An installer package built with AdvInstaller 22.2 (single executable) immediately exits on Windows 11 Pro. No error messages. Just a few seconds blue circle, then nothing.
Package and executables inside are code-signed with GlobalSign Authenticode certificate (hardware token used). Code signatures display and validate fine. This issue did not occur with AdvInstaller version 22.1. Previously built packages with 22.1 were code-signed with a different certificate (now expired). Nothing else has changed.
The issue seems random or depending on individual PC/Windows settings. Works fine in our test environment. The issue was reported by a few users only. Not reproduceable yet.
Any idea what causes this?
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Re: Installer package executable crashes on Windows 11 Pro
Hello,
Not sure why this happens.
To facilitate a more in-depth investigation of this issue, could you kindly email the following resources to support at advancedinstaller dot com?
1. the .AIP (setup project) file.
2. an installation log when this happens.
3. a download link for your setup package.
4. the build number and version of the machine's Windows 11 OS where you can reproduce this.
Best regards,
Liviu
Not sure why this happens.
To facilitate a more in-depth investigation of this issue, could you kindly email the following resources to support at advancedinstaller dot com?
1. the .AIP (setup project) file.
2. an installation log when this happens.
3. a download link for your setup package.
4. the build number and version of the machine's Windows 11 OS where you can reproduce this.
Best regards,
Liviu
Re: Installer package executable crashes on Windows 11 Pro
Will gather the information. The installer is available for free at cognitone.com (Synfire Demo).
Meanwhile users found a solution: Setting compatibility mode to Windows 8 and/or the hacks found here:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... eea0f45938
It is not clear what would be considered old with these installers. They are built on Windows 10 (all current) and run fine on almost every Windows 10/11 machine (of course we are testing that before release). All code is built with VS 2022 and code-signed.
As said, 22.1 did work fine.
Meanwhile users found a solution: Setting compatibility mode to Windows 8 and/or the hacks found here:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... eea0f45938
It is not clear what would be considered old with these installers. They are built on Windows 10 (all current) and run fine on almost every Windows 10/11 machine (of course we are testing that before release). All code is built with VS 2022 and code-signed.
As said, 22.1 did work fine.
Re: Installer package executable crashes on Windows 11 Pro
Specs of one PC on which the installer crashed. No messages, just exited.
32.0 GB RAM
Windows 11 Pro
64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
OS build 22631.4460
23H2
Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22700.1047.0
32.0 GB RAM
Windows 11 Pro
64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
OS build 22631.4460
23H2
Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22700.1047.0
Re: Installer package executable crashes on Windows 11 Pro
What's more, AdvInstaller packages built since 22.2 seem to be classified as virus infected by Windows Defender. Users are unable to even download them. This is a serious problem that harms businesses. If possible, you guys should proactively register your MSI executable code base with Microsoft to prevent arbitrary code patterns from triggering false positives.
Re: Installer package executable crashes on Windows 11 Pro
Hello,
I'm afraid I'm not able to find a direct download link for the setup package without creating an account.
Please send by email to support at advancedinstaller dot com:
1. the .AIP (setup project) file.
2. a download link for your setup package.
Regrettably, there has been an increase in false positive detections by Windows Defender recently. To tackle this issue effectively, we recommend the following solutions:
1. Add an exclusion for Defender on the output folder where your setup project is built. Detailed instructions on how to add an exclusion can be found here: Windows Security Exclusion Guide - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 01afe13b26
2. Exclude specific processes, namely AdvancedInstaller.com, advinst.exe, and signtool.exe. You can use a PowerShell command like this:
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionProcess "C:\Program Files (x86)\Caphyon\Advanced Installer 22.2\bin\x86\advinst.exe"
For a detailed guide on excluding processes, please refer to Microsoft's documentation: Configure process and file exclusions - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/micro ... -worldwide
Please note that these options are specific to your build computer and might not prevent detection when installing on other computers. However, they can help you bypass build time problems, allowing you to generate a setup file for submission to Microsoft for whitelisting.
3. Additional Steps:
After building the final setup on your machine, it is advisable to upload your setup to virustotal.com, an online malware scanning service. If the setup is detected by major antivirus vendors (Microsoft, Bitdefender, McAfee, Avast, etc) contact the respective antivirus company to report the false positive. Here is a list of vendors' contact details (How to submit): https://github.com/namazso/VirusTotal-FPContacts
Before releasing a new version of Advanced Installer we always follow these steps; if required we contact specific antivirus vendors and report issues to try to help them improve their detection algorithms in the future. However, sometimes we need to report a false positive detection, as their detection algorithms evolve constantly.
To report a false positive detection to Windows Defender, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Platform\<version>, and then run MpCmdRun.exe as an administrator.
2. Type mpcmdrun.exe -GetFiles, and then press Enter.
3. A .cab file is generated that contains various diagnostic logs. The location of the file is specified in the output of the command prompt. By default, the location is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Support\MpSupportFiles.cab.
4. Submit a false positive report to Windows Defender using the .CAB file through this link: Microsoft False Positive Report - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/filesubmission
5. Submit your installation package through the above portal.
Please note that these steps are essential to maintain the integrity of your software against evolving detection algorithms. Your cooperation is appreciated, and these actions will contribute to improving the accuracy of antivirus software detections.
Best regards,
Liviu
I'm afraid I'm not able to find a direct download link for the setup package without creating an account.
Please send by email to support at advancedinstaller dot com:
1. the .AIP (setup project) file.
2. a download link for your setup package.
Regrettably, there has been an increase in false positive detections by Windows Defender recently. To tackle this issue effectively, we recommend the following solutions:
1. Add an exclusion for Defender on the output folder where your setup project is built. Detailed instructions on how to add an exclusion can be found here: Windows Security Exclusion Guide - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 01afe13b26
2. Exclude specific processes, namely AdvancedInstaller.com, advinst.exe, and signtool.exe. You can use a PowerShell command like this:
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionProcess "C:\Program Files (x86)\Caphyon\Advanced Installer 22.2\bin\x86\advinst.exe"
For a detailed guide on excluding processes, please refer to Microsoft's documentation: Configure process and file exclusions - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/micro ... -worldwide
Please note that these options are specific to your build computer and might not prevent detection when installing on other computers. However, they can help you bypass build time problems, allowing you to generate a setup file for submission to Microsoft for whitelisting.
3. Additional Steps:
After building the final setup on your machine, it is advisable to upload your setup to virustotal.com, an online malware scanning service. If the setup is detected by major antivirus vendors (Microsoft, Bitdefender, McAfee, Avast, etc) contact the respective antivirus company to report the false positive. Here is a list of vendors' contact details (How to submit): https://github.com/namazso/VirusTotal-FPContacts
Before releasing a new version of Advanced Installer we always follow these steps; if required we contact specific antivirus vendors and report issues to try to help them improve their detection algorithms in the future. However, sometimes we need to report a false positive detection, as their detection algorithms evolve constantly.
To report a false positive detection to Windows Defender, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Platform\<version>, and then run MpCmdRun.exe as an administrator.
2. Type mpcmdrun.exe -GetFiles, and then press Enter.
3. A .cab file is generated that contains various diagnostic logs. The location of the file is specified in the output of the command prompt. By default, the location is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Support\MpSupportFiles.cab.
4. Submit a false positive report to Windows Defender using the .CAB file through this link: Microsoft False Positive Report - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/filesubmission
5. Submit your installation package through the above portal.
Please note that these steps are essential to maintain the integrity of your software against evolving detection algorithms. Your cooperation is appreciated, and these actions will contribute to improving the accuracy of antivirus software detections.
Best regards,
Liviu
Re: Installer package executable crashes on Windows 11 Pro
Thank you for the links.
There are no build-time issues here. Issues arise with the executable generated by AdvInstaller. It is wrapped in a ZIP on macOS by cross-platform build scripts. The ZIP is distributed for download.
Lacking an automated notarization process, we can't reasonably afford to manually submit every installer to Microsoft individually. That's about 15 or so every month. We'd need to hire someone extra to do that. The actual purpose of code-signing with hardware tokens is to avoid this mess (not your fault).
Quote: "Before releasing a new version of Advanced Installer we always follow these steps"
You should do that for a sample EXE generated by AdvInstaller, too. I suspect the generated code to be at fault here. I guess you will get the same virus warning with any generated EXE prodiced by AdvInstaller.
There are no build-time issues here. Issues arise with the executable generated by AdvInstaller. It is wrapped in a ZIP on macOS by cross-platform build scripts. The ZIP is distributed for download.
Lacking an automated notarization process, we can't reasonably afford to manually submit every installer to Microsoft individually. That's about 15 or so every month. We'd need to hire someone extra to do that. The actual purpose of code-signing with hardware tokens is to avoid this mess (not your fault).
Quote: "Before releasing a new version of Advanced Installer we always follow these steps"
You should do that for a sample EXE generated by AdvInstaller, too. I suspect the generated code to be at fault here. I guess you will get the same virus warning with any generated EXE prodiced by AdvInstaller.
Re: Installer package executable crashes on Windows 11 Pro
Hello,
We understand the challenges you’re facing with manually submitting installers for Microsoft approval, especially given the volume you’re handling monthly.
Yes, almost all unsigned EXE files are detected, and the only solution is to submit the setup to Microsoft.
Additionally, there are occasional cases where a signed setup is also flagged. Unfortunately, this is out of our control. All our files pass undetected by Defender during our testing.
The only way to address this when your setup is flagged by Defender is to use Microsoft's submission portal. Currently, Microsoft does not provide an official API or automation interface for submitting files to their Windows Defender Security Intelligence (WDSI) portal.
If your organization regularly encounters this issue, automating the process with tools like Selenium or Puppeteer may be worth exploring, but always verify compliance with Microsoft's terms of use.
Let me know if there is anything else we can help you with.
Best regards,
Liviu
We understand the challenges you’re facing with manually submitting installers for Microsoft approval, especially given the volume you’re handling monthly.
Yes, almost all unsigned EXE files are detected, and the only solution is to submit the setup to Microsoft.
Additionally, there are occasional cases where a signed setup is also flagged. Unfortunately, this is out of our control. All our files pass undetected by Defender during our testing.
The only way to address this when your setup is flagged by Defender is to use Microsoft's submission portal. Currently, Microsoft does not provide an official API or automation interface for submitting files to their Windows Defender Security Intelligence (WDSI) portal.
If your organization regularly encounters this issue, automating the process with tools like Selenium or Puppeteer may be worth exploring, but always verify compliance with Microsoft's terms of use.
Let me know if there is anything else we can help you with.
Best regards,
Liviu