'Unknown publisher' error while downloading

Hello all;

i am unable to download anything, i keep getting an "unknown publisher" error.

i am running vista home premium and ie7. i have tried almost ever trick from a

lot web searching and nothing has worked.PLEASE HELP!

That's just an issue with Microsofts' Windows. Its just a warning saying that something with your download is not known to the database of pre-trusted download sites. Its not really something to be concerned with. It's an attempt by Microsoft to let users become aware of when they are downloading files from sites not "approved" via MS Windows.
Listing every single approved site would be impossible.

Certificates lapse, expire. New sites spring forth. As long as you are wanting to download a program from a known site to yourself. And you trust the site, or are running very good Anti-Malware software then accept the certifcate, trust it, and get your file.

If you let a warning like this, which will happen more and more often as MS Windows grows more outdate, you will be crippling yourself to what you can do on the Internet.

Do you have all of the windows updates done for your version of windows?

You can refer these threads:

how do I allow down load from unknown publisher
Unknown Publisher using Vista
Making an Unknown Publisher Known!
Unknown Publisher Security Warning:thumbup1:

Follow the steps given below and try to solve your problem.

1. Opened Internet Options Dialog Box from IE7

2. Selected Security Tab

3. Selected 'Local Intranet' icon from the zones shown

4. Clicked on 'Sites' command button, which opened a 'Local Intranet' Dialog Box

5. Clicked on 'Advanced' command button, which opened a dialog box where you are able to

add and remove websites from your intranet.

6. Add "\\servername\" to list of websites. Click 'Close, then 'OK' to return to main Internet Options Dialog Box.

The default security level was OK to allow me to run my EXE stored on my network drive.

Try using mozilla firefox. IE keeps on crashing every now and then! so its a good choice to try some other web broswer. If the same problem consist then your computer might be infected by some Virus!

A problem due to virus... I suspect. Use a better scanning software and clean any crap with it. Microsoft says under "How to prevent Spyware" -
Never click "agree" or "OK" to close a window. Instead, click the red "x" in the corner of the window or press the Alt + F4 buttons on your keyboard to close a window.

Windows checks that programs that have been downloaded from the web have a digital signature attached. Digital signatures simply verify who is the publisher of the software and contain information about the it. If a digital signature is not found on a piece of software, the above dialog box appears.

Any application, from any publisher that has not been signed with a digital certificate from a trusted CA (Certificate Authority) displays a message that the publisher is Unknown. This presents a problem for smaller developers in that a code signing certificate from Verisign costs $400/yr or more.

Please note:
Thread moved from Operating Systems to Technology & Internet