I need instructions on how to run a windows program that could be dangerous/potentially malware

You can also try Master PDF Editor 5 ..... that's what I use to read and edit PDF files ...... there is a free version as well as a paid ..... I use the free version but there are more features with the paid ..... do a web search and read about it to see if it meets your demands ....

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Gday @anon59566361
If you feel you have resolved the issue,
Could you please 'Mark' the post that helped as "Solution".
Or add a post explaining your Solution.
This lets Others know they can find a solution here that may help them.

Solution pic

Thank you.
Zorin Forum Community.

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@Ocka , Umm, I got totally locked out of my ZorinOS due to some bullcrap unfortunately, With all respect. I cant mark anything as solved or even read any of these other posts or comments I've created until someone helps me create a 100GB partition with LUKS encryption, so i can start over my Zorin Core yet again,for like the 3rd time. The below linked post is the only thing I can focus on right now,
I barely have an OS to run on right now, I am using Zorin Core USB live boot & i can barely run anything on it, it keeps freezing.

My current situation:
https://forum.zorin.com/t/need-help-creating-installing-a-100gb-boot-partition-luks-encrypted-on-a-500gb-ssd/25617

When I first started on Linux having migrated from WIndows... I reinstalled Zorin OS over a dozen times in the first couple of months.
And this was primarily due to me exploring, poking, prodding, configuring, meddling and changing things. You, so far, have a better track record than I do.:wink:

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@anon59566361 , Please take your time, :+1:
When your happy & ready It's not a necessity as sometimes Topic are not Solved.

I post this message alot to help keep others informed as to if Topic's still need helping. :smile:

Please don't feel pressured into this.

Regards
Ocka.

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All Linux applications, including wine are sandboxed. Snap and flatpak offer another sandbox in addition to the original, hence many of the issues with snap applications.

We don't support piracy of any software. These questionable sources are an indication to your intentions. By all rights you should get a virus, malware, ransomware or Trojan if you use such software. This brings to question your integrity and even whether you are using a valid copy of Zorin or a pirated version.

That said, if you are using such software, encrypting your drive will be of no help. It will be unencrypted when you use it, as you open files and applications. Encryption won't save you.

Please read Guidelines - Zorin Forum and Introduction to General Help - Please Review before posting. Piracy is an illegal activity and not supported on this forum nor by the developers of the OS.

I never mentioned piracy, you are the one that is. You're over-reacting.
And I have no reason to not use a valid copy of Zorin.

This, quoted from your OP, indicates you are attempting to run things, by your own words are dangerous. Either you are visiting to many po rn sites or using pirated software. As a computer technician, network administrator and now software engineer.... it is obvious your intent.

Did you miss that encryption wouldn't help you?

So now you are assuming my interests are watching po rn?
In addition to crime/pirating. When I've said neither.
Also, I frankly dont care what your opinion of my intent is.

Lastly, there are countless scripts, programs, windows programs, linux programs,etc where the original maker has abandoned it, & the website is gone,
& the only source are 3rd party sites that could be dangerous.
Or maybe the only source available for this program, documentary(video), or pdf are from torrents.
I do acknowledge this forum's rules, but i have not broken them.
I will make sure not to mention piracy. If you know anything about computers, you also would know that torrenting does not = piracy.

No it doesn't. There are many useful and free to use applications, documents and other such content in p2p networks. You can also find the majority of them through the web, at their source, such as github (documents and videos included). That platform is monitored for nefarious objects. There is always more than one way in technology.

Your post does not mention p2p at all, only questionable sources. My interpretations are based on your statements. While you do not directly state piracy, your post indicates such behavior.

I'm bound, as are every user of the forum, to respect and follow the faq, or forum policy. My intention, worded boldly, was to make you aware of the policy if you already were not. By creating an account you are bound by it. As a moderator it is my duty to enforce this. My post was a word of warning. It was not reaching, it was an interpretation that many in my position would make.

Perhaps being aware of the context your posts portray may be considered in future posts.

It seems this post of mine has gotten some good comments/replies & people have left some good advice, I just want to thank everyone for commenting, I havent had a chance to do more than skim through everything, I'm running on a USB liveboot right now that cant handle more than like 5 tabs open at one time. So its hard to do anything on it, until I finish LUKS partitioning a new zorin OS. Also, please refrain from using the word piracy, or "pirated software". :slight_smile:

@337harvey , I never mentioned encryption in regards to this post.
But encryption could be relevant to this actually, for example encrypting ones browser, which is a program, or encrypting another program,
If I'm traveling in a country that is hostile to my beliefs or what I might have on my computer, such as religious material,pdfs or a religious program such as this:
https://www.scripture4all.org/screenshots/ISA3pro/images/ISA3_main1.png

While not in use, this is very much relevant. While in use, an encrypted drive must be decrypted. The browser will use https for encryption...a vpn could also be used. Drive encryption has nothing to do with this and is irrelevant when in use.

Drive encryption will prevent people from accessing the contents as a slave or from booting your computer. If you are already in it, the encryption isn't in effect, can't be while in use. A dynamic encryption doesn't exist to date.

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@337harvey , also I think all media received from P2P methods or torrents should be treated as dangerous & with caution.

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I do not disagree. I appreciate your candor and openess. Security should be a forethought, not afterthought.

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See I didn't read that as request for help with piracy but more as testing various free downloads off websites whether it be app image.deb.exe to test and fine a suitable replacement. There are hundreds of free PDF readers and editors that are adware spyware etc out there as well as other applications.

It also helps prevent your system from getting cluttered up when I'm searching for a new application and I'm downloading and testing multiple perhaps dozens of options I spin up a VM clone it and then test different apps in the VMs that way I can just delete the VM and not have to worry about the uninstaller missing something or creating a symbolic link or a bad reg file. While fixable it's a PIA.

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While that's true I have had mixed results with Luks And I've had it go haywire where it either locks me out randomly makes my system read only ECT. Seems to almost always have to do with an unclean dis-mount on a shutdown or reboot.

I prefer to keep my personal information in cloud storage in veracrypt containers :wink:

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@seanhinkley , thank you for your comments. I know a ton about veracrypt, but have never used it 1st hand. I've also been told that cryptomator is incomparably better compared to veracrypt when encrypting cloud data.

So I'm not encrypting cloud data for like a data center or my entire Google drive. I'm creating a varecrypt container and then uploading it to my Google drive. The same container that you would put on a USB drive. By using insync I'm able to modify the container locally and then it just syncs up to GDrive. It's just where I store personal documents such as bank statements tax returns and stuff.

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Insync is a paid for app, it auto syncs Google drive and OneDrive at least And you can select what files you want to be just local, local and cloud,and cloud only. You can also use it to sync files between multiple computers by selecting which folders sync between them.

There are GitHub scripts and stuff that do the same thing I found them cumbersome and they're not always maintained and updated and they would break when Microsoft or Google would make changes which is why I went with a paid for proprietary solution works for me.

But that's how that works though container is just synced between my desktop Google drive and my laptop. So when I open it edit it save it, it uploads and syncs within a few moments

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