Windows 7 RC1 Breaks Some Antivirus Software

Windows 7 RC1 breaks compatibility with some antivirus/anti-malware programs that were compatible with previous pre-release builds of the operating system. Users are reporting problems with:

• avast! Home Edition
• AVG Anti-Virus Free
• Symantec AV Corporate Edition

Some developers are already working on Windows 7 RC1-compatible updates to their antivirus programs. A post in the AVG forums, for instance, states “This is a known issue, and it is planning to be fixed in one of the future updates of AVG 8.”

Note, however, that some antivirus program error messages do not necessarily indicate that your system is unprotected. If, for example, you receive an error message indicating that that antivirus program is still on but is not properly reporting its status to Windows (as displayed below), you may still be protected.

In the meantime, we have compiled a list of antivirus applications that appear to be compatible with Windows 7 RC1.

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