windows defender & security center services keep turning off

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  1. Posts : 7
    Windows 10
       #1

    windows defender & security center services keep turning off


    Hello, my problem is that windows defender is turned off, and I cant get it to restart.

    I had a malware issue, after clicking a faulty setup file.
    Malwarebytes Anti-Malware deleted around 900 infected files.
    After reboot I realised that Windows Defender was turned off.

    I went into the "services" program and the "Windows Defender Service" entry was missing from it and
    the "Security Center" entry is turned off. I try to switch it back on, but it keeps turning itself off again.
    I tried scanning for rootkits, but there was none. I also tried sfc /scannow, it does find corrupted files but it couldn't fix all of them.

    I managed to find a download to implement the windows defender service again, but... it wasn't recognised because there was no registry entry ? Then I copied the registry entry from my laptop who also has windows 10 installed. But I don't know why but the register keeps deleting any entry when I import it in the registry.

    I also had no other anti-virus programs ever installed except for Malwarebytes.

    I hope someone can help me here, I really don't want to do a system reset or any sort of fresh install, please help.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 39,789
    Win 7 32, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1 64 Pro, Win 10 64 Education Edition, Win 11 Pro
       #2

    It's possible the malware may have corrupted the files of Defender as well as the OS files.

    Start by running an SFC to see if that fixes the problem.

    This tutorial will show you how to run the sfc command at boot or in Windows 10 to attempt to repair corrupted or modified system files.
    SFC Command - Run in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

    Another option is a repair install.

    This tutorial will show you how to do a repair install of Windows 10 by performing an in-place upgrade without losing anything.
    Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums
    Last edited by Borg 386; 21 Aug 2015 at 08:17.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 376
    Windows 10.0.19043.2006
       #3

    Evilan said:
    Hello, my problem is that windows defender is turned off, and I cant get it to restart.

    I had a malware issue, after clicking a faulty setup file.
    Malwarebytes Anti-Malware deleted around 900 infected files.
    After reboot I realised that Windows Defender was turned off.
    Have a look at Tweaking.com Windows Repair. The latest version supports Windows 10. Go through the sequence and when you reach the repairs section check the ones that undue changes caused by malware.

    Tweaking.com - Windows Repair
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 7
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Thank you for your response.

    I tried the

    "Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums"

    but after downloading the .iso it asks for a product key in the menu ?

    Victek said:
    Have a look at Tweaking.com Windows Repair. The latest version supports Windows 10. Go through the sequence and when you reach the repairs section check the ones that undue changes caused by malware.


    I will try that now, thank you
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 376
    Windows 10.0.19043.2006
       #5

    Evilan said:
    Thank you for your response.

    I tried the

    "Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade - Windows 10 Forums"

    but after downloading the .iso it asks for a product key in the menu ?



    I will try that now, thank you
    Tweaking.com Windows Repair may take care of it for you, but if not you could try a "refresh" or "reset" in the Windows 10 advanced troubleshooting area.

    Refresh Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 7
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Ok I did this option, my windows 10 is now re-installed with all my files still there.
    The windows defender services and security center services are back too.

    But those services are turned off and when I turn it on, it still stays turned off.

    When I go to the Windows Defender settings from the windows 10 settings page, everything is grey and I cant switch it back to on.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 39,789
    Win 7 32, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1 64 Pro, Win 10 64 Education Edition, Win 11 Pro
       #7

    Try running the SFC, it's a good idea to run it 3X because it doesn't always get everything on the 1st or 2nd pass.

    If SFC could not fix something, then run the command again to see if it may be able to the next time. Sometimes it may take running the sfc /scannow command 3 times restarting the PC after each time to completely fix everything that it's able to.
    Also, run this tool to check if you might have picked up a rootkit.

    TDSSKiller Download

    Note   Note
    When running TDSSKiller, launch the program, click on the blue text "Change Parameters" & check the box marked "Detect TDLFS File system." Click OK & then run the scan.


    This tutorial lists several options for enabling Defender:

    Windows Defender - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 7
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Hey all. I partly fixed the problem.
    I used "Tweaking.com - Windows Repair v3.4.2 (Free Version)"
    Had to use it 3 times before it got partly fixed. I ran it while I was using a administrator account on safe mode boot.

    (I already used the above fixes without success I think, but the SFC fix is part of the tweaking.com fix)

    Now the buttons are no longer greyed out and it seems Windows Defender is running in the background.

    However when i want to open the interface of Windows Defender, it only appears for 0,1 milliseconds and
    then it dissapears again.

    The Windows Security Center is still disabled (wscui.cpl) and when I want to activate its service, (Security Center), it stops again after a few seconds.

    Also as before, the "Windows Defender Network Inspection Service" is missing from the services.msc list

    Any idea what I am doing wrong ?
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,026
    Win10 Version 21H2 19044.1645
       #9

    With the severity of your issues, I would recommend to back up files and do a System Reset. Or at least a System Restore to a point before the issues began.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 39,789
    Win 7 32, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1 64 Pro, Win 10 64 Education Edition, Win 11 Pro
       #10

    Are you running any other AV or did you have one running in the past? If you didn't use an uninstaller for the AV, then the remnants of it could be causing the problem. Normally any time you install an AV it disables Defender by default.

    If you are getting any error codes please list those, that will be helpful in helping you.

    As torre suggested, might be a good idea to do a reset or even a reinstall.

    Reset Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

    Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums

    There are also some suggestions listed here:

    Unable to turn on Windows Defender in Windows 7 / 8 / 10

    Restart Security Center Service As reported in this and this thread, restarting Security Center service can help in solving the problem. To restart Security Center service, follow these steps:

    1. Press Windows key + R. This will open Run. Alternatively, you can go to Start and search for 'Run'.
    2. In Run dialog box, type 'services.msc' and hit enter.
    3. In Services, search for 'Security Center'.
    4. Right click on 'Security Center' and click on 'Restart'.

    7. Delete conflicting Registry Entry
    Some malwares adds malicious entries in registry that blocks real antiviruses from running. To remove these entries, follow these steps:

    1. Press Windows key + R. This will open Run. Alternatively, you can go to Start and search for 'Run'.
    2. In Run dialog box, type 'regedit' and hit enter. This will open Registry Editor.
    3. In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options.
    4. In this key, if you find any entry for MSASCui.exe, MpCmdRun.exe or MsMpEng.exe then right click on it and click on Delete. If you do not find any of these entry then it is normal and you don't need to do anything.
      My Computer


 

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