Our previous code signing certificate expired, and our new certificate is not yet recognized by Windows Defender SmartScreen. SmartScreen is reputation based, so once we have enough successful installations, SmartScreen will automatically recognize Open Live Writer. Until then, however, you may get a warning when you download and run the installer.

This tutorial shows you how to complete the installation until SmartScreen begins to recognize us.

Note that this application is also available on Windows 10 via the Windows Store. The latest update has been submitted to the store and is currently in the certification process.

You can read more about SmartScreen in the following locations:

• Windows Defender SmartScreen overview on docs.microsoft.com.
• Windows Defender SmartScreen Frequently Asked Questions (see questions "How should I decide whether to run a program flagged by Windows Defender SmartScreen as ‘not commonly downloaded’?" and "How can I download files reported as unsafe by Windows Defender SmartScreen in Internet Explorer 10?").
• SmartScreen® Application Reputation in IE9 from the Internet Explorer Team Blog post announcing SmartScreen back in 2011.

Note: One possibility to immediately gain reputataion is to use and EV (Extended Validation) code signing certificate. In the case of Open Live Writer, we've recently done some work to code sign every software build, including nightly releases. EV Certificates won't work with our code signing infrastructure. Since this is a temporary issue for the new certificate, and we really want to have automated signed builds (for speedy future releases, signed nightly releases for beta testers, etc.) we've decided to not to go with an EV cert for now.

Steps for installing Open Live Writer if you receive SmartScreen warnings

1. If you download via Edge or Internet Explorer, you may receive a warning indicating that the installer is not commonly downloaded as shown below. If so, you can still view the download by clicking "View Downloads" or run it by clicking "Run". You may choose to download the application and view the digital signature. You can do that by right clicking, selecting Properties and selecting the Digital Signatures tab.
   
2. When you run the installer, you may see a prompt that only has a "Don't Run" button. Click on the "More info" link below the warning text.
   
3. Verify that the Publisher information shown in the "More info" text shows that the application is signed by the .NET Foundation as shown below, then click the "Run anyway" button.