The bug is thousands of files

Several users reported an annoying issue with Microsoft Defender, Anti-virus software built into Windows 10. After the distribution of the latest update they started appearing Thousands of files In the program folder. Consequently, the error caused more space occupied and slowed backups.

Microsoft Defender – Thousands of files reside on disk

The bug appeared with Microsoft Defender 1.1.18100.5 and was subsequently resolved with the Version 1.1.18100.6. For an unknown reason, the antivirus program started writing thousands of files to the folder C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindows DefenderScansHistoryStore. These are files with names made up of sequences of numbers and letters (possibly MD5 hashes). The size is very small (1 or 2 KB), but some users reported that Millions of files That takes up several gigabytes of disk space. This caused a subsequent slowdown in backup operations.

The cause of the problem appears to be Real-time protection Powered by Microsoft Defender. In fact, the exponential coil creation decreased after disabling the feature. Some users have shared a PowerShell script to delete the file automatically. Access to this folder requires administrator privileges.

After receiving various reports, Microsoft promised to release a fix. This happened a few hours ago across Windows Update. All you have to do is search for the update and download it. Users can install one optionally Security solution More complete.