"This app has been blocked" Windows Launch Error when Accessing ProPunch

A recent Windows update interferes with a number of custom applications. ProPunch was affected by this update. As such, you may experience what appears to be a block when attempting to run your ProPunch dashboard. 

While our engineering team works toward resolving this conflict, we have developed a temporary solution to restore access to the dashboard for running backups and checking on updates. Access to the ProPunch Dashboard will be necessary to update any impacted ProPunch installations once a fix is developed. 

To launch the ProPunch dashboard, you will need to create a shortcut to a batch file (.bat file) on the desktop of the PC where ProPunch is installed. While this may sound complicated, we have provided step-by-step instructions below.

If you have a bookmark for the browser interface of ProPunch, this will still be accessible. Your data is safe if you have not deleted, moved, or otherwise tampered with your database directories.

To create the shortcut to the batch file, follow these steps:

1. Open Notepad.
2. Type in the following command with the location of your ProPunch .exe file. Be sure to make note of the lowercase 's' in start as well as the double quotes followed by a space. The location of the ProPunch dashboard .exe file by default is C:\xampp\dashboard\pp-dashboard.exe. If you have updated or changed the location, you will need to change the location in the command accordingly. 
   • • Type start “” “C:\xampp\dashboard\pp-dashboard.exe” then hit enter. 
     • Type exit then hit enter.
       
3. Click File, then Save As  
   • Set the filetype dropdown to 'all' filetype.
   • Set the file name to pp_dashboard.bat
   • Note the location of the file you are saving. We recommend saving in the documents folder.
   • Click Save.
4. Close Notepad.
5. Open the folder you saved the batch file to.
6. Right-click the pp_dashboard.bat file and select Create shortcut.
7. The shortcut will be saved as pp_dashboard - Shortcut. Move the shortcut to your desktop.
8. Right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
9. Navigate to the Shortcut tab.
10. Click Advanced.
11. Select the checkbox to enable Run as administrator.
12. Click OK to confirm the change.
13. Click OK again to save the change.
14. Double-click the shortcut to open the ProPunch dashboard.

For any questions or concerns, connect with a ProPunch support agent at [e-mail] or by calling 1-800-518-8925.