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Thread: error installing and sending a C# program

  1. #1

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    error installing and sending a C# program

    Hi,

    I'm trying to install my program to my computer.
    I get an error installing it.

    "Windows found that this file is potentially harmful. To help protect your computer, Windows has blocked access to this file."
    Any ideas on how to prevent this message?
    I tried Unblock, but will this work on other machines?

    Even when i'm sending this program to myself by mail i get an error message.

    "malware was detected in one or more attachments included with it..."

    Any ideas on how to prevent / resolve such problems?

  2. #2
    Super Moderator jmcilhinney's Avatar
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    Re: error installing and sending a C# program

    What does your application do? Anything that could be construed as shady?

  3. #3

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    Re: error installing and sending a C# program

    Nothing special, it doesn't save anything on the computer. Based on the input it calculates a value that corresponds with a table and shows you this table and the result of your calculation.

    I only have a Calculate and Close button. I do not find that shady .
    The package includes a MSI and EXE file.

  4. #4
    Super Moderator jmcilhinney's Avatar
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    Re: error installing and sending a C# program

    Certain files (EXE, ZIP, etc.) will be flagged by Windows when they are downloaded. If you run it as is, or extract from a ZIP and run it as is, then Windows will flag that as unsafe. If you unblock the file via it's properties and then run it, is it OK or does it still get flagged?

  5. #5
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    Re: error installing and sending a C# program

    I think he said he already tried "Unblock".

    My guess is this is what's happening:

    Installers are detected via some heuristics since Vista or so and trigger a UAC prompt. This has sort of evolved over time, and in certain cases Windows 10 makes the vague warning, 'This file isn't downloaded very often' and makes it a little harder to run the installer.

    A lot of these kinds of problems go away if you get a digital certificate and use it to sign your installer/application. It costs about $100 I think, so it's probably not worth it if you're just doing this for fun.

    I don't really have enough information to know if that's the case. But I do see a lot of Google search results that indicate "Unblock" is the right option, and you can't really do much to prevent it. It's not something specific about your installer that Windows doesn't like. Since Windows 7, every downloaded file gets a special flag and executables with that flag display this warning. The user wouldn't get the same warning if you gave them a CD or a USB drive with the installer.

    So your best bet is probably to make sure your installation instructions explain this to the user and inform them how to "unblock" the file.

    If you're really getting the "malware was detected..." message, you'll have to negotiate that with whoever is detecting the malware. Usually they are happy to clear your name for a fee.
    This answer is wrong. You should be using TableAdapter and Dictionaries instead.

  6. #6
    Super Moderator jmcilhinney's Avatar
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    Re: error installing and sending a C# program

    Quote Originally Posted by Sitten Spynne View Post
    I think he said he already tried "Unblock".
    Yeah, but what they said was somewhat ambiguous.
    Quote Originally Posted by rakker View Post
    I tried Unblock, but will this work on other machines?
    I'm not sure whether asking whether it will work on other machines specifically means that it did work on their machine or not.

  7. #7

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    Re: error installing and sending a C# program

    @Sitten Spynne: thank you for the clear explanation. I understand that if the program should be distributed that i need to have a digital certificate.
    I will see if this is worth it.

    @jmcilhinney: i see that my text is unclear. I meant that i did get it unblocked, but that i was in doubt if the program would work on other systems. I tried it on my machines at home and all accept the program without problems.

    However i got a problem when i tried to use the program on an other PC of a friend.

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