+1 That is my main complain about Sandboxie, but it is by design so nothing much the actual devs can do about it, unless they make a new version from scratch which defeats the purpose of its acquisition.
I have win 10 in a vm machine with the latest Sandboxie installed. Just did win updates and SBIE didn't interfere at all. Then updated my fireffox (which I always do outside of SBIE and it was also fine.
Since I only want security updates and no "feature updates or any beta testing stuff" I can't remember the last windows problem I had with sandboxie.
With Windows 7 nearing it's end of life in a few months we will be forced to upgrade to Windows 10. I believe Microsoft forces you to update to the bigger updates after 18 months or so. Also you would want to update your web browser as often as you can. I had problems with new versions of both Firefox and Chrome. However Sandboxies devs have always fixed that in either new beta versions or new releases of Sandboxie.
@Rinel Thanks for the kind warning. Im on windows 10 1809 atm. As long as the security updates are up to date I don't care about new windows "feature" stuff. By the time they force me to a new big upgrade it will be stable for sure Browsers are of course updated and if one breaks from sandboxie I choose another till it's fixed.
That's the problem. If they stop supporting Sandboxing by the end of the year there will be no fixes to make it work in newer versions of Windows or for newer web browsers. You will have a very hard time installing a 4 year old Sandboxie version today and get it to work with all your up to date software. Same will happen to the Sandboxie version we are now on.
I've gone with ReHIPS, again. Tried it once, couldn't figure it out, removed it, and am trying it again. This time, I spent a while reading about it here and there, and have figured out enough to make the programs I need work, while not reducing protection. It only took me 5 months to get to this point.
Because many here are crisis oriented. Remember all the trepidation & great gnashing of teeth in the first few hundred posts (of the >5,000 posts) in the "Sandboxie acquired by Invincea" thread?
Software comes and goes. I don't get the concern. If Sophos drops it, Sandboxie won't suddenly fail to protect and immediately open your computer to every malware on the Internet. It can do the job for a year, two or three. Plenty of time to try new things and find a replacement.
Sophos will most likely shut down servers for activation, so everyone's copy will stop working after 180 days or less.
I don't think Sophos is that stupid, it would be such a pr fiasco. No I'd bet if the want to shut it down they would release a version that requires the license, but no more activation.
They bought the code for enterprise deployment , not the niche home user market than bring very little incomes and waste of resources with support.
"Trust No Program" - Of course this motto also applies to Sandboxie itself - and its further existence. So to my mind it is wise to think, to inform and to discuss about possible alternatives. Better sooner than later, as all these security programs require some knowledge and familiarity before you can use them in a reliable way.
I'm afraid that there is no alternative at the moment. There isn't any app that provides virtualization like Sandboxie does. ReHIPS is way too complex, and Shade is not good enough. I'm guessing they will release a final freeware version if they decide to stop development.
Get on the ReHIPS forum and ask anything you want. It's a friendly forum. They will help you get past the learning curve, which you apparently already did, but if you have any other questions or issues...
Slightly off topic, but I need a little help. I have a SBIE Lifetime License. However, I'm using an older version (v5.22) on my XP box. Because I haven't done anything with it in awhile, it has reverted to the free version, and I can't seem to find where I go to re-input my Product Key. Can anyone help??
@TomAZ Um, does free version have: Help > Register Sandboxie > OK > enter the Product Key | | https://www.sandboxie.com/ https://community.sophos.com/products/sandboxie/f/sandboxie-forum
@TomAZ Sandboxie 5.22 is the last version that will work on XP. IIRC it will revert back to the free version if not activated in time. (180 days) You can also try offline activation if Register Sandboxie doesn't work. https://www.sandboxie.com/OfflineActivation Follow instructions and enter info here: https://www.sandboxie.com/license/activate-offline.php XP Users need to perform the following steps to avoid their computers to constantly use your network to access sandboxie.com Click Help --> Check for Updates Choose "Next week" Do not choose "Never". NOTE: Might be better to post in "Sandboxie Acquired by Invincea"
I mean, Windows 10 October Update 2019 will probably break it. Most OS updates tend to break it, in one way or another.
+1, Sandboxie's mechanism needs constant maintenance by the devs. If the incomes generated by Sbie doesn't exceed the development costs, it will probably be abandoned, like Online Armor and others. That is simple business logic.