Why the source matters
Every program on this site is free to download, which is exactly why copies of it turn up everywhere: on download portals, file-sharing sites and look-alike pages that rank well in search results. Most of those copies are simply old. Some are wrapped in a portal’s own setup program that offers toolbars, “optimizers” or other extras you did not ask for. Unofficial download sites may bundle extra software, and the only reliable way to avoid that is to take the file from the developer.
Network tools deserve a little extra care because of where they run: on an administrator’s PC, often with elevated rights, pointed at the servers you look after. Two minutes spent confirming the file is genuine is a very good trade.
Get the file from the developer’s own site, then let Windows confirm who signed it. Everything else on this page is detail.
The official pages for all six tools
These are the only download pages we link to. Type the address or use the links below rather than clicking a search ad or a “download now” banner on another site.
| Program | Official download page | Signature to expect | Step by step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced IP Scanner | www.advanced-ip-scanner.com | Famatech Corp. | Guide |
| Angry IP Scanner | angryip.org/download | see the download guide | Guide |
| LizardSystems Network Scanner | lizardsystems.com/network-scanner/download | LizardSystems (Authenticode-signed installer) | Guide |
| Wireshark | www.wireshark.org/download.html | see the download guide | Guide |
| PuTTY | www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html | see the download guide (GPG signatures also published) | Guide |
| WinSCP | winscp.net/eng/download.php | see the download guide | Guide |
Before you click Download
Check the address bar
Look at the domain, not the page design. The page should be on the developer’s domain from the table above, over
https://.Find the real button
Some official pages show adverts too — WinSCP’s download page is one. The genuine button names the program and usually its version number. Adverts are labelled as such.
Pick the right build
On a normal PC you want the 64-bit x86 (x64) Windows build. Arm64 builds are for Windows on Arm laptops. 32-bit builds are only for very old PCs, except where a program ships only as 32-bit, as LizardSystems Network Scanner does.
Save it somewhere you will find it
A folder such as
C:\Tools\installerskeeps installers together, with their version numbers in the file names, so you know later exactly what you installed.
Check the digital signature
Most Windows installers are signed with a code-signing certificate. The signature proves who published the file and that it has not been changed since it was signed. You can check it in two ways.
In File Explorer
- Right-click the downloaded file and choose Properties.
- Open the Digital Signatures tab. If there is no such tab, the file is not signed.
- Select the signature, click Details and check that Windows says “This digital signature is OK.” and that the signer name matches the developer.
In PowerShell
cd C:\Tools\installers
Get-AuthenticodeSignature .\installer-file.exe | Format-List Status, SignerCertificateStatus should read Valid, and the certificate subject should name the developer.
Anything else — NotSigned, HashMismatch, an unfamiliar name — means
delete the file and download it again from the official page. The same command works for .msi
packages.
Compare a published hash
Some developers also publish a checksum — a SHA-256 hash — for each file. LizardSystems prints it on the download page; PuTTY publishes checksum files and GPG signatures next to its downloads. If your file produces the same hash, it is byte-for-byte the file the developer released.
Get-FileHash .\installer-file.exe -Algorithm SHA256
# compare automatically (paste the published value between the quotes)
(Get-FileHash .\installer-file.exe -Algorithm SHA256).Hash -eq "PUBLISHED-SHA256-VALUE"
The comparison is not case-sensitive, so lower-case hashes copied from a web page work as they are. The
second command prints True or False.
Read the UAC prompt
When an installer needs administrator rights, Windows shows a User Account Control prompt. Take a second to read it: a signed installer shows Verified publisher with the developer’s name. If the prompt says Publisher: Unknown for a program whose developer signs its files, choose No and check where the file came from.
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may also show “Windows protected your PC” for a new release that few people have downloaded yet. Treat that as a prompt to do the signature check above, not as something to click past automatically.
Keep a small update routine
Tools you install once and forget become the old versions on your network. A light routine is enough:
| Program | How you hear about updates |
|---|---|
| Advanced IP Scanner | New builds on the official site; reinstall over the old version |
| Angry IP Scanner | Release list on angryip.org and GitHub |
| LizardSystems Network Scanner | Release notes page on lizardsystems.com |
| Wireshark | The program can check for updates; release notes on wireshark.org |
| PuTTY | The “latest release” page; install the new MSI over the old one |
| WinSCP | The program can check for updates; news on winscp.net |
The one-minute checklist
- The address bar shows the developer’s domain from the table above.
- You clicked the version-labelled download button, not an advert.
- You picked the build that matches your Windows (usually x64).
- Properties → Digital Signatures shows the developer and “This digital signature is OK.”
- Where a hash is published,
Get-FileHashmatches it. - The UAC prompt shows a verified publisher.
- The installer’s version number is in its file name in
C:\Tools\installers.