Installing Format Factory

I'm running Windows 10 and have been using Format Factory to convert video and audio files without incident. Last week I downloaded a new release v9.* and could not get it installed because Windows Defender threw up a window saying it found a potential virus. As I was searching for a solution, I discovered that shutting down Defender allowed the exe file to run and install the new version. But, when I reengaged Defender I could not open the program because, once again, I got the potential virus window.

Format Factory had a warning on their website advising that this might happen, that I should ignore as the file was not a virus and was safe. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get that far.

This week Format Factory issued another update. v5.10.0.0 I tried this version with the same results.

Has anyone else tried this install. If so, can you please tell me how you did it? I have contacted FF directly 3 times and have not gotten a response.

Are you sure that it found a virus inside the installer or that it was being risk averse for letting you know that the installer is alien and unknown to Microsoft (for not being signed with a digital certificate) ?

In order to protect Windows users against viruses, Microsoft allows all programs (like .exe, .msi files and more) to be digitally signed with a digital certificate, so that firstly the identity of the publisher of the file responsible for distributing it can be proven and secondly to prove that the file you possess has not been tampered with by a third party. It is the software developer's responsibility to ensure that their software has a digital certificate. However this costs money and it's not cheap but rather expensive, so free or open source software usually won't have one.

For example if someone on instant messenger like Discord or Skype was to give you a video game mod, software for creating images to be burnt on USB flash drives, or CD burning software, if that file has a digital certificate in it, then you can (virtually) guarantee that it hasn't got a virus inserted into it as a sneaky dual usage, otherwise known as a trojan.

When you try to install software on Windows 10, it will check if the file has a digital certificate. If it doesn't, then the Microsoft Smartscreen alert will come up. Microsoft Smartscreen does not use the internet so it won't ping Microsoft with what software you're installing. Instead the underlying technology uses cryptography to deal with public keys and private keys for encryption along with trusted authorities which are predefined on Windows 10.

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Microsoft Smartscreen






Windows Defender Antivirus detecting a virus

0

It's a bu***r to install since it had a bad reputation years ago. Just installed it on Windows 11 from this unsecured site.

Format Factory - Free media file format processing tools

With Defender first you have to allow it to download. I checked the installer with Malwarebytes and it found nothing.

To install it you have to allow it thee times during install as Defender keeps complaining and eventually it installs and works. One of the best file converters around IMHO.







PS. remember to decline the two offers during installation.

Try to disable PUA in Defender.

Enable or Disable Microsoft Defender PUA Protection in Windows 10

desbest said:

Windows Defender threw up a window saying it found a potential virus.
The screenshot @Fabler2 posted says that it's actually not a virus but instead PUP, short for potentially unwanted program.

PUP will typically come with unexpected, unwanted and intrusive behaviour such as

• Giving you adverts inside or outside the software
• Changing the home page, new tab page, search engine of your web browser
• Installing extensions in your web browser
• Asking you if you want to install sponsored software on the installer wizard, when the checkbox is ticked by default and written in small print and grey so you won't notice it
• Monitoring what websites you visit and selling it off to advertising networks and data brokers, so they can give you better targered personalised adverts
• Software that runs at startup that will slow down and affect the performance of your computer, when there is no practical reason why it should run at startup
• Software that is programmed in a shoddy manner, so it prevents or hinders other software from working

In this case it was the options to install a couple of other programs which you can obviously decline. I would certainly not disable PUA in Defender, just humour it, and you'll eventually be left alone to install as I've shown in my previous post.

eLPuSHeR said:

This is a very old thread (2016). I have found out that FF releases beyond 5.1.0.0 install ok but do not work afterwards.

Working ok for me.

Doesn't look as if the OP has any interest in the thread but just showing a conversion I did. Not done much more with it up to now.