WINDOWS SANDBOX

Running executable files has always been risky; Microsoft is trying to address security concerns that may arise from installing unverified EXE files. Power users will be used to setting up and installing a virtual machine to test some files before installing them on their PC, but with the new Windows 10 update, Microsoft has come up with a neat solution: Windows Sandbox. It creates a virtual desktop isolated from your actual Win 10 desktop. The feature will be part of Pro and Enterprise Windows 10 editions. It uses hardware-based visualization for kernel isolation. This relies on the Microsoft’s hypervisor to run on a separate kernel, which isolates Windows Sandbox from its host.

Each time the app is opened, it creates a lightweight (100MB) version of Windows 10. So, each time it starts, it loads a functional equivalent of a brand new installation of Windows. Users can then install and test new apps, files, and code in this virtual sandbox. Once you’ve finished testing, you close the app, and the sandbox disappears. Users no longer need to install their own virtual machine.

The app uses an integrated kernel scheduler, smart memory management, and a virtual GPU. It requires Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise Build 18305 or later, AMD64 architecture, virtualization capabilities enabled in BIOS, at least 4GB of RAM, at least 1GB of free disk space (ideally SSD), and at least two CPU cores. To get started, open the Sandbox app from the Start menu or search bar. From there, you can open the Sandbox version of your browser, and download and run your suspect file or program.