This month's Windows 7 and 8.1 updates introduce a big change to both versions of the operating system, as Microsoft is now removing the antivirus restriction that prevented some computers from receiving security updates.
Microsoft introduced a special registry check process in January after the publication of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities , stating that some antivirus solutions could cause malfunctions on Windows computers due to compatibility issues.
As a means of preventing the aforementioned issues, the company introduced a restriction, allowing the installation of security updates only if the systems had compatible antivirus software. In case of using incompatible software, or in case of not installing an antivirus solution, it was not possible to download security updates on the users' systems.
This limitation was initially introduced in Windows 10 (where it has now been canceled with the release of the March 2018 updates) and was then introduced in Windows 7 and 8.1.
Microsoft is now removing the restriction from all versions of Windows, as part of monthly updates, which means that all computers are now able to receive security updates, regardless of the antivirus that protects their data.
This change is especially important for Windows 7 users, because that version of the operating system comes without any default antivirus solution. Starting with Windows 8.1, Microsoft offers Windows Defender, a fully compatible protection solution, preinstalled, thus minimizing the occurrence of any related compatibility issues.
However, the majority of antivirus products that can be used on Windows 7 are already compatible with the operating system, meaning that not all users were necessarily affected by this limitation.
