I stopped keeping a spare Windows computer around for testing sketchy software once I deployed a virtual machine server.Virtual machines are the perfect disposable Windows install for testing things that could harm your system.Here's why you should switch your Windows sandboxes to virtual machines.
A virtual machine can be completely isolated from everything else No virus will escape my virtual machine I keep a spare Windows virtual machine on my Proxmox system for anytime I need to test sketchy, untrusted, or just otherwise random software.With a virtual machine, I can fully isolate the system from everything in my household.I'm able to determine if it gets a network connection, and, I can even choose if the network connection runs through my VLAN into an untrusted network if it does need internet access.
This is one of the biggest benefits of having the virtual machine, just being able to control network access.The other benefit is, the system operates independently from all other computers in my home.I have file and network sharing turned off, it gets isolated on the local network so it doesn't even see the other computers, and I have no personally-identifying files on the virtual machine.
it got compromised, the hackers would gain nothing of value from it, as it's just an empty virtual machine with software that I'm testing on it.If it gets ruined, I just delete the virtual machine and make a new one It's a temporary system, after all Now, let's say that my Windows virtual machine does get compromised, hacked, or ruined in some way.It's not a big deal at all.
Since the virtual machine is just for testing, and there's nothing of value on it, I can just delete it and start fresh.Microsoft has gotten a lot less aggressive in its license enforcement.There are certain features that definitely don't work if you don't have a valid Windows license, but for testing, it's just fine.
So, I can just delete the virtual machine's disk entirely and reinstall it without worrying about a license.I do have to get a few things set back up again, but it's a small price to pay for the ability to have a throwaway install that I don't mind if it gets destroyed in some way, shape, or form.It's also nice because if I go a while without using the Windows virtual machine, I can just delete it and then recreate it down the road if or when I need it again, saving space on my system for other more needed virtual machines.
This is a unique function of a virtual machine.If I had a full system that was dedicated to testing sketchy software, and I didn't use it for a while, it would still take up physical space in my office.But a virtual machine only takes up digital space, and the footprint needed for a bare-bones Windows install is typically around 32GB, which is pretty easy to handle on almost any system.
I can run any Windows version I need for testing All I need is an ISO and willpower Windows has a lot of hardware requirements (or limitations).For example, Windows 11 can only officially be run on newer hardware because of trusted platform modules (TPM).I can emulate that with a virtual machine.
Windows 2000 can't be run on newer hardware because it runs on 32-bit processors.I can emulate that with a virtual machine.The list goes on.
With a virtual machine, I can run any version of Windows I need for any given reason.Since everything is virtual, I can virtually create whatever I need.In fact, I can even run MS DOS for some real nostalgic computing.
The sky's the limit here.Also, since everything is virtualized, I can test Windows under a wide range of scenarios.For instance, on my more powerful virtual machine server, I have over 40 cores and 96GB of RAM that I can utilize.
So, I can create Windows 11 installs that have just 2GB of RAM and 1 core, if I want to see how it works there.Or, I could create a Windows 7 install with 64GB of RAM and 32 cores, just for the fun of it.Lastly, one of my favorite things is that I can run multiple versions of Windows on the same system and access them all at the same time.
Let's say I need to test my software in Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.I can have four separate virtual machines all running at the same time and test in them back to back to back to back without any issues.Obviously, I have to have the resources on the virtual machine server to handle that, but it's definitely doable.
Doing this with other sandbox methods—like a dedicated system for each operating system—gets really expensive and takes up a lot of space.So, I really like virtual machines for this approach.ACEMAGIC M5 mini PC Brand ACEMAGIC CPU i7-14650HX The ACEMAGIC M5 mini PC is perfect for setups that need a high-performance desktop with a small footprint.
It boasts the Intel i7-14650HX 16-core 24-thread processor and 32GB DDR4 RAM (which is upgradable to 64GB).The pre-installed 1TB NVMe drive can be swapped out for a larger one though, and there's a second NVMe slot for extra storage if needed.$900 at ACEMAGIC Expand Collapse Running Windows in a virtual machine is the best option for testing software Really, if you have any question about sketchy software, you shouldn't be installing it on your primary system.
Definitely install it on a virtual machine first, as if the software really is sketchy and there's a problem with it, you'll want to catch it in a sandboxed environment before deploying it to production.I personally use mini PCs in my homelab running Proxmox to handle my virtual machines, but there are other peices of software out that allow you to run virtual machines on any system, including your main computer.
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