* AS 7.6.4 - Resolved a problem running .exe file

[rfj1001]

The exe file wouldn't run as I got a message to say it had been downloaded from the internet and was potentially unsafe.
I had this experience with another exe file, again from a trusted source. This had never happened before

There is a lot of information on the internet giving multiple ways to overcome these messages and none of them worked. Eventually I found that is was nothing to do with file security - it was file length.

Thanks to someone else, I found out that when an exe file is decompressed, it creates another directory, of the same name, within the first directory. I'd saved my AS file to my desktop which had quite a long file path so the decompressed directory structure length was too long for win11 and this caused the error.

I moved the AS exe file to C:\temp and it ran with no misleading messages.

Hope this might help someone else.

[NickWalker]

I would doubt that is the reason. When you run the executable it does extract to a temporary folder but this wouldn't be on the desktop (unless you have some odd settings on your computer), it would extract it into your c:\users\<username>\appdata\local\temp folder, regardless of where you ran it from.

There are a few suggestions on the knowledge base as to the causes of various blocking issues: https://fhug.org.uk/kb/kb-article/solvi ... l-sources/

I couldn't be sure without seeing the actual message, but in my experience the 'unsafe' message is often because it has the 'mark of the web' and can be resolved by right-clicking on the file, selecting properties and then clicking the 'unblock' button.

[rfj1001]

Thanks Nick,

I'd already clicked the unblock box on the AS exe file and that did not work on its own.

My default download is to my desktop - much easier to find for me

It might not be the correct explanation as to the problem but it definitely is a solution to that error message that has worked twice for me from safe-sourced exe files.

[NickWalker]

I wonder if it is the process of copying and pasting the file that is unblocking it.

[rfj1001]

As an experiment to see if your thought was correct or not, I copied and pasted the AS exe file back from C:\temp, where it ran successfully, to my desktop. I then tried to run it from there. The original error message came up again.

Screenshot attached for your info.

Screenshot 2022-12-02 120329.jpg (19.69 KiB) Viewed 824 times

[tatewise]

Did you explore 'Show details' or Why can't these files be opened? which may give clues to help us all understand the cause?

[NickWalker]

It sounds like something on the computer is preventing the exe from running when it is on the desktop rather than in the temp folder, presumably as a security measure. If moving it elsewhere allows you to install it then that's the solution.

Is your desktop redirected in any way, perhaps on a different drive? This message seems to be related to the old Control Panel->Internet Options settings, almost as if it is treating your desktop as not being a trusted site.

[mjashby]

If this is on Windows 11, it might also be worthwhile checking the 'Smart App Control' setting.

[NickWalker]

If this is on Windows 11, it might also be worthwhile checking the 'Smart App Control' setting.

I think you would get a different message from Smart App Control (which would reference Smart App Control) and also I think it would block the application regardless of where it is being run from.

[mjashby]

Nick,

You are probably correct, as the most likely cause of these problems is a 'folder permissions' issue.

The information on how the Windows Smart App Control function works is vague, to say the least, so I felt it would be worthwhile eliminating that possibility, as it's a relatively new function that many Windows users may not have noticed.

Mervyn