MSE is totally down/end support on Windows 7 ?

[SIW2]

It has implications for windows defender offline. If there are definitions already in programdata it can use those, but it can no longer download them. It seems they are downloaded by WU on an installed os.

I have just tested using my specially made wdo boot media.

 

[SGvagon]

Hmm, strange. This week every Windows Update searching freezing my system for few minutes. Then show one new Definition, but after click Install, imidiately show Error 80240016 . Manual update in MSE not Update anymore. The last definition is 1.395.1065.0 from 22.8.2023 . Strange. And in Event Viewer I have lots of Microsoft Antimalware and schannel 40 and 70 errors.

EDIT: Ok after 30 minutes now MSE shows 1.395.1156.0 version of Definition. But strange is, that all system freezing about 20-30 minutes after start.

 

[Bree]

Hmm, strange. This week every Windows Update searching freezing my system for few minutes. Then show one new Definition, but after click Install, imidiately show Error 80240016 . Manual update in MSE not Update anymore. The last definition is 1.395.1065.0 from 22.8.2023 . Strange. And in Event Viewer I have lots of Microsoft Antimalware and schannel 40 and 70 errors.

EDIT: Ok after 30 minutes now MSE shows 1.395.1156.0 version of Definition. But strange is, that all system freezing about 20-30 minutes after start.

Strange. I've just turned on my Windows 7 Home Premium. It's a VM, and the last time I ran it was on 08/08/2023. I was going to check for updates in Windows Update, but WU had already successfully installed 1.395.1158.0. It certainly didn't freeze on me at any time.



- - - Updated - - -

OK, so being a VM, and having a checkpoint for 08/08/2023 I could reset it back to the same start conditions and try again, this time taking careful notes.

Windows Update showed the last check was on 08/08/2023, so I clicked Check for updates....



It found just the one important update....



...but that was just the MSRT.



I hid that and and it then said there were no updates and I was up to date. But without telling me 1.395.1158.0 had again been successfully installed.

 

[SIW2]

How to manually download the latest definition updates for Microsoft Security Essentials - Microsoft Support

 

[Bree]

....in Event Viewer I have lots of Microsoft Antimalware and schannel 40 and 70 errors.
View attachment 423137

I see the same schannel and Microsoft Antimalware errors in the event log. It's interesting that all the Antimalware errors show a blank for the 'New signature version'. These seem to be MSE repeatedly trying to update itself and failing to find the new definitions.



Look at the Source path in the error above, MSE is trying to use an http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/.... URL. That appears to be the reason it failed, it's trying (and failing) to use an insecure link that MS no longer provide.

I also see a successful Antimalware update, after which there are no more Antimalware errors. This seemed to coincide with the time I checked for updates in Windows Update. Looks like MSE managed to piggy-back on the WU connection and finally find its updates. So the answer seems to be that MSE is hard-coded to look for updates on a insecure http link MS have withdrawn, and can now only find its updates while Windows Update is checking, and has made its own secure connection to the update servers.

 

[SGvagon]

Ok from version 1.395.1158.0 as Bree show on his screenshot system not freezing anymore. Maybe there was an issue in some versions of Definition? Because I post version 1.395.1156.0 and then immediately MS released version 1158 .

I bought new SSDs on my machines (I had slow boot times with previous 4 years SSDs) , so this freezing is not HW issue. What I see, system freezing only when Windows Update shows error after install some Definitions. So I am trying search new updates and then freeze, taskbar not responding, etc. .

Maybe it's time to switch on newer Windows .

 

[SIW2]

No problems with my win7. MSE works fine and the definitions come via windows update without any problem.

You might benefit from a clean install.