Q: I’ve been using Microsoft’s AntiSpyware program for a while and recently upgraded it to Windows Defender, as the older program is no longer available on the Microsoft website. Everything was fine for a while, but recently I downloaded a new version (1.1.1347.0) and tried to install it. When I clicked on the .msi file, the install failed with a message saying that it was incompatible with my processor (an AMD Athlon 3000+).
When the version that was already installed tried to update itself through Windows Update, it said it was downloading the updates but they weren’t actually installing. I’m not sure what’s wrong. Should I just cut my losses, uninstall Defender and go back to another anti-spyware product?
A: You need to bear in mind that Windows Defender is still a beta program. In other words it’s a work in progress, so you’re more likely to encounter problems than you would be with a completed and polished program. This particular update has caused problems for quite a few people. It’s frustrating, but there’s no reason to give up on Windows Defender just yet – it’ll be nice when it’s finished.
You need to completely uninstall the version that’s already on your system via the Add Or Remove Programs function in the Control Panel. Once you’ve done that, install the latest version from the .msi file you downloaded and it should load correctly. The security tool will be updated the next time you run Windows Update is run, and everything should be back to normal.
