Problem

Unblocking installation files is important because if they are not properly unblocked, the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager can appear broken and blank, preventing installation.

When attempting to unzip the SOLIDWORKS fileset, sometimes there is no unblock option in the file properties. This article goes over how to unblock files with other methods. 

Solution 1: Unblocking the three HTML Files

Use the steps below to unblock the three HTML files that are necessary for the installation :

1. Open Windows File Explorer
2. Navigate to: SOLIDWORKS Installation media folder\sldim\lang\english\html
3. Right-click on the file frameset.html and go to Properties
4. In Properties, select Unblock > Apply > OK
5. Repeat steps 3-4 for framesetstartup.html and header.html
6. Attempt to install SOLIDWORKS again

Solution 2: Using the Windows PowerShell Application

Note: Before following the steps below, right-click on the downloaded zip file for SOLIDWORKS and make sure the files are not set to read-only.

Use Windows PowerShell to unblock a single zip file:

1. Open an elevated Windows PowerShell by right-clicking on the Start Menu and selecting Windows PowerShell (Admin). In Windows 11, this is called Terminal (Admin).

   

    

2. In PowerShell, type the command below and press Enter
   unblock-file -path "[full path of blocked file]"
3. Substitute [full path of blocked file] in the command with the actual full path of the blocked file (with file extension) and include the quotations.
   Note: Windows PowerShell will move to the next line without error to indicate that the command was successful.

4. Go back to the zipped folder and extract it
5. Locate the setup.exe in the extracted folder and right-click to select "Run as Administrator" to begin the installation

If neither method above has worked to unblock the installation media, and the Installation Manager is still blank, try creating a new Windows User Profile and then try using that account to unblock the files.

For additional support, existing customers can submit a ticket or new customers can contact Hawk Ridge Systems.