AVATECH AG

No More Undesirable Modifications to Multi-user PC’s!

HDGUARD, software that restores the original state of the hard disk on Windows PC’s after every restart.

 

IIn schools, Internet cafes or in conference rooms: Everywhere that different users use the same PC’s, changes are made to settings, undesirable programs are installed, Malware appears, and the directory systems are tossed more quickly than salads. Using the protection software, HDGUARD, developed in Germany, these phenomenon are combated effectively.

HDGUARD automatically restores every PC to its original status upon restarting in microseconds, without any administrative effort.

As soon as HDGUARD has been installed, it is practically a part of the operating system. Access to protected hard disk drives is automatically redirected by it, undetected by the user, to an invisible swap area (file or partition), which is simply “forgotten” upon restarting. By doing this, usage is essentially simpler and quicker than previous procedures, which might restore a PC by means of a disk image. HDGUARD operates completely in background and is not noticed by the user.

 

System and Security Updates Are Ensured Despite Hard Disk Protection

The administrator can exclude individual hard disk partitions from protection, so that, for example, email data bases and address books may be stored there. In addition, the directories for Favorites, Cookies, and “My Documents” can be redirected to these unprotected partitions.

System and security updates of, for example, anti-virus software, desktop firewalls, system components or other networked software must be possible, despite the protection, and the subsequent changes likewise protected. For this purpose, HDGUARD has a variety of options for realizing these updates either in part or in whole automatically, without providing a third party with the opportunity of doing harm.

Portable drives, such as USB sticks, have become an irreplaceable medium for exchanging data, since they enable large amounts of data to be transported and exchanged quickly. Unfortunately, for school and commercial LAN’s, they have been connected with more than just advantages. HDGUARD now enables access to USB devices limited to one of three levels: Write-protected for USB hard disks, Read/Write-protected for USB hard disks, and automatic ejection of USB devices.

 

When Daily Restoration Is Not The Objective:

If users of protected PC’s need to work on projects over several days, they require a certain flexibility for their personalized settings, and they want to know that their processed data will be available over the entire period, despite shutting down the computer at least once daily. For this, HDGUARD has the Seminar Mode, which only restores the original data on the protected partition at the users’ request, or upon termination of Seminar Mode. Understandably, this operational mode may only be selected by the administrator.

 

Central Administration

It should be quite clear, depending upon the size of the LAN and the organization, that administrative efforts can be minimized by several magnitudes by the centralized administration of the HDGUARD clients. Amongst other things, individual computers or entire rooms can be supervised using HDGUARD.master in a targeted manner, and the HDGUARD clients as well as the «teaching consoles», may be activated, or deactivated, for specific PC’s.

HDGUARD and HDGUARD.master can be found at www.avatech.ch/de/avasoft/downloads/ and a 30-day trail version can be downloaded at no charge.