Sandboxie alternative for 64-bit Win XP?

Discussion in 'sandboxing & virtualization' started by pajenn, Feb 27, 2011.

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  1. pajenn

    pajenn Registered Member

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    Recently I've been playing around with a very small 64-bit Windows XP Pro (with SP2). Unfortunately some of the programs I'm used to using on 32-bit XP don't work on it, including Sandboxie. What's the next best thing? I would use it mostly for secure web browsing with Firefox.

    Note: I know there's a 64-bit version of Sandboxie, but it's only for Vista and Windows 7. (I already tried the latest 64-bit beta and it refused to install).

    p.s. I installed this Windows on a 2.5 GB partition which is about 2/3 full now. Originally the idea was to convert it into a portable VHD image that I could boot off a USB drive, but I kind of like having this mini-Windows available now from the boot menu since it boots up very fast and can make use of the whole 4 GB of ram available on my laptop. I've installed 64-bit version of Look'n'Stop 2.07 for firewall (private firewall also doesn't run on 64-bit XP), Zemana Antilogger, and IOBit's Malware Fighther (current beta).
     
  2. cheater87

    cheater87 Registered Member

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    Not many isolation program out for 64 bit at the moment. There is Comodo but I see you already have an AV and Firewall.
     
  3. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Avast AutoSandbox may work for you. Try Returnil as well.
     
  4. pajenn

    pajenn Registered Member

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    Thanks for the suggestions. I've tried older versions of Comodo, Avast and Returnil on other systems, and they are a bit heavier than what I'm looking for this mini xp. The reason I'm using Look'n'Stop, Zemana and IOBit Malware Fighter is that they do not produce a noticeable slowdown in either boot time or system responsiveness (plus I'm testing IMF).

    I also decided to try Dell Kace Secure Browser, which is a semi-virtualized Firefox if I understood correctly. At first glance it seems bloated taking up to 342 MB of hard disk space, but runs fine otherwise (on initial try) and will hopefully replace my need for Sandboxied Firefox.
     
  5. BoerenkoolMetWorst

    BoerenkoolMetWorst Registered Member

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    Avast Sandbox is not supported on XP x64, only Vista and Win7 x64. This is the case with quite a lot of security software. I think it was because(not sure though) XP 64 bit is even more limited than Vista and 7 64 bit because Vista and 7 have API's to help developers with the Patchguard limitations.
     
  6. Kees1958

    Kees1958 Registered Member

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  7. gojirasan

    gojirasan Registered Member

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    I wanted to necro this thread because some of us still like using XP64. I actually tried using an older version of Sandboxie that still supported XP64, but it blue screened me. The latest Comodo sandbox wouldn't run Firefox at all. I downloaded the Dell Secure Browser, but that is unproven tech, and is a PITA to use because they don't keep it updated for security fixes. So you have to upgrade to 3.6.19 every time you use it if you want to avoid the security holes that have since been patched. I guess that's not so bad. If I have to upgrade all my extensions every time though that is a bigger problem. I just downloaded vmlite, but I don't have high hopes for it.

    I just want to run Firefox in a virtual space to guard against drive-bys as well as having the possibility of running suspicious files (not known malware). Although that part is less important to me.

    I would consider using Shadow Defender, but I've read that the idea behind SD is inherently flawed and that it is only a matter of chance that it hasn't been breached yet. Also it is no longer developed and is not free, and I don't want to pay for abandoned software. It is also not exactly what I am looking for. Still, I'll probably try to run SD in addition to other things as another layer. The Dell browser + SD for virtualization might be an option I guess.

    I am considering the idea of running VMware (thinapp?), Virtual PC or some other true virtual machine software, but it seems like too much bother just to have a sandboxed browser. So, any new ideas on XP64 virtualization solutions?
     
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