Pax.zip

[Jamie20013]

I down loaded this file and it won't set up.

 

 

 

Anyone know what this means.

[longbreak754]

Hi,

 

Looking at the file itself it only gives you a setup.exe, a readme.txt and a file id. In their current form the files are compressed to make them smaller and need to be de-compressed to their proper size before use, using either WinZip or 7-Zip.

 

You need to extract at least the .exe file into a temp folder before running it.

[Jamie20013]

Ok I did that and i still get the same messages. Also the setup file is now gone out of the file now.

[il88pp]

Place pax.zip on the desktop.

Unzip.

You will see a new folder called pax appear on the desktop.

In it is setup.exe

Install from that.

[mrzippy]

Let's see if I can help to add to your confusion!;)

 

1. I use Firefox as my web browser, which I find far superior to Explorer. Firefox allows me to point to exactly where I want any download to go. All of my .zip files go to my desktop.

 

2. I use 7Zip instead of Winzip to undo these .zip files so I can install them. Pictures to follow:

 

This shows the .zip flie on my desktop and all I did was to open it was to double click it!

 

 

In this shot I highlighted the setup.exe and "COPIED" it to my desktop.

 

Now all I did was to delete the .zip file and double-clicked the setup file so it would run.

[Jamie20013]

My Norton is blocking it. Its saying it's unsafe to use. That's why it isn't working.

[longbreak754]

Are you sure that it is Norton blocking the file and not some other program such as Windows Defender or UAC.

 

I have Norton and have just downloaded the file from the file library here at FlightSim, ran a scan on it (in its .zip form) and got no warnings. I then expanded all three files contained within the zip to a temp folder and scanned again with no warnings.

 

A note here WRT the download location and temp folder - I use a different approach to the one outlined by Mr Zippy. My preference is to download .zip files to a 'permanent' folder located outside of the OS controlled ones to avoid any problems associated with UAC and also outside of FSX. I then expand the files into a new sub-folder located within the main folder. The subfolder is named after the file being extracted - so in this case it is Pax_zip. I then run the .exe file from there if one is included or manually move the files to the required location within FSX or other folder(s) as appropriate.

 

I then ran the setup.exe file and installed the program to a folder outside of the FSX that I use to install similar FSX related utilities. The install went OK, placing a total of 6 files in the programs root folder (which by default is called Passenger Simulation) and 7 files in a sub folder (called Configurations). I then ran a another Norton scan on the contents of the folders and got no warnings. To finish, I then ran a scan using Malwarebytes to see if there was any PUA/PUPs - again none. For fullness I have also scanned the files using the free version of AVG - again with no warnings.

 

So the file is safe. What I would suggest is that you run a manual scan as I have done and see what Norton says. Make sure Norton is up to date by manually running Live Update prior to the scan. If you are not sure on how to run a scan on a single file or folder the easiest way to do so is to navigate to the file/folders location, right click on it and you should see am option for Norton in the menu list. Place the mouse cursor over the menu entry and it will automatically expand and offer a Scan Now option, click on this to run the scan.

 

If the Norton scan throws up a warning delete the .zip and any expanded/installed it, any files associated with it and then, for peace of mind, run a full system scan to ensure that it hasn't done anything nasty - however, based on my findings above it is very unlikely to have done.

 

Re-download the file from the FlightSim Library and carryout the same actions that I have done/detailed above and see if the warnings/problem reoccurs.

 

EDIT - UPDATE

 

Have checked the Trust Level of both the setup.exe file and the actual program paX.exe file in Norton using the inbuilt File Insight tool.

 

For the setup.exe file it rates the file as follows - Usage as Few Users with the statement that 'Hundreds of users in the Norton Community have used this file', Mature (released 6 Years 11 Months ago) and Trust level as Bad with a statement that 'There are many indications that this file is untrustworthy'.

 

For the paX.exe file it rates the file as follows - Usage as Few Users with the statement that 'Hundreds of users in the Norton Community have used this file' , Mature (released 7 Years 2 Months ago) and Trust level as Good.

 

Based on this and the fact that I have successfully run the setup.exe file and installed/run the program with Norton running, it seems very likely that it is either Windows Defender or UAC that is stopping the setup.exe from running. FTR I have both off permanently but there are some security related risks associated with this, especially where UAC is concerned.

 

If you consider the program/files to be safe, based on YOUR scan results, you could do one of the following:

 

Temporarily turn off/disable UAC - see http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/disable-user-account-control-uac-the-easy-way-on-windows-vista/

 

Temporarily turn off/disable Windows Defender - see http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/15788/how-to-uninstall-disable-and-remove-windows-defender.-also-how-turn-it-off/

 

Manually 'trust' the file so that you can run it. To change/check a file's trust level start Norton, Go to Scans, select the Norton Insight option and click on the Go button. The Insight window will open, allow the program to populate the Trust Level info- note that by default it opens to All running Resources - use the drop down menu to change the info viewed). Either scroll down to find the file and click on the name to open the File Insight window or click on the Check a Specific File link located at bottom right (next to the Close button). The standard Windows navigation window will open. Simply navigate to the files location, click on it to select it and then click on the Open button - this will load and open the File Insight window. In the File Insight window you will see the three entries outlined above and a link next to the Trust Level indicator that will allow you to manually trust (or don't trust if required) the file.

 

IMO - Having installed and run the program to check its functionality prior to the Insight check, I have since ran a full system scan using Norton with no issues found and the fact that nearly 8000 users have downloaded (and presumably) installed the program from the FlightSim library, I therefore conclude that the program itself is safe.

 

WRT the setup.exe the Norton Heuristic and Insight elements are known to be more aggressive than most other AV products and does have a reputation for a higher 'false/positive' reporting average. Based on the scans/checks I made (detailed above) the file would appear to be safe and the report a 'false positive'.

 

DISCLAIMER - As I have stated above, if you consider the program/files to be safe, based on YOUR scan results, install the program if you so wish. I have offered the above information based on MY scan results/findings. The 3 products used to scan the files (Norton Security, Malwarebytes Pro (both payware) and AVG (free version) are up to date.

[Rupert]

I agree Windows Defender can be a real pain! That would be the first place I'd look. It seems to think everything is dangerous.

[JSkorna]

I have NEVER seen Defender report anything as dangerous, harmful, or anything else.

[longbreak754]

I have NEVER seen Defender report anything as dangerous, harmful, or anything else.

 

Some things to note regarding the use of Windows Defender (WD).............

 

The default setting for WD is to automatically remove any detected malware/virus. When it detects something it only issues a basic popup message (which is only displayed for a few seconds and therefore easily missed) stating that it is taking action to clean detected malware. It provides no other information, such as file name etc, as many other AV suites provide as standard. If selected to do so, either in the WD or Action Center settings, it will also display the same basic message within the Action Center.

 

The default setting for WD following an install of the OS is on. If you install another AV suite the OS should automatically detect it and disable WD. However, this is not always the case and this can cause issues for some. The same can be said for the built-in Windows firewall.