Author: Chris Hoffman / Source: howtogeek.com
Microsoft is now withholding security updates from Windows 7 users who don’t have an antivirus installed. There’s a way around this limitation, but you have to manually set a registry key.
Blame Meltdown and Spectre
This is all thanks to the patch for Meltdown and Spectre that rolled out via Windows Update.
Microsoft noticed that many antivirus applications were incompatible with the update and caused blue screen errors.To prevent Windows systems from becoming unstable, Microsoft decided to withhold this security patch from all Windows systems by default. Microsoft told antivirus companies that they had to set a registry key that flags their antivirus as compatible with the update. If the key is present, the patch will install. If the key isn’t, the patch won’t install—that gives antivirus companies time to update and test their software.
But Microsoft actually went further than this. Windows PCs without the registry key won’t get any future Windows security patches, either. Having the registry key present is mandatory for updates. That’s supposed to motivate antivirus companies to update their software and make life easier for Microsoft in the future.
On March 13, 2018, Microsoft lifted this limitation for Windows 10 users. All Windows 10 users will get security updates, whether or not they have the registry key set. But Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 users still need the registry key.
Microsoft’s support site explains everything, but most Windows users probably haven’t heard about this policy.
Why Windows 7 Users Are In Trouble
If you have an antivirus installed, it’s probably set the registry key for you so you can receive updates. Even on Windows 10 or…
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