Anti-virus update crashing Windows XP PCs

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CUPERTINO, Calif., July 16 (UPI) -- Security firm Symantec has acknowledged a recent update to its antivirus software is causing some Windows-based PCs to crash repeatedly.

In a statement on its Web site, Symantec confirmed it has received numerous reports of machines running Windows XP crashing and displaying the notorious "blue screen of death," even after reboot attempts, Slash Gear reported Monday.

The company said the issue had been limited to machines running any combination of Windows XP, Symantic's Sonar antivirus software version with the latest July 11 revision and software from third parties.

"The root cause of the issue was an incompatibility due to a three-way interaction between some third-party software that implements a file system driver using kernel stack-based file objects -- typical of encryption drivers, the SONAR signature and the Windows XP Cache manager," Symantec said.

Angry customers wrote on discussion boards of having to remove the software manually and disable their machines, Slash Gear reported.

Symantec said it was working on a solution and providing technical support to customers.