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Is there some good way to install and run untrusted software, except in a full VM? Assume running the software does not require admin privileges.

Can I use a separate partition, for example (How would I make sure other partitions are not touched)?

Am I right that installers need admin privileges and thus can do "anything"?

Is there some way to verify that the installer does not do anything "wrong" (or detect and rollback what it did?

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  • When you run the software/installer it still interacts and uses Windows resources so will inevitably pose a security risk. Windows uses UAC as a "you accept everything that goes wrong by possibly installing or running the program". If you really want to test software and guarantee Windows isn't affected in any way then use a VM.
    – Kinnectus
    Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 11:48
  • You can also use something like Sandboxie which is what it sounds like an application that creates a virtual sandbox environment that prevents any data created entering or exiting it
    – Ramhound
    Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 12:08
  • At first glance it doesn't help with the installation phase.
    – Olav
    Commented Oct 18, 2014 at 13:50

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Outside a full VM there are some limited options. It also depends what the installer installs. For example if it installs driver you probably cannot sandbox it.

Some App-Virtualisations can do it. I've only experience with Turbo.net. You just need to try. You need account and install that client. Then do:

turbo login turbo run --name=my-app --mount=C:\location-of-installer --admin clean

--mount makes that location visible inside the sandbox. You probably need --admin, so that the installer won't complain.

A new console window will open. In there, run you're installer. Simple execute it:

cd C:\location-of-installer the-installer.exe

Hopefully you're installer succeeds. Not the installed app is in that sandbox. You can start the sandbox again with 'turbo start my-app'. You also can freeze it as a image, to use on other machines, upload the hub etc.

turbo commit my-app --startup-file="C:\Program Files (x86)\My-App\App.exe"

Commit will create a 'frozen' version of the sandbox, ready to be used on other computers, uploaded to the hub and so one. `--startup-file={}' sets what .exe should be started.

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