Sandbox name change

[yunior89]

I hope that now there is no post like this on this forum..i was wondering if there is a way to change the name of the Sandbox without deleting all the file inside the virtual box.

Thanks a lot for answering

[Guest10]

No, I don't think so.
The sandbox name is embedded in the RegHive files in the sandbox.
So you can't just rename the sandbox folder and edit its name in the configuration file.

[werter]

Actually as a Workaround;...

Create Desired named "New" Sandbox within SBIE then within Windows move "old" folder content to "new" sandbox folder. Voila! your hard worked new "Name" is intact. Considering the RegHive; don't know but don't think so since this method works for me every time; no embedding or useless embedding into hive...

[Mike]

The sandbox name is embedded in the RegHive files in the sandbox.

Hi Guest10, I haven't seen this. Although Sandboxie mounts its hives under HKEY_USERS\Sandbox_mike_DefaultBox, for example, try mounting the RegHive elsewhere:

Code: Select all

reg.exe LOAD HKLM\TempHive RegHive

For me, the mounted keys all fall under HKLM\TempHive\user and HKLM\TempHive\machine, with no reference to the sandbox name.

I regularly package my sandboxes into .zip files for later use, and the original/eventual sandbox name seems irrelevant. I think werter's suggestion is a good one.

[Guest10]

What I was referring to can be seen by viewing one of your existing "RegHive" files in Notepad.
The sandbox name will be seen on the first line that shows in Notepad.
Similar to:
\ S a n d b o x \ A d m i n \ F i r e f o x 4 \ R e g H i v e
where "Firefox4" is the current name of the sandbox.
----
Since Control will not allow a sandbox to be renamed unless it is empty, there must some reason for its behaviour.

Is werter creating a new sandbox and then running something that creates RegHive files in the new sandbox?
Then moving everything except the RegHive files from the old sandbox, into the new sandbox?

Or, are the old RegHive files moved into the new sandbox along with everything else, and it still works with the old sandbox name embedded in the RegHive file?
Which sandbox name is used when the RegHive file is mounted to the Registry? The old sandbox name from inside of the RegHive file, or the new sandbox name?

Example:
If I create a "Firefox" sandbox, and then move all of my "Firefox4" sandbox files there (incl. the RegHive files):
Delete and then recreate my "Firefox4" sandbox.
If I use them both simultaneously, what sandbox names get mounted to the Registry?
Do they both try to use the same"Firefox4" sandbox name, or is the RegHive file in the newly created Firefox sandbox mounted as "Firefox", instead of "Firefox4" as listed inside of its RegHive file?

[Mike]

Create Desired named "New" Sandbox within SBIE then within Windows move "old" folder content to "new" sandbox folder.

A slight variation, which may be faster if you want to preserve your original sandbox settings in the renamed sandbox:

• 1. Rename your sandbox folder using Windows Explorer (located under C:\Sandbox\mike, for example)
  2. Rename the sandbox in Sandboxie Control (right-click -> Rename Sandbox)

Everything should work, except your old shortcuts.

[Mike]

The sandbox name will be seen on the first line that shows in Notepad.

You're absolutely right. But this line will update to whatever path you mount the hive from, and has nothing in particular to do with Sandboxie. (You can play around with your Windows user hive, NTUSER.DAT, and you'll see the same behavior.)

I'm no expert, but I would compare the stuff you see only in Notepad, such as the original registry mount point, to IP addresses in an email message header - it's interesting bookkeeping with no practical bearing on the real data. What we really care about in the hive are the keys.

I think you'll immediately see what I mean if you mount a RegHive using reg.exe or regedit - the key names start with \user or \machine and are sandbox-agnostic. They only apply to a particular sandbox while mounted as subkeys under HKU\Sandbox_mike_DefaultBox, for example.

Which sandbox name is used when the RegHive file is mounted to the Registry?

In my experience, the hive applies to whichever sandbox directory it's located in, period. Nothing tricky here.

Or, are the old RegHive files moved into the new sandbox along with everything else, and it still works with the old sandbox name embedded in the RegHive file?

Yes, the entire sandbox can be moved as a ready-to-run unit with all registry data preserved. This is great for packaging apps for later use, or for use on other computers.

Since Control will not allow a sandbox to be renamed unless it is empty, there must some reason for its behaviour.

Calling tzuk...

[Guest10]

In my experience, the hive applies to whichever sandbox directory it's located in, period. Nothing tricky here.

That's interesting. Something that I didn't expect.
Thanks for the reply.

[tzuk]

Since Control will not allow a sandbox to be renamed unless it is empty, there must some reason for its behaviour.

No reason. I could have added logic to try to rename the sandbox folder, but I didn't when I added this feature originally, and it remains so to this day. Perhaps I will do this at some point.

[Mike]

@Guest10: No thanks required, especially from a forum elder. (Not saying you're old though, just that you have a ton of helpful posts.)

@tzuk: Thanks, good to get confirmation that this won't cause problems.