the tush!

[BobArch2]

As you know, I purchased version 4 also and did an install over the top. Now I can't get the blessed thing to activate! Where must I go to clear up this problem?

Excuse me if this is a dumb question... but did you try clicking on Help and select the Activate item?

SPActivate.gif

Edited: 2010.04.24 21:42 to correct grammar.

[Bigaldoc]

As you know, I purchased version 4 also and did an install over the top. Now I can't get the blessed thing to activate! Where must I go to clear up this problem?

Excuse me if this is a dumb question... but did you try clicking on Help and select the Activate item?

SPActivate.gif

Edited: 2010.04.24 21:42 to correct grammar.

Not a dumb question at all. Yes, that's where I went and the window that opens has my serial number in it and wants my name. But, I then get this error window. I posted a support request at StorageCraft. Have to see what they say. At least one other person in that thread had the problem and he said Support has fixed his problem but he didn't say HOW! Grrrrr...

2010-04-24_200305.png

When I made the purchase there was NO mention of a new serial number...

[BobArch2]

...Yes, that's where I went and the window that opens has my serial number in it and wants my name. But, I then get this error window. I posted a support request at StorageCraft. Have to see what they say. At least one other person in that thread had the problem and he said Support has fixed his problem but he didn't say HOW! Grrrrr...

When I made the purchase there was NO mention of a new serial number...

I'm going to go out on the limb here by suggesting that buying the upgrade as you did and not having the maintenance agreement from the "old" version, that you may have been assigned a new license number. In which case, you should have received an e-mail with the new license. They should also have updated their servers with such a new number, if it was assigned.

It is always possible that the "old" number is still your assigned number and they have not got around to updating their servers.

Of course, I could be wrong on all accounts and they have just screwed up.

The up side is that you still have the full features of SPv4 for a 30 day period. Hopefully support or sales@storagecraft.com will get back to you soon with a resolution.

[Bigaldoc]

I think you're right on all counts, Bob, and that MY problem probably is due to the fact that I didn't have maint on the 3.x product and I do now on the 4.x version. One thing fer sure, I didn't get issued a new key. Funny thing is that on 4-21-10 when I made the buy, I got TWO purchase confirmation emails from them posted at the exact same time but one was completely empty. I just now dug it out to see if I missed anything but I didn't. The other email just had the usual price stuff, no key.

Anyway, in this thread over there ( shadowprotect version 4 - StorageCraft Support Center ) there's a post by Nate saying (on the 21st) that the web guys were working on the "who can and who can't" database so it must be a humongous job.

I'll just have to wait for support on Monday. I've got 29 days left...     Like it or not, as Nate says, this "phone home" junk is a piracy protection issue and (his words) without it we wouldn't have a SP.

[BobArch2]

... I didn't have maint on the 3.x product and I do now on the 4.x version.

From the ReadMe PDF attached to an earlier message from me:

2. Installing ShadowProtect

** You can install ShadowProtect 4.0.0 over an existing 3.x install. **

** If you have active maintenance on your existing 3.x install, then when you upgrade to 4.x you can simply activate your 4.x install using the Activate menu item and your existing 3.x product key. If you do not have active maintenance with your 3.x product, and you upgrade from 3.x to 4.0.0, then you will need to activate (within 30 days) your 4.0.0 install using a 4.0.0 product key. **

** When upgrading from 3.x to 4.0.0, your job settings will be preserved. **

That might explain part of issue...

You obviously didn't RTFM

[Bigaldoc]

Au contraire, my friend (spelling of the French?)

Yeah I did read all that but since there wasn't a new serial number (key) included with my transaction, I figgered the old one was good, based on the following cropped and doctored screenshot. Both serial numbers were my existing one. Once again, I'm sure you are right that it's the slight twist I created by going from no maintenance to included maintenance. I AM SURE that they will fix me up and my backup job was preserved. The full was done yesterday using 3.x and the incremental overnight using 4.x which I had installed after doing the full backup. No problems with function and performance, so, as I say I'm sure they'll fix me up before my 30 days runs out.

2010-04-21_190630.png

[BobArch2]

Au contraire, my friend (spelling of the French?)

C'est correct ça. Mais juste une peu de français. "Au contraire, mon ami" est meilleur.

Yeah I did read all that but since there wasn't a new serial number (key) included with my transaction, I figgered the old one was good, based on the following cropped and doctored screenshot.

It would appear that your old number would/should have worked... notwithstanding it states there is only one activation on record.

I might suggest that with activation being a weak link, it might be prudent to deactivate the license before installing an update and then activating it after the upgrade. Which I know is contrary to what the docs say. But better safe than sorry.

When I had the glitch (as noted in an earlier message), I deactivated the license, uninstalled, rebooted and then reinstalled. When I then activated the license I was positive that the assigned machine id was different. Unfortunately I can't find any present or past documentation to confirm my observation.

[Bigaldoc]

Je vous remercie de m'avoir aidé avec le Français et SP...

(I had to cheat! I didn't learn that much in three years. Too busy working and "courting!")