An update to AdGuard for Windows 6.1: what's new

This update might not be the biggest one, in a sense it doesn’t feature any revolutionary additions or the immense number of changes. But it’s surely a unique one, and it’s because it is by far the most influenced by the user feedback. We sincerely thank everyone who has helped us!

Initially, it was meant to be ’just another release’, but it turned out to be an unprecedented case in Adguard history, so let us go a bit deeper and start from the beginning.

Compatibility with KIS/ESET #1565

Adguard used to have compatibility issues with such antivirus software like Kaspersky and ESET. Users had to seek for compromises: disabling SSL scanning in antivirus, disabling WFP driver or even HTTPS filtering in Adguard. The core of the problem was the WFP network driver incompatibility, and we had had plans to develop a new driver for what now seems like an eternity.

Finally, we did it. The new driver was ready and we were eager to launch the first version featuring it. The outcome was not very pleasant: we’ve received several reports about encountered BSODs from our users. Those cases were relatively rare, but that’s a questionable solace for those who suffered from it.

And that’s when the struggle took its start. Together with the most dedicated testers, we went through countless iterations of new driver builds, BSODs and false celebrations. Finally, we managed to find this exact build that was meant to become the new release.

Just so you can get a grasp of how epic of a journey it was: the GitHub thread we used to discuss the problem blew up with replies to grant a spot among the most discussed threads of this year on GitHub.

We’d like to personally thank those who contributed the most to the ultimate success and sacrificed their own time to test numerous builds with no other incentive other than the wish to make Adguard better:
@BooBerry, @caleb59, @moraks, @skipik, @The-Commissioner, @WhinVader

Thank you once more, we are lucky to have users like you.

Just a couple more words about the issue itself: fortunately, everything is working perfectly by now. You can now run Adguard alongside with KIS, ESET and other antivirus software without the fear of BSODs or other unpleasant surprises.

Compatibility with Chrome 59+

With big news about WFP driver compatibility fix it could be easy to neglect other changes. And that would be so wrong! This fix, in particular, is of utmost importance. It ensures Adguard will run without problems on modern (v59+) Chrome versions. Otherwise, there would be troubles with Adguard cosmetic filters.

Other

• [Changed] The search criteria in the filtering log were extended #1513
• [Changed] Connections are not allowed if DH1024 is in use #1616
• [Changed] The default HTTPS exclusions list has been updated #1618
• [Fixed] Adguard Service keeps downloading data after closing the browser #1599
• [Fixed] An error encountered when adding a filter by URL #1583

For sure, this release is something for us to remember for a long time to come. And what are your impressions and expectations for the next one? We are working on some really nice things to share with you in Adguard 6.2. Stay tuned!