Easy Anti Cheat isn’t playing nice with Windows 11 24H2, but happily you SHOULDN’T be affected by it — here’s why
EAC and the latest version of Windows 11 aren’t playing nice on some systems, but those affected shouldn’t be getting the update right now.
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What you need to know
No matter how much testing a new version of Windows goes through, there will always be bugs. That is still the case withWindows 11 24H2, now finally available outside of Qualcomm-poweredCopilot+ PCsat last.
Microsoft has alist of known issuesthat are currently being worked on, but one in particular will be of interest to gamers. Especially gamers that play Fortnite, or any other titlethat uses Easy Anti Cheat (EAC).
“Microsoft is working with Easy Anti-Cheat on an incompatibility issue between Windows 11, version 24H2 and the Easy Anti-Cheat application. This software is automatically installed with some games as part of security and cheat-prevention measures used in multiplayer online PC games.”
Users who are affected by the issue will see a BSOD when trying to play games with EAC inside with the “MEMORY_MANAGEMENT” error.
The good news is that youshouldn’tbe affected by this. It only affects systems with Intel Alder Lake (12th Gen) and above and vPro, so older hardware or anyone using AMD should be totally fine. Affected systems are also found to be using EAC drivers that were issued before April 2024, so overall, it should be a small subset of users.
The even better news is that to make sure as few gamers as possible are affected by this, Microsoft has implemented a compatibility hold on systems that might fall foul. Windows Update will not serve 24H2 to these machines, and anyone trying to use the Media Creation Tool to update will be served a message telling them their system isn’t ready for it. It’s recommended youdon’tmanually update to 24H2 if you’re running a system that could be impacted.
It shouldn’t impact all EAC games, but why take the risk. Furthermore, it seems like the fix is to make sure all games using the anti cheat software are updated to use a newer driver that’s compatible with Windows 11 24H2.
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Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you’ll find him steering the site’s coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon atmstdn.social/@richdevine
