diff --git a/scripts/install.ps1 b/scripts/install.ps1
index c08d8c3d9..c29888634 100644
--- a/scripts/install.ps1
+++ b/scripts/install.ps1
@@ -255,7 +255,24 @@ function Install-ViaBinary {
             $expectedLine = $checksums | Where-Object { $_ -match $archiveName }
             if ($expectedLine) {
                 $expectedChecksum = ($expectedLine -split "\s+")[0]
-                $actualChecksum = (Get-FileHash -Path $archivePath -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()
+
+                # Compute SHA256 hash - use Get-FileHash if available (PS 4.0+),
+                # otherwise fall back to .NET cryptography for edge cases where
+                # the cmdlet is unavailable (corrupted install, restricted context, etc.)
+                if (Get-Command Get-FileHash -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+                    $actualChecksum = (Get-FileHash -Path $archivePath -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()
+                } else {
+                    # Fallback using .NET for environments where Get-FileHash is unavailable
+                    $sha256 = [System.Security.Cryptography.SHA256]::Create()
+                    $fileStream = [System.IO.File]::OpenRead($archivePath)
+                    try {
+                        $hashBytes = $sha256.ComputeHash($fileStream)
+                        $actualChecksum = [System.BitConverter]::ToString($hashBytes).Replace("-", "").ToLower()
+                    } finally {
+                        $fileStream.Close()
+                        $sha256.Dispose()
+                    }
+                }
 
                 if ($actualChecksum -ne $expectedChecksum) {
                     Stop-WithError "Checksum mismatch!`n  Expected: $expectedChecksum`n  Got:      $actualChecksum"
diff --git a/scripts/test-hash-fallback.ps1 b/scripts/test-hash-fallback.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e82e48f96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/test-hash-fallback.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# Test script to verify .NET SHA256 fallback works correctly
+# This ensures the fallback path produces valid SHA256 hashes even when Get-FileHash is unavailable
+
+$testFile = "$env:TEMP\gentle-ai-hash-test.txt"
+# Use fixed content for deterministic testing
+$testContent = "Gentle AI SHA256 fallback test"
+
+try {
+    # Create test file with UTF-8 encoding (no BOM)
+    [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($testFile, $testContent, [System.Text.UTF8Encoding]::new($false))
+
+    # Calculate hash using .NET fallback (the path we're testing)
+    $sha256 = [System.Security.Cryptography.SHA256]::Create()
+    $fileStream = [System.IO.File]::OpenRead($testFile)
+    try {
+        $hashBytes = $sha256.ComputeHash($fileStream)
+        $fallbackHash = [System.BitConverter]::ToString($hashBytes).Replace("-", "").ToLower()
+    } finally {
+        $fileStream.Close()
+        $sha256.Dispose()
+    }
+
+    # Verify the hash is valid (64 hex characters for SHA256)
+    if ($fallbackHash -match '^[a-f0-9]{64}$') {
+        Write-Host "PASS: .NET fallback produces valid SHA256 hash" -ForegroundColor Green
+        Write-Host "Hash: $fallbackHash"
+        
+        # If Get-FileHash is available, verify both methods match
+        if (Get-Command Get-FileHash -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+            $standardHash = (Get-FileHash -Path $testFile -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()
+            if ($standardHash -eq $fallbackHash) {
+                Write-Host "PASS: .NET fallback matches Get-FileHash" -ForegroundColor Green
+            } else {
+                Write-Host "FAIL: Hash mismatch between Get-FileHash and .NET fallback" -ForegroundColor Red
+                Write-Host "Get-FileHash: $standardHash"
+                Write-Host ".NET fallback: $fallbackHash"
+                exit 1
+            }
+        } else {
+            Write-Host "INFO: Get-FileHash not available, skipping comparison test" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        }
+        
+        exit 0
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "FAIL: .NET fallback produced invalid hash format" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host "Got: $fallbackHash"
+        Write-Host "Expected: 64 hex characters"
+        exit 1
+    }
+} finally {
+    # Cleanup
+    if (Test-Path $testFile) {
+        Remove-Item -Path $testFile -Force
+    }
+}