From Friday, users of the Windows report problems with the operating system freezing shortly after booting, an issue linked to a faulty update for Avira antivirus security software.
See also: Microsoft: fixes bug causing File Explorer to freeze
A significant number of customers of Windows 11 and Windows 10 have experienced system freeze issues, with most linking the problems to Avira.
According to many of these References on Reddit, the affected computing systems usually start normally, but some fail to load the Windows desktop, as originally reported by Günter Born.
However, about 20 seconds after starting Avira, the entire operating system stops responding, with the physical restart button being the only means to reset the computer.
“Today, my computer suddenly started to hang on startup. I tried to turn off all the Applications background until only Avira is left", said one affected user.
Affected users have found that the only solution is to uninstall Avira's software during startup in safe mode. Despite resolving the freeze issue for some, some affected users experienced difficulties in completely uninstalling Avira Antivirus.
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“Somehow I managed to resolve the problem... The last action was to uninstall Avira, I did it during the 20 seconds before the problem usually occurs (right after startup)," added one user.
“I'm not entirely sure that uninstalling resolves the problem, I tried several things before that (chkdsk sfc, ...). It was clear that something was preventing new processes from running, I think an antivirus program might be causing it... maybe a bad update for Avira?“
After uninstalling Avira, Windows will automatically reactivate the free Microsoft Defender Antivirus program. Avira said it is aware of the problem and is currently investigating it, looking for a solution.
Avira antivirus offers a number of basic Functions to enhance the security of your device. One of its key functions is to detect and instantly remove malware such as viruses, spyware and other threats. This is achieved by scanning your system and detecting unwanted programs.
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In addition, Avira antivirus provides protection from malicious files and attacks by detecting malicious URLs. This means that the app checks the files you download and the websites you visit to ensure they don't contain malicious content.
In addition, Avira antivirus offers privacy protection features such as detecting and blocking malicious programs that try to access your personal data. It also provides functions to detect and block malicious email senders, protecting you from phishing and other scams.
Finally, Avira antivirus also provides features to improve system performance, such as blocking unwanted ads and speeding up the loading time of web pages. This helps to improve your device's user experience and prevent annoying interruptions when browsing the internet.
Source: bleepingcomputer
