Microsoft has released patches to counter the Specter and Meltdown attacks, but the latter require that the antivirus installed on the PC is compatible.
Microsoft has published in its monthly updates fixes to limit the Specter and Meltdown attacks. These patches are normally installed automatically on Windows 7, 8 and 10 computers but can cause problems with antivirus software, with the risk of system crashes with the display of a “blue screen of death” (BSOD ), sign of an error in the heart of the system. In order to avoid these inconveniences, the publisher only installs the patch on machines whose antivirus is compatible. For this, the antivirus must add a specific key in the Windows registry which will be checked by the Windows update system. Here’s how to check for the presence of this key:
1 – Launch the registry editor
Use the
2 – Navigate in the base
The Windows registry is made up of keys which are organized in the form of a tree structure.
- Click on the small triangle placed to the left of the entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to develop its tree structure. Repeat the operation with SOFTWARE.
- Continue browsing by clicking on the small triangle to the left of the entry Microsoft, then Windows, then CurrentVersion.
- Scroll through the alphabetical list to find the entry QualityCompat and click on the small triangle to its left. You should then see the key cadca5fe-87d3-4b96-b7fb-a231484277cc.
If the key is present, then there will be no problem installing the patch. If it is missing, it means that the antivirus is not yet compatible and it is then necessary to contact the technical support of its publisher to determine what is the procedure to follow to obtain compatibility.