Check download provenance, Windows signatures and SHA-256 before installing Falemon. Learn how to handle Mac warnings, separate compatibility from trust issues, and prepare a useful verification record without disabling security protections.
Scope: trust comes before installation troubleshooting
This checklist is for people installing or updating a desktop client on a personal Windows PC or Mac. It is not an audit of the files currently linked from this website, and it does not assert a particular publisher name, version or checksum. Ask your administrator before changing software on a managed device.
Separate two questions: is this the file you intended to obtain, and can your system run it? A processor mismatch or insufficient disk space is a compatibility issue. An unexplained signer or suspicious download source is a trust issue. Fixing the former does not resolve the latter. Do not treat every warning as a harmless obstacle.
Keep a traceable download record
- Start from a website address you have independently confirmed. Check the full hostname, not just a search result title, logo or advertisement.
- Record the platform, stated version and filename. Note the final download host after redirects. A separate CDN hostname is not inherently suspicious, but an unexplained destination needs checking.
- Do not open the file immediately. Check its extension, size and whether the browser finished downloading. A repackaged attachment from a chat group is not automatically the original installer.
- Keep old and new downloads separate so that you do not inspect one file and run another. Renaming an extension does not convert a package.
HTTPS secures a connection to a particular site; it does not certify everything that site distributes. A filename containing latest is not version evidence either. If no independent reference is available, record unverified instead of inventing certainty.
Windows: inspect the signature and compare the right file
File Properties may show a Digital Signatures tab, depending on the file and signing method. Alternatively, use these read-only commands in a normal PowerShell window. Replace installer.exe with the actual filename; do not add a command that downloads and executes it.
$file = "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\installer.exe"
Get-AuthenticodeSignature -LiteralPath $file | Format-List Status,StatusMessage,SignerCertificate
Get-FileHash -LiteralPath $file -Algorithm SHA256Get-AuthenticodeSignature returns signing information. Record the status and certificate subject, then confirm the expected signer through a trusted publishing channel. Valid is not a guarantee that software is harmless. NotSigned or a validation error is not proof of malware either, but unresolved provenance is a reason to pause.
Microsoft: Get-AuthenticodeSignature
Get-FileHash calculates a digest. Compare SHA-256 only against a trusted reference for the exact version, platform and package. Agreement between two unknown mirrors does not establish trust. If no reference checksum exists, say that comparison was unavailable; never substitute a checksum from another release.
Mac: preserve the exact warning
Gatekeeper checks security information such as signing and notarization for downloaded apps. An unidentified developer, a damaged app and detected malware are different warnings. Save the exact message and macOS version, and consult Apple’s guidance. Removing quarantine attributes or disabling Gatekeeper is not a general troubleshooting step.
Apple: Safely open apps on your Mac
Do not add an exception for a file whose source remains unclear. For a damaged download, remove the unexecuted copy and obtain the matching release again from a confirmed source. If the warning persists, ask the publisher. Stop rather than forcing an app to open when malware or revoked credentials are involved. Managed Macs may also enforce organizational policies.
Only then check compatibility
- Match your operating system version against documented minimum requirements. A familiar extension does not establish compatibility.
- Check Windows system type or the chip/processor listed in About This Mac. If separate builds are offered, select the matching architecture instead of assuming universal support.
- Check free space, download completion and whether another installer is running. Record whether failure occurs during download, opening, authorization or final installation.
- Before replacing a working version, find out how settings are retained and whether rollback is supported. Do not erase the entire configuration directory as an experiment.
For example, two files with the same name but different hashes could reflect an interrupted download, a changed release or a replacement file. The observation warrants investigation; it does not prove a compromise or justify ignoring the difference. Compare versions and publication times, then supply both digests to support if needed.
A reusable record and clear stopping rules
Device and OS version:
Download page:
Final download host:
Time and time zone:
Filename, size and version:
Signature status and signer:
SHA-256:
Trusted expected-checksum source, or not provided:
Exact warning:
Read-only checks already completed:Redact passwords, tokens, private paths and unrelated log details before sharing this record. No fixed Falemon certificate identity is claimed here: any answer from support should refer to your specific file.
- Stop if the expected checksum differs, the signer cannot be explained or a redirect requests credentials on an unfamiliar site.
- Stop if installation requires disabling all security tools, importing an unknown root certificate or executing an unexplained script. Successful execution is not verification.
- If you already ran a suspicious file, pause sensitive activity, preserve the warning and file details, and use system security tools or contact your administrator. Repeated installations may obscure useful evidence.
A good result is not merely the absence of a dialog box. It is a traceable source, a file consistent with the expected release, compatible system requirements and a documented resolution of remaining doubts. Continue with installation only when those questions are answered.
Related guides
View the complete troubleshooting library, or organize the information to contact the support team