[SOLVED] Safest way to create a completely isolated VM for questionable software testing?

[RLarcosPES2]

Basically I am asking on how to setup a completely isolated virtual machine not linked in absolutely no way to my local network while still using the same internet connection. I plan on using Linux on the Virtual Machine. So is there an alternative to Clam AV? Is there a proper antivirus on Linux to check if the software is checked before transferring to the main machine? If there is not I will use Windows without any problem. How to use multiple scanners on the OS without uploading files to virustotal. Basically use a service like virustotal offline without uploading anything which could take months uploading multiple big files.

Also, how will I transfer data from the machine to the host OS? After verifying said software is malware free of course. This is baffling me a lot.

 

[USAFRet]

Will the hard drive die if I keep reinstalling the OS on a regular basis?

No.
But if it does, that's just the cost of doing business, and what warranties are for.

And by 'reimage', I didn't mean actually installing a new OS every time.
Rather...do a baseline install, and then create a full drive image of that. Saved somewhere else, like an external drive. You could save multiple configurations, all easily applied to the drive.
When needed, reapply that Image, bringing the system back to the same original condition.

 

[RLarcosPES2]

We are talking about a very old hard drive about 13-14 years old. But since I have a bunch of similarly old hard drives I'll just go for broke and give it a try. I don't really have nothing to lose.

Thank you all for your answers, I got all the answers I needed! Great community on this website!

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Well, hard drives really dont have an expected lifespan. They just kinda die whenever you look at them the wrong way.

Good to see your questions were answered!