Can you install software in a separate account and not affect the rest of the system?

Question

Some software seems quite trustworthy and reliable, such as the virtual reality game IMVU.com, but I'd like to try installing it on the machine without affecting the whole Windows system first. (sometimes installing something can make the whole computer so slow and not so usable).

On XP, Vista, and Windows 7, can I create a new account, kind of like a guest account or lowest privileged account, called "Trying123" and install the software and try it? And then, when I return to the usual, full privilege user account on Windows, then it will be back to normal, totally unaffected by the installation done earlier, and I can decide whether to install the game again?

Or, when I want to play that game, then I will use that guest account to play, and when doing usual work, then return to the usual account?

Answer 1

You can use Sandboxie to isolate the app you want to test from the rest of the machine. It's the easiest way to test apps you don't really trust. Another such app would be Deep Freeze.

Just creating a separate account with limited rights is not enough. If the app is malicious it could cause quite a bit of problems. Isolating an app in a sandbox is much better and it's easier to do.