New
#11
@Kari
I usually agree with you but on this one I think sandbox needs to be able to do anything an activated version of Windows can do -- you might want to see what different personalisation looks like, test different languages, install stuff that does require a boot / uninstall stuff that also requires a boot. A sandbox should also have some level of persistency -- what about long running tests say of remote databases -- you might wish to pause mid session and then resume a few days later -- especially if the remote database is due to have some planned outages due to maintenance etc -- you don't want to start your long runnng test again from scratch.
What about testing new hardware - this will often require drivers that could cause the main machine to fail -- installing these invariably requires a reboot too.
I know you can "essentially simulate" a checkpoint by taking a complete system backup image so you can then restore to continue the sandbox session -but it still doesn't get over the re-boot problem either.
There's also no reason IMO why the sandbox couldn't be configured to reside on a different HDD or even an external one - or SSD of course.
For running with real hardware you need something like a Sandbox as a VM isn't always a true testbed.
Cheers
jimbo