These calls may cause stop errors (also known as blue screen errors) that make the device unable to boot. Just think of the number of times historically that Microsoft has used installation blocks due to interaction with antivirus products.Īs Microsoft explained one case in 2018: “The compatibility issue arises when antivirus applications make unsupported calls into Windows kernel memory. (Even with Windows 10, it’s important to ensure users are running a supported version of antivirus.) Some users also saw side effects with browsers and had to uninstall or reinstall their antivirus software to get their browser working properly. Early in the Windows 7 release cycle, I regularly advised users to uninstall antivirus software before applying security updates or service packs to avoid problems. I’ve tracked patch installations on Windows platforms for years and have often seen bad interactions between antivirus software and Windows updates. I have often thought that no antivirus software is better than the various options available.

Windows 7 built in antivirus