BitDefender Takes Down Windows 64-bit Versions

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BitDefender stumbles on protecting 64-bit Windows... in a pretty bad way.

Well, unless it's 64-bits that you've got.

Users of BitDefender antivirus sortware for the 64-bit version of Windows have been encountering severe technical difficulties, as the security software is falsely identifying several Windows and BitDefender files as being infected with a Trojan.

BitDefender posted an update on its website acknowledging the flaw and offered resolution for users of its software.

Some of those affected by the bug report that their systems are rendered completely unusable. IDG Connect quoted users from forums complaining that "EVERY file that is trying to run is getting quarantined … Windows Explorer and even BitDefender update itself is being quarantined. Someone really screwed this one up."

Have you been affected?

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
51 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joex444
    Congrats on using the correct word. Affect versus effect. Screws up so many people.
    Reply
  • omnimodis78
    I used BD-GameSafe and about 3 months into my subscription I installed Windows 7 x64 and GameSafe was rendered useless. I was rather surprised that bitdifender was so nonchalant that GameSafe didn't support windows 7 x64. I reminded them I paid for a one year license and was only able to use 3 months out of it. About a month after I chatted with customer support, I received an email asking me to detail my problems. I just abandoned the case and bitdefender with it. It was my first time using them, and my last!
    Reply
  • rage machine
    People actually use that?

    /nod32
    Reply
  • victomofreality
    You get what you pay for not surprising theres buggy cracked windows copies out there.
    Reply
  • doc70
    victomofrealityYou get what you pay for not surprising theres buggy cracked windows copies out there.wat... english please
    Reply
  • bison88
    First Avast and now BitDefender, I wander whats going on.
    Reply
  • heffeque
    Best AV is Avira =P
    Reply
  • pythy
    Maybe that's their new moto: Bitdefender - screwing your every bit
    Reply
  • I too was under attack of the false positives from Bitdefender ( 64Bit). I was happy to have my (daily fresh) Acronis mirror and being able to restore my previous version of the operating system. I strongly advise everyone to buy Acronis and let it make on a mirror daily (based on a Grandfather, father, son schema) so your always have a restorable version at hand.
    Bitdefender responded quickly (on Sunday) provide me with a patch solving the problem. Yes, it is not very nice to get confronted with this kind of bugs, but is still is men’s work and the risks on man failure will always be there.
    Reply
  • polarbear2k
    Three words. Microsoft Security Essentials.
    Reply