For the Windows environment test lab, I've chosen to install Microsoft Windows 10 as it is currently the latest release by Microsoft. Many users with newer PCs and laptops may already be running Windows 10 but Windows 10, should also be installed as a virtual machine for testing purposes, thereby leaving the host OS untouched. This is also recommended for readers with older versions of Windows as well as Mac and Linux users, so they are able to work with the latest version of Windows as part of their penetration tests in the lab environment. In the real world, we will be seeing fewer Windows 7 machines as support for it has ended (making these systems highly vulnerable), although there will also be faithful users who are not open to upgrading just yet.
For this installation, we will be using an evaluation copy of Windows 10 Enterprise...