Kb978542, KB980532, KB968808 and KB968856, is a recent update to the Microsoft Security Essentials. It was developed to fix the various issues that were brought to light by the previous updates, as well as fixing a number of known security issues. It also fixes bugs and provides support for Internet Explorer. The main goal of this new update is to improve the performance of IE and enhance the security of the operating system. Microsoft states that the new Windows Defender Anti-Virus can significantly improve the security of Windows and the Microsoft Internet Information Services (WINS) Server. The removal process of this update is not that difficult, although there are some issues with IE that may require further technical support.
The first issue that needs to be resolved when the system is restored to a working state is the issue with Internet Explorer. This is due to the way the update affects the internal firewall settings. The new update forces the use of the same port numbers that Windows Defender uses when scanning for threats, which results in all warnings and alerts being displayed even though no threats have been found. With no Internet Explorer, all firewall settings are disabled, making the system susceptible to the Trojan horse spyware that comes with many of the latest downloads. The other issue that Microsoft has experienced is an issue with the installation of the IE, which requires you to follow certain steps. First, you will need to back up your system before proceeding to the installation process, followed by a registry scan. These steps will result in an error message indicating that the installation of Windows Defender Anti-Virus is not possible.
You will then be prompted to open the MSCONFIG utility, which may result in an error if it is missing. Once the utility is open, go into the Computer Configuration tab and double click the ‘Startup Programs’ option. Next, select the ‘Startup’ option and then go into the ‘Add’ menu and select the Startup item that you wish to add to the startup area. Once the process is complete, the ‘Startup’ options should be back to the ‘Startup’ tab, and Windows Defender should be ready to run. However, the speed of the Windows Defender is greatly reduced. In order to resolve these issues, it will be necessary to download the latest updates and also reinstall the product from scratch.