FAQ: Manual Definition Downloads for Microsoft Security Essentials

With any technology there are bound to be problems, and security products are no exception. Take, for example, the recent round of botched definition updates that caused Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems to hang. An initial workaround was to disable Behavior Monitoring in the product, which, in itself, can cripple the intent of strong antimalware security.

Later, it was noted that a pre-release version of the definition files would solve the problem, too, and then ultimately, Microsoft released an official, fixed definition update for everyone. The company eventually apologized and communicated the problems.

However, what if you just want to download updated definition files to help solve a problem in the future – particularly if the client pieces are messed up?

Microsoft does offer a standing location to download updates for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 manually and makes available both 32-bit and 64-bit versions:

How to manually download the latest definition updates for Microsoft Security Essentials

Downloading and installing the updates from the page requires Administrative rights to the computer.