How to install Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 stand-alone on Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012

Microsoft do provide support for running Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, even though though they've dropped it as a product.  Unfortunately they don't provide a lot of information on how to install it as a stand-alone application, i.e. not via SCCM.

Luckily it's not too difficult, it's just a bit of a work-around.

****UPDATED****

I've recently realised that there's a better way to do this, mostly because KB2780435 seems to no longer be available from Windows Update.

Step 1: Download the SCCM package from here.  This is a direct link to the package available via http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2758685.

Step 2: Extract the contents of 454640_ENU_x64_zip.exe by double-clicking it.  This will give you a single file called FEP2010SU1-KB2758685-X64-ENU.exe.

Step 3: Extract the contents of FEP2010SU1-KB2758685-X64-ENU.exe by double-clicking it.  This will give you a single file called fep2010su1-fepext-kb2758685-amd64-enu.msp.

Step 4: Use an archive utility such as 7-Zip to open the fep2010su1-fepext-kb2758685-amd64-enu.msp file.  This will give you four files.

Step 5: Run FEPInstall.exe to install the latest (last?) version of FEP 2010.

Step 6: Allow FEP to download the latest anti-malware updates.

Step 7: Use Microsoft Update to bring FEP up to the latest program level.

You're done!

****/UPDATE****

First download the right version of Update Rollup 1 for Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 (KB2551095) for your computer's architecture and run the self-extracting executable.

This will extract three folders.  In the FepExt\msp folder you should find a file called FEP2010-FEPEXT-KB2551095-x86-ENU.msp.

Use 7-Zip or a similar archive utility extract the contents: this is the installer package that you can then use to install FEP 2010 U1!

After you've installed it and allowed it to download the latest definitions use Windows Update to patch it with the update that provides support for Windows 8/Server 2012:


I left this link here as evidence that FEP 2010 is supported as a stand-alone app on Windows 8/2012 but you don't need to do anything as a result of reading it.

Update adds Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 support to stand-alone Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 clients

This post in its entirety is the copyright of Roland Paix. I don't mind if you link to it but if you copy any of the content you must provide a link to the post and credit me appropriately.