How to verify if Acronis installation file has been downloaded correctly

Introduction

When Acronis software cannot be installed with error "%1 is not a valid Win32 application", "Unknown publisher" or other, or hangs, you may want to check if Acronis installation file has been downloaded correctly. It can be done either by checking the digital signature of the installation file or by comparing its checksum to the correct checksum, available under Acronis account.

Provided solution can also be used to verify that there have been no unauthorized changes to the Acronis True Image installation package (build) by a third-party.

Solution

Method 1: Check if the installation file has a valid Acronis digital signature.

Right-click on the downloaded Acronis installation file, select Properties, click on the Digital Signatures tab.
The list of digital signatures should be presented. If Digital Signatures tab is missing or empty, please re-download Acronis installation file using other web browser or even from a different computer, then check if Acronis digital signatures are listed under Digital Signatures tab. There could be one or more digital signatures. If you see just one, it is totally correct and you can proceed to the next step.
Click on each of the signatures in the list to select them, and then click Details button. The status text just below "Digital Signature Information" should be saying This digital signature is OK and Acronis should be in the Signer information - Name field.

If there is other status text, a warning, an error, or the window "Digital Signature Details" does not open at all, the installation file must have been downloaded incorrectly. Use a different web browser or even a different computer to re-download it. Do not use any download accelerators as they may be the cause of corrupted downloads.

Method 2. Verify the checksum of the installation file

You can check that the installation file is not corrupted, damaged or altered in any way by calculating its checksum (fingerprint) and comparing it to the correct checksum, available under Acronis account.

If they match, you can be sure that the installation file was downloaded correctly and is exactly what we have on our servers.

If they do not match, the installation file should not be used for installation. It could have been downloaded incompletely, incorrectly or was damaged or corrupted during or after the download by other programs. In this case try downloading the file again from Acronis account using a different browser with disabled download accelerators (if any), or even from a different computer, from a different network.

Step 1. Calculate the MD5 checksum of the installation file

MD5 checksum can be calculated either by using a third-party software or by using a native Microsoft Windows command-line tool certutil.

No third-party software method (Windows Vista and newer, Windows Server 2008 and newer)

Windows Vista, Server 2008 and all newer versions of Microsoft Windows have a built-in command-line tool for calculating MD5 checksums of files.

The command's format is certutil -hashfile <path to the installation .exe> md5. Follow the steps below to compose and run the command:

Open Windows Start menu.
Type cmd and press Enter. A Command Prompt window will open.
Copy the following command to the clipboard:
certutil -hashfile
Right-click anywhere in the Command Prompt to paste it. If a context menu opens, select the Paste option:
Press the Space key to add a space after the pasted command.
Open Windows File Explorer (Windows Explorer), locate Acronis installation file and make a single click on it to select it.
Press and hold the Shift key on the keyboard. With the Shift pressed, right-click Acronis installation file and select Copy as path, then release the Shift key.
Right-click anywhere in the Command Prompt to paste it. If a context menu opens, select the Paste option:
Press the Space key to add a space to the command
Type md5 on the keyboard to finish composing the command

An example of how the full command to calculate the MD5 checksum could look like:

certutil -hashfile "C:\Users\Martin\Downloads\AcronisTrueImage2018_10640.exe" md5
Press Enter to run the command
Locate the calculated MD5 checksum
Verify that it matches the correct MD5 checksum as explained below. If it doesn't match, please re-download the file using a different browser or a different computer. Do not use any download accelerators as they may be the cause of corrupted downloads.

Using a third-party MD5 calculator (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003)

Windows XP and Windows Server 2003(R2) are not shipped with certutil. A third-party MD5 calculator can be used instead:

Read the following instructions on using the eXpress CheckSum Calculator to calculate the checksum of a file. You can also use any other program for that, for example WinMD5Free or Md5Checker.

Download the eXpress CheckSum Calculator and install it.
Run the application:
Browse to the file and click Calculate:
Compare the calculated MD5 checksum with the correct one from the website (see instructions below)

macOS

Open Terminal
Type md5 and hit the SPACE button
Drag the Acronis installation file you have downloaded into the Terminal Window. (This will put the path to the file in the Terminal window so you don't need to type in the location)
Press Enter
MD5 Checksum of the downloaded file will be displayed. Compare it to correct MD5 checksum from Acronis website

Step 2. Compare it to the correct MD5 checksum provided by Acronis

MD5 checksum for Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office

Sign into your Acronis account at https://account.acronis.com and locate the product in the registered products list,
If you do not see your product in the list, click "Add keys" and register your product license key. Boxed versions owners: click here to get the full registration key.
Click Downloads button in the corresponding product section(make sure correct OS is selected) and click on Copy checksum button.
Checksum will be copied to clipboard. You can paste it to Compare field in CheckSum calculator or paste it to a Notepad document for future use

MD5 checksums for Acronis Cyber Protect 15

Please follow Acronis Cyber Protect 15: Checksum for installation file.

More information

(!) To calculate checksum in Linux, open a terminal and issue the following command:

$ md5sum [file]

Knowledge Base

1855: How to verify if Acronis installation file has been downloaded correctly

Also read in:

use Google Translate

Operating Systems: