I am experiencing a severe system integrity issue that appears to be caused by corrupted Bitdefender components, specifically Bitdefender DLLs injecting into other applications and breaking core Windows functionality.
Symptoms:
-Multiple applications (notably Steam) fail to launch with “Bad Image” errors referencing Bitdefender DLLs
-Example error:
"steam.exe – Bad Image
C:\Program Files\Bitdefender\Bitdefender Security\atcuf\dlls_267982767700000000\atcuf64.dll
Error status: 0xc000012f"
-Windows 11 Reset this PC fails and silently reverts (typically around ~30%)
-Windows 11 in-place upgrade / repair fails immediately after the “Preparing” phase
-Windows Recovery (WinRE) is unstable and unreliable
-Bitdefender UI still opens and reports “You are safe,” despite the above failures
What has already been attempted:
-Ran the official Bitdefender uninstall tool multiple times
-Rebooted between uninstall attempts
-Bitdefender components and DLL references persist after uninstall
-Windows system resets (local and cloud) fail and revert
-Windows still boots normally but remains corrupted
-BIOS / UEFI configuration verified and corrected (UEFI only, CSM disabled, TPM enabled)
-Bootable Windows installation media created correctly and verified
Although the Bitdefender interface loads, Bitdefender DLLs remain registered and injected at the system level, causing:
-Application failures
-Windows servicing failures
-Recovery and reinstall operations to abort or revert
This suggests partial uninstall or kernel-level corruption, not a simple application-level issue.
This does not appear to be:
-Malware
-A BIOS issue
-A hardware failure
-User misconfiguration
The corruption is occurring inside Windows, specifically tied to Bitdefender’s DLLs and system hooks.
**Questions for Bitdefender Staff / Community**
- Is there a documented method to fully purge Bitdefender kernel drivers and DLL registrations when the uninstall tool fails?
2. Has Bitdefender acknowledged cases where its DLLs cause Windows “Bad Image” errors (0xc000012f)?
3. Are there known scenarios where Bitdefender blocks or corrupts Windows Reset / Upgrade processes?
4. Is a clean OS reinstall the only supported resolution once this state is reached?
Any official guidance would be appreciated, especially from Bitdefender staff.
