Thank you. Just to confirm, do I make an ISO from a .7z file?

Thank you for the info, and for the encouragement. Yeah I am definitely going to try using a VM to diagnose the files more closely. To confirm, is a VM, (such as Hyper-V) similar to Windows Sandbox, where it effectively resets itself (new slate) each time you open it? Or can I install the torrented files in the VM and still access it if I close and reopen the VM in the future?

Also, which VM would you suggest? I apologize for appending so many questions to my original post.

Hey thank you for the info. Which VM do you use? How do you disable the various types of sharing with the host? Also, how do you validate? Sorry for all the questions, but that seems like it may be my only option

How would I know if there was hidden spyware/malware if I ran it in a VM? (if they are smart they try to be undetected)

Thank you for the advice. Get them separate just because of how few I am looking to get? I feel like there might be more setup required if I get them separately.

I also don't know if getting them separate would cause me to get redundant installers/managers/rules+patches each trying to apply the same patches.

I'm not sure what you mean by bare metal. Yeah mostly the avoiding malware, but I think I can just download it via torrent and VPN > upload to my email > open the VM > download from email > check with virustotal > try running the exe if it seems normal

should I just not use a VM while torrenting and using a VPN then?

If I don't use a VM, is it possible to torrent with a VPN but surf the net without the vpn concurrently?

I haven't purchased the VPN yet, and I've only downloaded and ran the qbittorrent setup file. (then that window appeared (image above). The VM should be set up correctly (all I had to do is just enable the feature - Windows Sandbox).

Windows and Win Sandbox

I’ve seen this error with an app in Windows, while running it in an admin account, haha. No idea what these app devs are doing to cause these messages.

Oh really? Was the admin account you are referring to outside or inside the VM?

Thank you for the reply/advice. I am curious, how would that make a difference for a direct download?

Yeah that is true, thank you for the advice.

Thank you for the fast response and for looking into the zip file. How would I know if it has a virus or trojan if I ran it in a VM? I read somewhere that it can hide itself/deactivate certain parts of itself if it detects it is in a VM