Install 2nd copy of software so each unaware of the other

I have 2 separate commercial licenses for 2 installations of a program, one each for different users, but the way the software is written means I cannot have 2 licensees accessing one install; and I cannot install a second version in a different location as the program sees the earlier installation and requires me to uninstall it. The seller/developer advises to have separate installs on separate pcs/laptops, but both my pc & laptop already have the program installed for one of the licenses.

Is there any way I can set up a sandbox so I can install another version without it knowing of the main install? So far I have failed in my attempts.

I have got round the problem by messing around substituting license keys and other files which seems to work ok, but I worry that one day it will bite me when I least expect it. And I have to do it every time I change user.

I would not be breaking any licensing conditions, and I would be quite happy to tell the software house what I have done; assuming it works. They were quite happy to tell me the location of the license keys so I could play around and get my half-way solution which is most definitely unsupported.

 

the only proper solution for this is to install both into separate sandboxes.
to notice: by default anything goes into the box, but not out.
i am not sure that a limited access to data and/or registry is helpful for the boxed installation.
in worst case you need to create a virtual machine for the second.

 

This would be my recommendation.

 

i forgot to mention - windows in a vm also needs a valid license, the key from host is not usable.

 

VM seems to be the only way, but as said I need a separate license. Maybe I can dig up an old copy of Win10 or earlier one and update it in a VM.

I couldn't get this to work - it knew there was a prior installation

 

Can't you ask the developer for a working uninstaller? Once the remnants are gone I'd be surprised if you can't install into separate sandboxes.

 

I hadn't thought of that. No need to ask Devs as I'm pretty sure I can remove all traces. Thanks.

And @Brummelchen, this looks like what you were suggesting but I hadn't thought of the possibility of uninstalling the program and reinstalling twice into different sandboxes,

 

Use the "Write only file access (WriteFilePath)" setting. By using this setting, the program (your second copy) you install in the sandbox will
not see the other installation. In Sandbox settings, use the setting for the Program files and AppData folders of the program you want hidden.

Like below, there you can see what needs to be hidden if you wanted to have a totally different and separate version of Firefox installed in a sandbox than the one you have in your real system.



Bo

 

Great, thanks Bo, I'll give it a try.

My alternate plan is to beg a Bureau License but I don't think they will go for that

 

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but when I try to install the program into the sandbox it still sees the original installation and asks if I want to repair etc.

I can't find the same dialogue as yours in SB+1.13.5, but on the Resource Access/Files tab I add the program & various other license locations with Box access as "Box Only (Write Only)" which I had assumed/hoped was the same, see screenshot below.


Any more help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks, Henry

 

Perhaps the installer is detecting the existing installtion through some registry keys and you would need to set them as Write Only as well.

But as already suggested it seems simplest to just uninstall on the host and then install separately into two sandboxes...

 

Hi Henry. You cant see the same dialogue that appears in the screen picture I posted because I am using old Sandboxie. I am totally unfamiliar with Plus, so I cant tell if you are setting up the Write only settings correctly.

Perhaps the program you are trying to have multiple installations in the same computer at the same time can tell the existing installation is installed via registry (as suggested by dodo1) or some other way. One thing I can tell you about Sandboxie is that SBIE is not a cheat program. I know what you want to do is not cheating but Sandboxie doesn't hide itself or do things cheating programs do, so unless you get what you want via Write only, I dont think SBIE will be able to help you.

Good luck and best wishes

Bo

 

Thanks Bo