Summary
Version 4.5.216.0 of Microsoft Security Essentials was deployed on the 26th of March, 2014.
On Windows XP, the status displayed permanently became Amber/Yellow indicating "Potentially Unprotected"
After the 8th of April, the date support for Windows XP ended, the status became Red indicating "At Risk"
This Wiki article explains this change.
Please do not use the Comments to complain about this MSE behavior, argue the value of the behavior, or provide creative workarounds to change the MSE status back to green. This Wiki is not the place to share details on how to pretend that the PC running Windows XP is adequately protected by Microsoft Security Essentials or any other antivirus product.
Applies to:
Windows XP
Details
Version 4.5.216.0 of Microsoft Security Essentials was deployed on the 26th of March, 2014. On Windows XP, the status displayed permanently became Amber/Yellow indicating "Potentially Unprotected"
After the 8th of April, the date support for Windows XP ended, the status became Red indicating "At Risk"
This is by design due to the fact that Windows XP end of support is 8 April, 2014
After Windows XP is updated with KB2934207- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2934207, the following message will appear when starting the computer.
You can prevent this message from reappearing by clicking into the box next to "Don't show this message again" before clicking OK.
After Microsoft Security Essentials is upgraded to the latest version, 4.5.216.0, on a Windows XP system, when Windows starts, you will see an alert from the notification tray.
Before 8th of April:
After 8th of April:
You can click the displayed link, which will provide information on the End of support for Windows XP or you can close the alert by clicking the "Close" button. The alert should close on its own in less than a minute. Some users report that this pop-up remains for much more than a minute.
The Microsoft Security Essentials icon in the notification tray will remain amber/yellow (red after 8th April, 2014)
If you open the main Microsoft Security Essentials interface by double clicking the tray icon or starting the program from the Start Menu, you will see details:
After 8th April, 2014:
Prior to 8th April, 2014:
In this window you can also see if there are any other issues with Microsoft Security Essentials such as out of date definitions, or no scan having been performed recently.
- You cannot change the status of Microsoft Security Essentials to Green on Windows XP after the upgrade.
- The notification tray icon for Microsoft Security Essentials will remain Red even if no other issues are detected.
- You cannot uninstall the upgrade and return to the prior version as it will automatically upgrade.
- Note that workarounds exist to override the alert and status. This Wiki is not the place to share details on how to pretend that the PC running Windows XP is adequately protected by Microsoft Security Essentials or any other antivirus solution.
Microsoft Security Essentials will continue to protect your PC from malware and will continue to receive updates to the definitions through 14 July, 2015. However, Windows XP will no longer receive any updates for newly discovered vulnerabilities which will make your computer more susceptible to attack that cannot be prevented by an antivirus program alone.
If you must continue to use Windows XP, please make sure that your logged in User Account does not have administrative rights. If it does, go to Control Panel/User Accounts and create a new User Account with Administrative rights. Log off of your current account and log in with the new account. Go to Control Panel/User Accounts to modify your primary account(s) to have Limited User rights. Log off of the new account and back into your preferred account for day to day use. Make sure that all installed programs are updated to the latest available and patched versions from the vendor, especially Java (www.java.com), Flash and Adobe Reader (www.adobe.com).
Note that the advice to use a limited user account to reduce exposure to malware's actions is of limited benefit. As new exploits are discovered and patched for later versions of Windows malware writers will make extra efforts to use these exploits to target Windows XP machines.
You can uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials and replace it with a different antivirus program of your choosing. Many vendors have committed to provide continued support for Windows XP.
Note also that Microsoft has stated the Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows XP will no longer be available for download beginning 8 April, 2014. A common "repair" for Microsoft Security Essentials is to reinstall the program. Unless you have saved the installer, this will not be possible on Windows XP. You may have a backup copy of the installer - a backup copy can be found in C:\program Files\Microsoft Security Client as well as C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\backup\x86. Do not download from unauthorized sources/archives.
See also:
Uninstalling Microsoft Security Essentials
Choosing an Anti-Virus Program
The risk of running windows xp after support ends
Special thanks to the following:
