In this post, I will demonstrate how to perform checksum validation of SCOM installer. A simple PowerShell script can be used to verify the authenticity of the SCOM installation file.
Microsoft provides the SCOM installation media to its customers through various official channels, including VLSC, VSS (MSDN), and the Evaluation Center. Downloading the SCOM ISO from any other sources may result in obtaining non-genuine software.
Checksum validation is a method used to ensure data integrity by comparing the calculated checksum of a file or data block with a known, verified checksum. If the checksums match, it indicates that the data has not been corrupted or altered.
If you’ve downloaded the SCOM baseline media from an unofficial source, chances are that it might be corrupted or may contain harmful code. Hence, Microsoft recommends that users confirm that the file is not corrupted and allow me to share an easy way to do that.
How to Perform Checksum Validation of SCOM Installer
After you download the SCOM installation media (zip), place it within a folder. In the below example, I have downloaded the SCOM 2025 installer from Microsoft Evaluation Center. I have placed the SCOM_2025.zip installation file in a folder named ‘SCOM‘ on my root drive.
The following is the checksum for the SCOM installation file as provided by Microsoft.
EAB2EB4A877857E44420759512682A153AFBBD80A169752CCD9B0DB8A9C0D1C2Next, open notepad and paste the below PowerShell script into it. Update the expected checksum value to the info provided above. Next, enter the path of the SCOM install zip file. Save this file as validatescominstaller.ps1.
$expectedChecksum = "EAB2EB4A877857E44420759512682A153AFBBD80A169752CCD9B0DB8A9C0D1C2"
$zipFilePath = "Enter the path of SCOM_version.zip"
$expectedChecksum -eq (Get-FileHash -Path $zipFilePath -Algorithm SHA256).Hash
Launch the Windows PowerShell with administrative privileges. Run the validatescominstaller.ps1. If the validation passes, you see True printed in the output. If you see False printed, the downloaded SCOM file isn’t valid, and you need to download it again.
In the below screenshot, the checksum validation shows as ‘True‘ which means the SCOM 2025 installer that I downloaded is genuine, and no files are corrupted.
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