Sandboxing as a security concept means to limit a program’s reach on a computer system. When you normally run a program it can act with the same user rights as the user. If the user can make modifications to the Registry, so can the program. If you sandbox a program on the other hand it can only perform operations in the sandbox, which usually means in its own program environment and not system wide.
Sandboxie is an excellent software for that purpose. It basically allows a Windows user to run any program in an isolated space (a sandbox) preventing it effectively from damaging or modifying other parts of the operating system outside that sandbox.
Some benefits of a sandbox
- Secure Web Browsing: Running your Web browser under the protection of Sandboxie means that all malicious software downloaded by the browser is trapped in the sandbox and can be discarded trivially.
- Enhanced Privacy: Browsing history, cookies, and cached temporary files collected while Web browsing stay in the sandbox and don’t leak into Windows.
- Secure E-mail: Viruses and other malicious software that might be hiding in your email can’t break out of the sandbox and can’t infect your real system.
- Windows Stays Lean: Prevent wear-and-tear in Windows by installing software into an isolated sandbox.
Sandboxie Review
Sandboxie will automatically scan installed programs and offer to apply compatibility settings for them. The programs are displayed in an extra window and it is suggested to accept these suggestions.
Sandboxie is operated through Sandboxie Control. The program is automatically started after installation, but also accessible from the Windows start menu. There are two options (actually three when the desktop icon is included) to run programs in a sandbox. Users can right-click the system tray icon and select DefaultBox from the menu to run web browser, email programs, Windows Explorer or other programs in a sandbox, or use the Sandbox > DefaultBox menu at the top of the Sandboxie Control software to do that.
DefaultBox is the first sandbox that is automatically created by Sandboxie. Users can create additional sandboxies, but only registered users can run programs in multiple sandboxes at the same time.
Sandboxie aids the user when errors occur, for instance when the user tries to launch a program that requires additional configuration to run in a sandbox. The email client is a prime example. Why? Because the program will not be able to save data to the system when it runs in a sandbox which means that received mails will not be added to the system mailboxes.
Sandboxie does have a solution for that though as it can be configured to exclude files from the sandboxing. For an email client this could mean to exclude the mailbox data files and include the rest to work with it properly and save data in the mailboxes.
Programs that are configured correctly appear in the control window.
Sandboxie integrates with the Windows Explorer shell so that programs can be launched in a sandbox with a right-click. That’s handy for new program installations for instance to test an application on the system while preventing that it can make changes to the system.
It is possible to switch the program view to folder view, which shows all the folders and files that are currently stored in the sandbox.
Video Review
Users may sometimes want to save files even if a program is running in a sandbox. Say you run a sandboxed web browser and want to save an image to the computer that should be there once you close the sandbox.
Sandboxie can be configured to monitor selected folders for new files for an option to recover them. The program distinguishes between immediate and quick recovery. Immediate recovery pops up whenever a file is saved in one of those locations offering an option to save it to the same folder but outside the sandboxed environment or another folder.
Quick Recovery on the other hand is invoked by user request or before the sandbox is terminated on the system.
Users who run Sandboxie for the first time should take a look at the Usage Tips which offer introductions to concepts but also helpful tips including how to create sandboxed program shortcuts to launch programs directly in sandboxed mode.
Registered Sandboxie users get additional features including the ability to force programs to always run in the sandbox. This means that the program will be launched in sandboxed mode (if Sandboxie is running) whenever and from wherever it is launched. That’s better than having to select a program from the Sandbox menu, and still better than having to click on a shortcut to run it in sandboxed mode.
A similar option is available to force folders to always run in sandboxed mode. This can be download folders from the Internet, CDrom or DVD drives to sandbox autorun programs. Basically, all programs run from a forced folder location will be run in the sandbox.
Both options can be temporarily disabled by the user.
Sandboxie can be downloaded directly from the developer website. The program runs on 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows and is available in many different languages.
Sandboxie Verdict
Sandboxie is an excellent program for Windows users who want to add that extra security to some programs that they run on their system. It is ideal for testing out new programs, browsing on the Internet without leaving traces on the computer and dozens of other applications to improve a system’s security.
The help popups when an error occurs detail what needs to be done to overcome the error. They do however lead to the Sandboxie website but that should not be a big issue.
Sandboxie Giveaway
We have ten Sandboxie licenses for you to win. Please let us know which program or programs you’d like to run in a Sandbox if you win a license.
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To be precise mostly malware and virus samples. Because there’s a program called ‘Sanboxie Analyser’ that was used with Sandboxie to analyze the file and registry changes when a file or program was executed. I hope I’m one of the lucky winner. Thanks
Internet Explorer :)))
hello,
sandboxie is just the best sandbox, nothing more to say, it would be great to win, because I have ever wanted sandboxie but could not get it due to many reasons, with it my security setup would be raised to max, with it I would run my browsers in the sandbox, to protect me against drive-by downloads of which I am a victim, I would run other suspicious app too in it, thank you very much and I hope I will be chosen!!!!!!
various browsers
Hi Martin..:)
Thanks for giveaway opportunity and for the nice review. Please count me in.
With Sandboxie I can safely run suspicious or untrusted programs in a virtual space without affecting my computer. I don’t have to Worry anymore when running untrusted programs. The program that i would like to run in sandbox if I win this giveaway: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Adobe Acrobat.
Cheers,
Diaz
Another awesome gift, thanks! I’d like to use it for trying out any new software before I decide if I keep it on my computer or not.
Thanks for giveaway
I use a version of which has expired trial of 30 days and I would like to license the full version. I love this program. In this program running an Internet browsers, and I suspect some of the lesser known programs.
Thank you for this rare chance to get a Sandboxie license for free.
I would use it with FireFox and Windows Explorer.
This is an excellent program that protects your computer against various malware, if used properly. In this program, I want to run and isolate the Firefox browser.
Thanks for giveaway and I hope to gett a license.
I’m using free version of Sandboxie and would be delighted to upgrade it to Pro because it supports more than one sandbox and automatically sandboxes selected programs. I would be using it for testing various programs before installing them on real system.
I can not be without this program. This program is an excellent computer protection. Insulating my browser ( Firefox, IE ) this program is very good I am protected against zero-day attack.
I hope to get a license for the full version.
Thanks
All browsers and any programs that is connecting to the internet! :D
Awesome giveaway, was waiting for it for a long time. Thanks for the giveaway. I would like to perform browsing and downloading through it so as to safeguard my system from various virus or malware attacks. I have a knack of trying new antivirus in my system. So this will give me an added advantage to tryout new antivirus without deleting my current stable one.
Thank you :)
I would really like the extra level of security on my computer, so I would be definitely running by browsers (mainly I use Chrome) in Sandboxie. Thanks
Sandboxie is more than just a security application — it is a overlay implementation of sandboxing technology for just about any program that runs in Windows. It adds sandboxing support to any program on-demand and in real-time, without the having the need to run in a virtual environment to achieve the same effect.
Because of this, I would run in its sandbox ANY program that I wish to “try before you decide” in allowing the changes it makes to the registry and file system. The ability to specify automatic retrieval of certain files and folders from the sandbox to the system offsets the side-effects of sandboxing — that whatever files or folders that have been created, modified, or deleted are not necessarily committed to the underlying system.
I think Sandboxie is one of the few security applications that has stricken a good balance between security and convenience, so much so that sandboxed apps can work as if they were really installed in the underlying system.
Of course one has to never forget that Sandboxie is suitable for running net-facing programs through which malware may slip through.
Sandboxie – security (sandboxing) and conveniece (try before you decide) rolled into one. I’m glad its presence graced the front-page of gHacks.
/m
Web browsers (FF & IE), and mail client.
Hope to win too.
Thanks!
I’d used Sandboxie for new applications to test how they spread themselves across my system disk and registry and to for sketchy applications which I don’t fully trust.
thanks Martin for the another excellent giveaway , sandboxie is a great software for testers and even for advance users , currently using a free version of sandboxie , if i would win the sandboxie i will run my web browser as well as use it for testing major security softwares to post reviews on my blog .
Regards
Prakash
Thank you Martin for the precise reviews of Sandboxie.
I need Sandboxie to safeguard maliciouswares testing & would probably act as supplimentary protection to my machine too.
Please count me for the contest.
Thanks & Regads
Excellent product!
I would sandbox basically all programs that are facing the Internet and could be sandboxed. Primarily all the browser instances and new applications.
Happy giveaway to everybody!
The most obvious program I would run in Sandboxie would be firefox.
But also the kids download various games which leaves all sorts of rubbish lying around and generally clogging up windows. So this would save me having to do regular surgery to improve Windows performance.
To me Sandboxie equals Sanity.
Yes please.
Hi, thanks for this nice giveaway.
Well for another layer of security, I would say that the program I will run in a Sandbox is firefox & chrome.
Awesome giveaway, I am in.
I’d run Chrome in Sandboxie.
Nice giveaway.
Hi, I’m currently using the trail version of Sandboxie to test my own developed softwares and application in a virtual environment to see how it performs on a sandbox system before I use them. I found Sandboxie to be the best sandbox virtual environment software out there. Its very easy to use and it is very light on the system compared to many others. I would love to have a full version of Sandboxie, so that I can experience the full power it has to offer for longer. This will help me a lot as I can run/install many of my own softwares for testing, and other softwares which I may find suspicious before installing them into my computer.
Hope I win one
Thanks
Not only malware and virus samples but also programs like Firefox, MS-IE.
I’d love to have Sandboxie – to sandbox my Web browsers (Opera, Firefox & Google Chrome), my Trillian, and all the programs that connect to Internet except the protectors (Panda Cloud Antivirus, Outpost Firewall,. WinMHR).
Merci beaucoup Martin pour ton beau travailo.
Hi … Merry Christmas to everyone!
I use it to run all the new programs do not know well, in the first two or three times! excellent and unique tool for all types of tests on my PC …
Thanks for this amazing opportunity of winning Sandboxie.
I’ll use mainly to test programs in general. My own as well as others programs, in an closed environment, because of viruses and garbage that programs leave in the system, and other things.
Hope I win my copy.