Frequently Asked Questions

NeuShield Data Sentinel is updated periodically with new features and enhancements. However, it doesn’t need to be updated to recover your files. Our patented Mirror Shielding™ technology allows you to undo or 'revert' any unintentional or undesired change. This allows you to stay protected from the latest threats without constant updating.

Antivirus software is only able to block ransomware and other threats it can detect. Undetected ransomware cannot be blocked. However, NeuShield Data Sentinel uses Mirror Shielding™ technology to add a protective shield to your important files allowing you to recover from a ransomware attack even if the ransomware program itself cannot be detected.

There is a Free edition of Data Sentinel that you can download by clicking here.

No. NeuShield Data Sentinel runs along side your existing antivirus software to fortify your computer and protect important data. NeuShield Data Sentinel is compatible with most antivirus solutions and endpoint security platforms.

To restore a file open Windows Explorer and browse to the file you wish to restore. Right-click on the file and select ‘Properties’. Then open the ‘NeuShield’ tab, select the revision of the file you wish to restore and press ‘Restore’.

Note: Files can only be restored to a different revision if they are in a protected folder.

When NeuShield Data Sentinel detects an attack, it will show a toaster notification and the radar on the 'Overview' page will turn red.

Data Sentinel must be running for you to access your protected files. If you turned NeuShield off, you would be unable to access protected files the same way that turning off encryption software would prevent you from accessing encrypted files. Alternatively, you can remove protection from specified files and folders, or uninstall NeuShield Data Sentinel to disable it.

NeuShield Data Sentinel supports the following versions of Windows:

• Windows 7
• Windows 8.1
• Windows 10
• Windows 11
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2022

All editions of Windows 7 that run on x86 and x64 processors are supported, including: Starter, Home Basic, Home, Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate. The following updates need to be installed on Windows 7, in order:

1. Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 (KB976932)
2. Update for Universal C Runtime in Windows (KB2999226)
3. HTML5 rendering engine WebBrowser Control (which can be added by installing Internet Explorer 11)
4. Servicing stack update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (KB4490628)
5. Convenience rollup update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (KB3125574)

For Windows 8.1 the Basic, Pro and Enterprise editions are supported. KB2999226 is required for Windows 8.1. The RT and ARM versions of Windows 8.1 are not supported.

All editions of Windows 10 that run on x86 and x64 processors are supported, including: Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, Education, Pro Education, Enterprise, and Enterprise LTSB. Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 S are not supported.

All editions of Windows 11 that run on x86 and x64 processors are supported.

All editions of Windows Server 2008 R2 that run on x64 processors are supported (except the Core edition), including: Foundation, Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter. Windows Server Core 2008 R2 edition is not supported. The Itanium versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 are not supported. The following updates need to be installed on Windows 2008 R2, in order:

1. Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2 (KB976932)
2. Update for Universal C Runtime in Windows (KB2999226)
3. HTML5 rendering engine WebBrowser Control (which can be added by installing Internet Explorer 11)
4. Servicing stack update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (KB4490628)
5. Convenience rollup update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (KB3125574)

All editions of Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 that run on x64 processors are supported (except the Core edition), including: Foundation, Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter. Windows Server Core 2012 and Windows Server Core 2012 R2 editions are not supported. KB2999226 is required for Windows Server 2012.

All editions of Windows Server 2016 and 2019 that run on x64 processors are supported (except the Core edition), including: Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter. Windows Server Core 2016 edition and Windows Server Core 2019 are not supported.

The revision history in NeuShield Data Sentinel is like what Google docs has, with a few exceptions. First of all, Data Sentinel supports revision history on all file types. Secondly, Data Sentinel is not limited to specific folders but can support revision history on virtually any data folder. Finally, Data Sentinel adds a shield to your files to directly protect them from ransomware or other undesired changes.

There are three ways that NeuShield Data Sentinel uses disk space. The first is for basic product installation, which requires around 50 MBs of hard disk space.

The second way that NeuShield uses disk space is for protected files. The amount of space used here will vary from system to system depending on how many protected files are modified. Typically, NeuShield uses about 10% additional disk space, based on the size of the protected data. For instance, if you have 100 MBs of protected data then NeuShield will typically use around 10 MBs of additional disk space.

The third way that NeuShield uses disk space is for One-Click Restore. For this, NeuShield will use up to a maximum of 10 GBs of disk space. The amount of space actually used for One-Click Restore will vary depending on certain factors, such as available disk space. For example, once the system is running low on disk space some of One-Click Restore's snapshots may be deleted to free up disk space.

No. Currently NeuShield Data Sentinel only supports Windows. Drop us a note if you would like a Mac or Linux version.

Yes, NeuShield Data Sentinel Datacenter Edition can be installed on and protect Microsoft SQL Server. For details on other database files contact us.

No. NeuShield Data Sentinel only supports NTFS partitions.

No. NeuShield Data Sentinel currently only supports NTFS partitions.

NeuShield Data Sentinel only protects files on local fixed drives. However, if your network share is on a computer running Windows or Windows Server you can install NeuShield on that computer and protect the share locally. See Server Security.

No. NeuShield Data Sentinel only protects files on local fixed drives.

During normal usage the radar is random with only two of the dots affected by the amount of disk activity. However, when there is a boot (MBR) ransomware detected the radar will change to red for a while to indicate that there was an attack blocked.

NeuShield Data Sentinel does not use any part of Internet Explorer 11. Instead NeuShield uses the HTML5 rendering engine to render the NeuShield user interface. This rendering engine is a Windows system component that comes standard with Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11. However, Microsoft has made it so that the only way to get the HTML5 rendering engine on Windows 7 is to install Internet Explorer 11.

By default, NeuShield will automatically detect and use whatever proxy server the system is configured for. However, in some circumstances you may want NeuShield to use a specific proxy server.

Specifying a custom proxy server for NeuShield requires two basic steps:

1. The first step is specifying the custom proxy on the NeuShield portal. To do this you will need to log into the portal and go to the 'Data Sentinel Settings' tab. From this tab click the 'Advanced' button on the upper right-hand corner. This will bring you to the 'Advanced Settings' page where you can configure the custom proxy settings. Once configured you can click the 'Save & Download' button. This will allow you to download the custom proxy setting as a JSON file.

2. The second step is getting the custom proxy settings on the NeuShield client. You can do this through the web installer. The web installer is downloaded from the 'Download & Activation' tab on the NeuShield portal. By using the command line interface 'neuinstaller.exe /c <file path>' on the NeuShield client you can specify a path to the JSON file that contains the proxy settings. This command will tell the NeuShield client to consume the JSON file and enable the proxy settings.

C:\> neuinstaller.exe /c c:\my_path\nds_advanced_settings.json

It is possible to use the Free edition of Data Sentinel without a NeuShield account, but to use the Home or Business edition features you will need a NeuShield account.

For optimal use of Data Sentinel is it important to create a NeuShield account. You need a NeuShield account to gain access to the Home or Business edition features of Data Sentinel. With your NeuShield account you can manage your Data Sentinel clients, track your license usage and report on the status of each Data Sentinel install. The account also allows you to switch the license from one device to another in case a device is lost or needs to be replaced.

You can sign in to your NeuShield account using either Office 365 or Windows Live authentication using a Windows Live account. However, if you use the Office 365 account, you must sign in using Office 365 account authentication due to its security limitation.

Yes. The NeuShield portal provides a centralized view for all devices protected by Data Sentinel and allows you to activate or remove Home or Business edition features.

You can reset your NeuShield account password by clicking the link 'I forgot my password' on the portal login page. An email will be sent to your registered email address. To make sure that the email is not marked as spam you can add neushield.com to your contact list. Follow the instructions on the email message you receive to reset the password.

To remove a device from your account, sign into the NeuShield portal, locate the device on the 'My Protected Devices' tab, and remove it from your account on the 'Subscription' tab. That device will be reset back to the Free edition the next time it checks in.

Our subscription plan allows you to enable Data Sentinel's Home or Business edition features to fully protect your devices. Log in to your NeuShield account (or create a new account if you don't yet have one) and navigate to 'My Account' panel to subscribe or renew your subscription. If you don't have a valid license, or your subscription is about to expire there will be option to allows you to subscribe or renew your subscription. Alternatively, you can contact your distributor or reseller for other subscription or renewal options.

You can activate Data Sentinel's Home or Business features through your NeuShield account if you have a valid subscription or license key. There are three ways to upgrade your clients.

The first way you can do this is by clicking the 'Upgrade your edition' button on your client. This will open your web browser to the NeuShield web page. From there you can select the 'Add My Client' option and log into your NeuShield account. Once you log in you can follow the onscreen instructions to add your client to the account and enable the Home or Business features.

Alternatively, you can navigate to the 'Download & Activation' panel from your NeuShield account and download the Home or Business edition installer. Running this installer on any computer with Data Sentinel installed will active the Home or Business edition features on that computer. If Data Sentinel is not installed it will install NeuShield Data Sentinel and then active the Home or Business edition features.

Finally, you can do this by navigating to the 'Download & Activation' panel from your NeuShield account and generate an activation code. Entering this activation code on Data Sentinel client will enable the Home or Business edition features.

The expiration date of your subscription period is based on your license agreement, which can be a pre-determined date, or a future date extended to your existing subscription period. You can see the expiration date by logging on to your NeuShield account and navigating to the 'My Account' tab.

No. The one-time evaluation subscription is only provided to our selected business customers and cannot be extended. Please choose the period required for making your purchase decision before you request your evaluation period. After your evaluation period expires, the devices will revert to the Free edition of Data Sentinel. If you decide to purchase, you can upgrade the devices back to the Business edition.