Windows Defender is the Microsoft antivirus that all Windows 10 users have installed by default in the OS. We can choose to delegate our security to this program or choose to install more advanced security software for more complete protection. Microsoft’s antivirus doesn’t work badly, it doesn’t get bad test results and, as a free antivirus, it’s one of the best. However, it has bugs that can be the most annoying, like the one we just learned about today.
Like virtually all antiviruses , Windows Defender keeps a history of the files it has scanned so that if the file is scanned again, it is considered safe as long as the hash has not changed. However, what happens when these hashes are not being processed correctly? That we can end up with thousands of files on the hard drive, taking up space and making the PC go slower than normal.
More than 30 GB occupied by tens of thousands of files
The version 1.1.18100.5 of the antivirus engine has reached users with a very serious error, especially if we are of those who have a hard disk, or SSD, of small capacity. After installing this version of the engine (something that is done automatically from Windows Update), users have begun to see how their storage units have begun to fill with very small files, files that are around 600 bytes, not exceeding in no case the 2 KB.
These files are saved in the path C: / ProgramData / Microsoft / Windows Defender / Scans / History / Store and, apparently, they are hash files (or so it seems from the name) of all the files that have been analyzed with the antivirus. In total, some users claim that this directory contains about eleven million small files.
The problem is not so much because of the space (since, except in a few cases we should have plenty) as the fact of having written 11 million times on an SSD . We remember that these drives have life cycles based on the number of writes. And writing so many times can be detrimental to your lifespan.
Windows Defender has already fixed the error
The truth is that Microsoft has not been slow to fix this problem. The new version of the antivirus engine, 1.1.18100.6, already corrects this bug. And not only does it prevent our hard drive from filling up with these millions of files, but it also eliminates those that have already been created.
We can check the version of the engine that we have installed by entering the Configuration> About section. If we have a version equal to or higher than 1.1.18100.6, then our antivirus is up to date and is not affected by this error. Otherwise, if we have a lower one, especially if it is 1.1.18100.5, we will have problems.
As the new version of the engine is already available, what we need to do is check for new Windows Defender updates through Windows Update . Thus, the antivirus will find the new version of your engine, download it and apply it. And these problems will disappear.
We remind you that this problem affects both home users using Windows 10 Home or Pro as well as those using a business version of the operating system. It has even affected Microsoft Defender, the advanced antivirus designed for business environments.
