Microsoft introduces new temporary desktop environment Windows Sandbox

Microsoft is introducing a temporary desktop environment for Windows 10 called Windows Sandbox. It allows users to test malicious or suspicious software without putting their PC at risk.

Hari Pulapaka, a Microsoft programmer, explains that the temporary desktop environment does not have vhd images. The desktop environment is designed to delete all files when the feature is closed. Instead of using a vhd, Sandbox creates ‘a clean copy’ of the Windows 10 version the PC is running on. The sandbox creates a new copy of the OS every time the function is opened.

WIndows Sandbox builds on the technologies of Windows Containers, a sandbox that runs in an external storage and is designed for use within enterprises. The technologies from Containers have been integrated into Windows 10 for Sandbox and made more suitable for laptops and desktops, without requiring the full capacity of Microsoft servers.

The temporary desktop environment uses a combined application of hardware virtualization and a hypervisor from Microsoft. The hypervisor turns a physical machine into multiple virtual machines that share the same hardware. This makes the temporary desktop environment separate from the host, which in this case cannot be damaged by the running software in the sandbox.

Windows Sandbox requires a minimum of 4GB of RAM, 1GB of disk space and a minimum of two CPU cores, although it is recommended to use a CPU with four cores and hyperthreading. The size of the OS is 100MB. To save memory space, Windows Sandbox uses ‘smart memory management’. This allows the host to claim memory space on its own from the desktop environment if needed. Sandbox is part of the 18305 build of Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise, so there is no need to download it separately.

Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed that it was working on a “disposable sandbox” for Windows 10 Enterprise, called InPrivate Desktop. The testers needed at least the 17718 build of Windows 10 to test the sandbox. The minimum system requirements for InPrivate are 4GB of RAM, 5GB of storage and a processor with at least two cores.