HT TECH wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe

Microsoft fixes Defender bug that creates thousands of files on your hard drive

The latest update to the anti-malware module fixes a bug that created thousands of files on a user's operating system drive, making it sluggish and unresponsive.  

By: HT TECH
Updated on: Aug 21 2022, 17:01 IST
Microsoft Defender no longer fills up your hard drive with tiny files, after installing the latest update.  (Unsplash)

Microsoft has issued a fix for a bug in its Defender security application for Windows that caused it to create thousands of files that filled up the operating system drive. The fix for the issue that affected several Microsoft Windows users with computer slowdowns began rolling out yesterday, according to reports.

Read more: This dangerous Windows Defender security flaw went unnoticed for 12 years, here's how to protect your PC today

You may be interested in

Laptops Tablets
Microsoft Surface Studio A1Y 00022
  • Platinum Silver
  • 16 GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹209,990
Check details
7% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PV 00029
  • Graphite Black
  • 16 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
₹139,999₹149,999
Buy now
47% OFF
Microsoft Surface 4 5UI 00049
  • Platinum Silver
  • 8 GB DDR4 RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
₹98,000₹186,500
Buy now
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 M1866 VDH 00013
  • Platinum
  • 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 128 GB SSD
₹69,890
Check details
35% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹25,999₹39,999
Buy now
55% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹47,000
Buy now
32% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹19,668₹28,999
Buy now
Honor Pad X9
  • Gray
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹16,998
Check details

Windows users who used the free Microsoft Defender tool had taken to the company’s own forums and Reddit to complain about their hard drives filling up, according to Neowin. Some of these files were less than 2 kilobytes, while other reports stated that they saw several gigabytes of their hard drive space fill up due to thousands of files from the app’s folder.

An example of what the files filling up a users hard drive looks like.  (Neowin)
An example of what the files filling up a users hard drive looks like.  (Neowin)

In fact, the bug was so persistent, it ended up creating so many files on some computers that people could not open the folder where the files were stored. According to the report a massive number of files were being stored in the ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Store folder - users can check if their operating system drive to see if they are affected by this bug, then head to Windows update and download the fix.

Having too many files inside a folder can cause the entire system to hang or lag, as the device tries to preview the files inside it. If there are a lot of files inside a particular folder, older devices may not be able to handle the operations and could lead to operating system crashes and loss of data.

Also read: Microsoft is finally getting rid of its Windows 95-era icons, sweeping redesign on the cards

According to the report, the bug affects version 1.1.18100.5 of the Defender anti-malware module, while Microsoft has fixed the issue with the latest version of the module which is at version 1.1.18100.6 which should be rolling out to all users as of yesterday. It is important users install the update as soon as possible to resolve the bug and prevent it from filling up their hard drive.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on ,Twitter, Facebook, , and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 07 May, 14:11 IST

Sale

Laptops Tablets
23% OFF
Infinix INBook X1 Neo XL22 Laptop Intel Celeron Quad Core 8 GB 256 GB SSD Windows 11
  • Blue
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB SSD
₹22,990₹29,990
Buy now
22% OFF
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LI HN331TS Laptop
  • Electro Punk
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹70,990₹90,990
Buy now
18% OFF
Asus ROG Strix G15 G513RW HQ137WS Laptop
  • Eclipse Gray
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹82,990₹101,000
Buy now
28% OFF
Asus ROG Strix G15 G513RM HQ271WS Laptop
  • Eclipse Gray
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹81,990₹113,990
Buy now
57% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹19,999₹47,000
Buy now
38% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹17,999₹28,999
Buy now
13% OFF
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G 256GB
  • Graphite
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹88,058₹101,398
Buy now
28% OFF
realme Pad 2 WiFi
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹17,999₹24,999
Buy now
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS