Installation Guide

Installing SimWizard AI on Windows

SimWizard AI is distributed as an unsigned MSI installer, which means Windows will show a few security warnings before letting it run. The installer is safe — this page shows you exactly what you'll see and which button to click at each step.

Why these warnings appear

The installer is built and published by us at Simulation Helpdesk OÜ — the same team behind SimWizard AI. It's completely safe to run. The only reason Windows shows a warning is that our publisher information isn't displayed yet on brand-new installer builds; this is a normal message Windows shows for any smaller software vendor and does not mean the file is harmful.

If you'd like extra peace of mind, you can scan the MSI with VirusTotal before running it — it'll come back clean. Otherwise, just follow the steps below and you'll be up and running in about a minute.

TL;DR: At each warning, look for a More info, Keep, or Run anyway option. Click it, then continue. The whole install takes about 60 seconds.

1Browser download warning

When you click the download link, Chrome or Edge may flag the MSI as "not commonly downloaded" and try to discard it. This is expected for any new installer that hasn't been downloaded by millions of users yet.

Chrome or Edge download bar showing a warning on the SimWizard AI MSI file with a Keep button

What to click

  • Edge: hover over the download, click the … menu, then choose Keep → Keep anyway.
  • Chrome: click the chevron (⌄) next to the download on the bottom bar or in the downloads panel, then choose Keep.
  • Firefox: open the downloads panel, right-click the file and choose Allow download.
Result: the MSI is saved to your Downloads folder. Double-click it to continue to Step 2.

2SmartScreen: "Windows protected your PC"

When you run the MSI for the first time, Windows SmartScreen shows a full-screen blue dialog. At first glance this looks like there's no way to proceed — but the More info link is the key.

Windows SmartScreen blue dialog saying Windows protected your PC with a More info link

What to click

  1. Click the small More info link (below the title text).
  2. The dialog expands to show the app name and publisher ("Unknown publisher").
  3. Click the Run anyway button that appears in the bottom-right.
Verify before clicking: the app name should read SimWizardAI-Setup-x.y.z.w.msi (version digits match the latest on our download page).
Don't see Run anyway? Some corporate Windows images hide it via group policy. See the "Corporate policy blocks unsigned installers" troubleshooting tip below.

3UAC prompt — "Unknown publisher"

Next, Windows shows the yellow User Account Control dialog asking permission to make changes to your device. Because the MSI is unsigned, the Publisher line reads "Unknown". This is expected.

Yellow Windows User Account Control dialog asking Do you want to allow this app from an unknown publisher

What to check

  • Program name: SimWizardAI-Setup-x.y.z.w.msi
  • Verified publisher: Unknown (expected)
  • File origin: Hard drive on this computer
Click Yes to continue. The SimWizard AI installer wizard will open.

4Microsoft Defender or antivirus block

On most machines the install completes right after the UAC prompt. On some machines — especially freshly patched Windows 11 or corporate endpoints with an aggressive AV — Defender or a third-party antivirus may quarantine the MSI before it runs, or stop the install mid-way.

If Microsoft Defender quarantined the file

Windows Security Protection history showing SimWizard AI quarantined by Microsoft Defender

How to restore it

  1. Open Start → type Windows Security → Enter.
  2. Go to Virus & threat protection → Protection history.
  3. Find the SimWizard AI entry, expand it, click Actions → Allow on device.
  4. Re-run the MSI from your Downloads folder.

If you use a third-party antivirus (Norton, Kaspersky, Bitdefender, etc.)

Add an exclusion for either the MSI file itself or the install folder %ProgramFiles%\SimWizardAI\. The exact path depends on your AV:

Worried about false positives? Upload the MSI to VirusTotal for a scan across 70+ engines. Most flags on unsigned MSIs are heuristic "unknown installer" warnings, not real threats.

5First launch in Simio

Once the installer finishes, SimWizard AI is registered as a Simio user extension. The DLL is copied into Simio's own extensions folder:

C:\Program Files\Simio LLC\Simio\UserExtensions\SimWizardAI.dll

The installer auto-detects your Simio install location, so you don't need OneDrive, a Documents folder, or any special user setup — the add-in loads for every Windows user on the machine.

Simio ribbon showing the SimWizard AI add-in loaded in the Support tab

Verify the install

  1. Close Simio completely if it was open during the install.
  2. Launch Simio.
  3. Open any project (or create a new one).
  4. Go to the Support ribbon tab — you should see the SimWizard AI button.
  5. Click it to open the chat panel and enter your license key or free-trial email.
Done. You're ready to build simulation models with AI assistance.
Re-installing? Simio locks SimWizardAI.dll while it's running. Always close Simio before running a new MSI, otherwise the installer will report a file-in-use error.

Troubleshooting

The installer won't launch even after I clicked "Run anyway"

Right-click the MSI → Properties. If you see a Security section at the bottom with an Unblock checkbox, tick it, click Apply, then double-click the MSI again. Windows sometimes keeps the "zone identifier" on downloaded files and refuses to run them until you unblock.

Defender removed the file while I was downloading

Turn off real-time protection briefly, re-download from the download page, then turn protection back on. Before running, add an exclusion for the MSI: Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings → Add or remove exclusions → File.

Corporate policy blocks unsigned installers entirely

Some enterprise Windows images disable the Run anyway button via group policy (SmartScreen = Block). In that case you'll need to ask your IT administrator to:

  • Whitelist the publisher Simulation Helpdesk OÜ (Estonia, registry code 14766183).
  • Or whitelist the file hash of the specific MSI version (available on the download page).
  • Or install from an elevated PowerShell with msiexec /i SimWizardAI-Setup-x.y.z.w.msi.

We're happy to provide a signed statement of publisher identity on letterhead if your IT team requires one — just email support@simulationhelpdesk.com.

The add-in doesn't appear in Simio's ribbon

Confirm that SimWizardAI.dll exists in C:\Program Files\Simio LLC\Simio\UserExtensions\. If the file is missing, the MSI couldn't find your Simio install — re-run the installer and, on the "Destination folder" step, point it manually at your Simio install folder (wherever Simio.exe lives) and append \UserExtensions.

If the DLL is there but Simio still doesn't show the ribbon button, you may have an older dev copy in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\SimioUserExtensions\ (or %USERPROFILE%\OneDrive\Documents\SimioUserExtensions\) that is loading first. Delete any SimWizardAI.dll in those folders, then restart Simio.

"This app can't run on your PC" error

SimWizard AI requires 64-bit Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11 and the .NET Framework 4.8 runtime (included with modern Windows). On older Windows builds, install .NET Framework 4.8 first, reboot, then re-run the MSI.

I see the warnings in a language I don't understand

Windows shows these dialogs in your system display language. The button positions and wording are the same in all languages:

  • SmartScreen: small link on the left = More info; button bottom-right after expanding = Run anyway.
  • UAC: Yes (left) / No (right).

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