Sandboxie and DropMyRights w/yr browser

[ndebord]

This is how I browse when I want maximum protection.

"C:\Program Files\Sandboxie\Start.exe" C:\DropMyRights\DropMyRights.exe "C:\Program Files\K-MELEON\k-meleon.exe" N

DropMyRights strips away administrator rights and a little more and Sandboxie isolates your browsing experience from your hard drive. Works for me.

[davidh]

This is how I browse when I want maximum protection.

"C:\Program Files\Sandboxie\Start.exe" C:\DropMyRights\DropMyRights.exe "C:\Program Files\K-MELEON\k-meleon.exe" N

DropMyRights strips away administrator rights and a little more and Sandboxie isolates your browsing experience from your hard drive. Works for me.

Nick,
Are you using the free or the pay-for version of Sandboxie?

As I understand it, the free version protects only one process at a time. So for example if you had your browser and Instant Message program open at the same time, you'd have to choose which one to protect. I'd probably choose the browser to protect, but OTOH a number of other programs and media types (incl. streaming) used by programs other than browsers also have scripting which possibly could do stupid (unsafe) or nasty things online.

[ndebord]

Nick,
Are you using the free or the pay-for version of Sandboxie?

As I understand it, the free version protects only one process at a time. So for example if you had your browser and Instant Message program open at the same time, you'd have to choose which one to protect. I'd probably choose the browser to protect, but OTOH a number of other programs and media types (incl. streaming) used by programs other than browsers also have scripting which possibly could do stupid (unsafe) or nasty things online.

David,

"The unregistered version is limited in that it can only run programs in one sandbox at a time."

Protects only one sandbox, in which you can run more than one program. But if you wanted to run your browser in two sandboxes, you would have to upgrade to the paid version. As it is a PITA to have to resave your email or messaging twice (once in the sandbox and then again in your program's save location, I don't use Sandboxie for my email at all. But for browsing and ancillary programs used by the browser, I see no problems.

What you do is setup those programs you think you'll need in the same sandbox with your browser and you should be OK.

[sidney]

"The unregistered version is limited in that it can only run programs in one sandbox at a time."

For when I get really paranoid I have a VirtualBox virtual machine running linux that I can do whatever I want in. Or if I have to do something potentially unsafe under Windows, boot up the Windows virtual machine. If I'm really, really paranoid, I can make a copy of the Windows virtual disk file, boot a virtual machine from that, and delete the virtual disk file when I'm done just in case it was infected. At least that's the theory. In practice I just use Linux virtual machines.

That's a completely free solution, assuming that you have a Windows installation you can put on the virtual machine. Can't you make the master copy of the virtual machine have Windows installed up to the point where when you start it up it then begins the 30-day trial period before you have to activate it?

[ndebord]

For when I get really paranoid I have a VirtualBox virtual machine running linux that I can do whatever I want in. Or if I have to do something potentially unsafe under Windows, boot up the Windows virtual machine. If I'm really, really paranoid, I can make a copy of the Windows virtual disk file, boot a virtual machine from that, and delete the virtual disk file when I'm done just in case it was infected. At least that's the theory. In practice I just use Linux virtual machines.

That's a completely free solution, assuming that you have a Windows installation you can put on the virtual machine. Can't you make the master copy of the virtual machine have Windows installed up to the point where when you start it up it then begins the 30-day trial period before you have to activate it?

Sidney,

That's funny... I remember when I ran type shops and we were changing over from UNIX cold type to early Macs, I had to learn basic unix commands (come to think about it, that is when I had my first migraine!).

The only linux disc I have is an AntiVir boot CD for my last gasp defense against malware!

I guess I could do as you suggest, but I'm not sure I've ever been that commited to absolute safety. I ran DOS with 2 3 1/2" 720k floppies on a Datavue Spark laptop and have probably used every version of Mac and PC out there over the years, but Linux? Nope. Now I just run my Thinkpad with an aging OS (XP PRO) and leave it at that. Haven't even tried to stay up-to-date with MS OFFICE. After my last malware crash and reinstall on a new HD, I went with AbiWord with a rtf code fix for default save format and Lotus 123 instead of Excel with only PowerPoint Viewer from MS. Photoshop, Inkscape and Quark fill out my user apps. Kompozer just sits there gathering dust as I now do my blogging online even though my past preference had been to use offline tools.