Microsoft Security Essentials is not Compatible with Windows 8

by Venkat eswarlu on April 6, 2012

in Windows

All users by now may know that in Windows 8 Microsoft offers rebranded Microsoft Security Essentials as Windows Defender which offers same malware protection as that of MSE. If you try to install MSE on Windows 8 CP now it won’t install and shows “this program has compatibility issues dialog”, why MSE is not compatible with Windows 8? MSE works fine in Windows 7 then why not in Windows 8? read below to know the reasons behind this.

MSE will not work in Windows 8

I’ve covered  installing MSE on Windows 8 post when Windows 8 DP was released and that time it was installed fine without any problems or errors. Now what happened with Consumer preview? Microsoft released an application compatibility release update 2685194 for Windows 8 CP that introduces hard block on MSE since it is incompatible and this hard block prevents MSE from running in Windows 8.

MSE has compatibility issues thumb Microsoft Security Essentials is not Compatible with Windows 8

No MSE in Windows 8 final?

We don’t know or can’t confirm  whether Microsoft adds support for MSE in Windows 8 final release, but from the Windows 8 FAQ page on Microsoft website hints that we may not to see MSE in Windows 8 final.

“Windows 8 Consumer Preview comes with Windows Defender, which has been improved in Windows 8 to provide the same level of malware protection as Microsoft Security Essentials. You do not need to install Microsoft Security Essentials and it will not work with Windows 8. Microsoft will continue to provide and improve Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. If you’re upgrading to Windows 8 Consumer Preview, you should uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials first. For information on uninstalling Microsoft Security Essentials, see How to manually uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials.”

We don’t need to worry about this because Windows Defender offers the same protection.

Some guesses: Microsoft Windows 7 offers Windows Defender anti-spyware which already there when MSE is introduced, so a thought of why to offer two security products where by merging MSE+Windows Defender the malware protection can be offered through Windows Defender, since MSE is incompatible in Windows 8, Windows Defender given the role of securing Windows 8 PCs. What do you think?

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Zlftcav April 7, 2012 at 3:09 am

Only Microbrain could release a product that wasn’t compatible with it’s other products. Makes perfect marketing sense, they will simply do like they did when they released Windows 98; release half a product and then charge you for the disk that fixes all the problems they engineered into it in the first place. If it wasn’t for all the stuff Microsoft stole from other companies and the illegal activities Microsoft wouldn’t be half the company it is today

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JoeSchmuck April 18, 2012 at 11:09 pm

Macrohard is notoriously bad at naming their products and causing great layman confusion. The only reason I can figure as to why they didn’t rename Windows Defender to Windows Security Essentials in Windows 8 (like how they renamed Microsoft Internet Explorer to Windows Internet Explorer long ago), is to work around all the “not fair to include this or that in Windows” BS. So they just kept the Windows Defender name since it’s already there in previous Windows. Maybe after 8 comes out they will update 7 and Vista’s Defender and drop MSE? naaaaaaahh…..

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Jim December 1, 2012 at 3:15 am

I just purchased a new computer with windows 8. It came with a 30 day Norton Anti-virus. Since windows 8 already has Windows Defender for 8, is this needed? If not, should I uninstall all of Norton and its components?

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Venkat December 1, 2012 at 7:00 am

If you wish you can continue use Norton AV for 30 days or you can uninstall it right now and install any other av or stick with Windows defender on Windows 8.
We’ve recently covered new Windows 8 PCs coming with crpaware, you can remove not one but all trial versions automatically with PC Decrapifier.
Read and use it from below article
http://techdows.com/2012/11/remove-crapware-from-windows-8-pcs.html

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