HELP · INSTALLING

“Windows protected your PC”

When you open a program Windows has not seen often yet, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may stop it with a blue window: “Windows protected your PC. Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.” It offers Don’t run, and a small More info link.

SCREENSHOTThe SmartScreen window for the signed releaseThis slot shows the real window, with the publisher name under More info, once the signed release build exists.

Check it is really Soundbox

Choose More info. Windows shows the file name and the Publisher. For Soundbox it must be Anthony Norcera, the name the file is signed with. If it says Unknown publisher, do not run the file.
Compare the file’s SHA-256 checksum with the one on the download page: in PowerShell, run Get-FileHash followed by the file’s name in the folder you downloaded to.
You can also right-click the file → Properties → Digital Signatures: the signer must be the same publisher, and Windows must say the signature is OK.
If the publisher and the checksum both match, choose Run anyway. If either differs, delete the file and download it again from this website.

Why new software sees it

SmartScreen judges a download by its reputation: how many people have downloaded and run that exact file, and the history of the certificate it is signed with. Every new release is a new file, so for a while after it comes out Windows may not know it yet, even though it is signed. The warning fades as more people run the same file. It is not a virus report, and it does not mean the file was changed; the signature and the checksum are what prove that.

Some antivirus programs are wary of new software too. If yours quarantines Soundbox, restore it only after checking the signature and checksum, and tell us so we can report the false alarm.

More: Installing, updating and removing Soundbox · Check your download · Security