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Between all the warnings and that damned 24/7 news cycle, we have become cynical. So when a notification pops up to block you from your task ‘for your protection’ it’s only natural to question it.
Or maybe you’re of the school of thought that if it’s on the screen it must be true? Both schools of thought belong here.
The error code ‘This App has Been Blocked for Your Protection’ does come from your computer’s software, but can also be part of a larger agenda. What happens here is that the security software can confuse strings of the app that you are trying to use for viruses.
But sometimes, they are actually viruses.
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When is the software protecting me?
How to know? If you are trying to download a new piece of legitimate software and you receive the code ‘This App Has Been Blocked For Your Protection’, it often follows up with, ‘Contact Your Administrator.’.
It seems like good advice. Except, it’s your machine. You are the administrator. Fishy.
If you’re getting this message when trying to use a verified application, you can be confident that the anti-virus ware, like a ticket inspector giving out fines on most public transport, is taking its job way too seriously.
Before jumping to conclusions and throwing accusations at innocent public workers, think about where the application came from. Was it a trusted site?
Or a site that also offered enhancements and singles in your area? Were there pop-ups? The pop-ups are always a giveaway.
We’re not saying don’t go to sites with pop-ups, but know that they may harm your system, and it is definitely possible that anything you download from there is affecting your PC as we speak.
If this is not the case, and you got this directly from the manufacturer’s website, yeah. You got a problem, and we are going to show you how to get around it.
Allow Access
To work around this problem, you can install or run the application from elevated Command Prompt, which is a new term you just learned for shortcuts, in this case: Win+x or, Windows key and the X key at the same time.
Step 1: Get the Full Path of the app. You probably know what the app is called, but the path is its instructions. For example: Sally’s Beauty Race, the path might be d:/programfiles (x79)\firefox\sally\applications\games.exe
It will not be something like that, because those are made up pathways, but it will look similar and mean as much to you. But to your computer and it’s drivers, its the difference between a safe application and a red flag.
Open the location of the application. Right-click on its shortcut and select Properties. When the Properties box opens, you’ll find the full path. Make a note of it, it will come up later.
Step 2: Open an elevated Command Prompt window, you know what I’m talking about now. In this case: Windows key + X, then hit A key on the keyboard.
Step 3: In the opening window, type the full path of the application that your trying with all your might to install and hit Enter.
For example: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe”
As soon as you’ve put in the path, you can close the window and give it a try. You’ve just gotten your application on the guestlist. Good job.
Fix “This app has been blocked for your protection” in Local Group Policy
Another way to get around the whole ‘This app has been blocked for your protection’ thing, is by changing local group policy. What does this mean?
The group policy editor does the same thing for your computer software as a group policy does for your job. Makes sure we are all on the same page. Ideally.
How to access it? Well there are a few ways, but today we have been really into shortcuts so we are going to share the quick and easy way:
Step 1: Bring up Run dialog by pressing Windows + R key combination.
Step 2: Type gpedit.msc in the box and click OK. There you will see your local Group Policy Editor.
Now that you’ve got that up, let’s move on.
Step 3: In the left panel of Local Group Policy Editor, go to: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.
In the right panel, double-click on User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode.
Step 4: Switch the security setting to Disabled and click OK.
When finished, close the Local Group Policy Editor and then reboot your system.
Note: Changing the policy above will also cause UAC to be turned off automatically.
Make sure that you are careful when disabling any anti-virus software that you are not actually letting in any nasties!
