Can you describe to me which elements of the thought model you find are inconsistent?

As far as where you could go to learn more, I think this book has much of the information you would be interested in, although I'm not entirely sure yet which specific elements of the operating system you're focused on. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/learn/windows-...

> if I run Windows in an enclosed VM and roll back any action which might have side effects I don’t want

I see this as a separate argument for using VMs. The stated use applies to any operating system and I agree it's more secure and a good idea. Can you do the equivalent in other operating systems with a simpler procedure? This is a genuine question, I'm ignorant to that