BITDEFENDER users SOLUTION for BOOTSTRAPPER CRASHING

[Gone2Lake]

Bitdefender 2018 update will CRASH steam when you try to start it up. You MUST disable the antivirus, advanced threat defense, and safe files. You do that INSIDE BITDEFENDER.
Once you've disabled those 3 services in Bitdefender you can now start steam, it will update, and now you can add the steam .exe files as whitelist exceptions.
This should fix you up.

[ShiFT]

Most straightforward remedy:

Originally posted by Hedonist:

Add Steam.exe in your BitDefender 2018 Whitelist:

Protection Tab > Feature > Advance Threat Protection > Configure (besides ON) > Add Steam.exe > Save

It will work. I had the same problem and fixed it without re-installing or restarting programs.
No need to turn off other protection! Just give Steam access through BitDefender 2018.

Enjoy.

[dirrtymartini]

WTF is this? I use Bitdefender and have experienced ZERO crashes involving Steam or anything else. OP upgraded from 2017 to 2018. My install is a fresh copy of 2018.

Please provide more details about these crashes you have experienced.

EDIT: added additional info.

[markkk01]

Yep, this was the issue with mine. Bitdefender 2017, upgraded to 2018 and that was it. AppCrash in Steam.exe
You have to follow the above suggestion and add Steam.exe to the Whitelist and it then works. Would have been good if I had found this before I uninstalled and then reinstalled, lost all my Games and Data., Oh well, at least it's working again. Thanks for the info.

[dirrtymartini]

Originally posted by markkk01:

Yep, this was the issue with mine. Bitdefender 2017, upgraded to 2018 and that was it. AppCrash in Steam.exe
You have to follow the above suggestion and add Steam.exe to the Whitelist and it then works. Would have been good if I had found this before I uninstalled and then reinstalled, lost all my Games and Data., Oh well, at least it's working again. Thanks for the info.

So this isn't an isolated incident then? Interesting. Thanks to you and the OP for the info.

[ReBoot]

Pro tip: Add the whole Steam folder to the exception list. Since this isn't an isolated incident, there's a real risk that while Steam goes on unaffected by BD's paranoid habit to mess with legit programs, games might stop working out of the blue.

[dirrtymartini]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Pro tip: Add the whole Steam folder to the exception list. Since this isn't an isolated incident, there's a real risk that while Steam goes on unaffected by BD's paranoid habit to mess with legit programs, games might stop working out of the blue.

That's a pretty irresponsible protip that I wouldn't recommend to anybody. Whitelisting an app should be the last resort, not the first. We don't even know which feature of Bitdefender might have caused the problem! The OP just turned them all off.

OP makes no mention of error msgs or warnings that Bitdefender generates when an app tries to violate security policy. I'd certainly get more info before issuing blanket exemptions for any app or game.

OP, I'd be happy to help investigate if you want another set of eyes.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by dirrtygsharp:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Pro tip: Add the whole Steam folder to the exception list. Since this isn't an isolated incident, there's a real risk that while Steam goes on unaffected by BD's paranoid habit to mess with legit programs, games might stop working out of the blue.

That's a pretty irresponsible protip that I wouldn't recommend to anybody. Whitelisting an app should be the last resort, not the first.

Whitelisting a legit app is the first resort. You avoid trouble without security implications. How's that the last resort?

[[para]dox]

Originally posted by ShiFT:

Most straightforward remedy:

Originally posted by Hedonist:

Add Steam.exe in your BitDefender 2018 Whitelist:

Protection Tab > Feature > Advance Threat Protection > Configure (besides ON) > Add Steam.exe > Save

It will work. I had the same problem and fixed it without re-installing or restarting programs.
No need to turn off other protection! Just give Steam access through BitDefender 2018.

Enjoy.

thank you very much!

[TWIST3DLYINSANE]

thank you so much. saved my life. shame on bitdefender

[AlphaBaconBravo]

Thank you ShiFT and Hedonist!!!

Originally posted by ShiFT:

Most straightforward remedy:

Originally posted by Hedonist:

Add Steam.exe in your BitDefender 2018 Whitelist:

Protection Tab > Feature > Advance Threat Protection > Configure (besides ON) > Add Steam.exe > Save

It will work. I had the same problem and fixed it without re-installing or restarting programs.
No need to turn off other protection! Just give Steam access through BitDefender 2018.

Enjoy.

[LY_102]

1

[dirrtymartini]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by dirrtygsharp:

That's a pretty irresponsible protip that I wouldn't recommend to anybody. Whitelisting an app should be the last resort, not the first.

Whitelisting a legit app is the first resort. You avoid trouble without security implications. How's that the last resort?

It doesn't solve the problem. It's a poor man's workaround. We still don't know exactly wtf happened here. Just whitelisting without knowing the root cause is simply irresponsible. If this was done in a business environment, that person would be fired.

If there's an actual problem with Bitdefender, which I doubt now, someone should tell them so they can investigate. Not just throw a bandaid on a potential problem.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by dirrtygsharp:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Whitelisting a legit app is the first resort. You avoid trouble without security implications. How's that the last resort?

It doesn't solve the problem. It's a poor man's workaround. We still don't know exactly wtf happened here. Just whitelisting without knowing the root cause is simply irresponsible. If this was done in a business environment, that person would be fired.

If there's an actual problem with Bitdefender, which I doubt now, someone should tell them so they can investigate. Not just throw a bandaid on a potential problem.

Tue problem is well-known, irs called "false positive". Again, this "workaround" solves the issue without downsides. Or are there any? Can you name any downside? As for "telling Bit Defender", sure, do it. I won't buy a BD license only to report a false positive.

[TRΛƧHPΛNDA]

Originally posted by Gone2Lake:

Bitdefender 2018 update will CRASH steam when you try to start it up. You MUST disable the antivirus, advanced threat defense, and safe files. You do that INSIDE BITDEFENDER.
Once you've disabled those 3 services in Bitdefender you can now start steam, it will update, and now you can add the steam .exe files as whitelist exceptions.
This should fix you up.

WOW! Worked right away, thank you very much for putting this out here - Greatly appreciated!

[Muppet among Puppets]

A good antivirus should find bad things even if good things are excluded.