Problem with Windows Defender

[stantonarch]

All the buttons on the "Virus & threat protection" settings page are forced on and can't be turned off. For example, if I try to temporarily turn off real-time protection, the button just bounces back to on. I know the settings can be changed through group policy, registry, etc. but I should just be able to use the buttons. They shouldn't be locked like that. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Wolfie]

Hi stantonarch,

the first question is what version of Win 10 are you running and are you fully up-to-date?:

https://www.windows10forums.com/threads/how-to-upgrade-windows-10-to-the-latest-version.13015/

 

[davehc]

Try, in the settings - update, to see if there are any pending virus definitions. That can sometimes be the source.
Assuming you are the Administrator, scroll down a little and, temporarily, turn OFF the Tamper protection and try again.

 

[stantonarch]

Hi stantonarch,

the first question is what version of Win 10 are you running and are you fully up-to-date?:

https://www.windows10forums.com/threads/how-to-upgrade-windows-10-to-the-latest-version.13015/

Hi Wolfie. I'm running Windows 10 Pro, version 1909, build 18363.752 and fully up to date.

 

[stantonarch]

Try, in the settings - update, to see if there are any pending virus definitions. That can sometimes be the source.
Assuming you are the Administrator, scroll down a little and, temporarily, turn OFF the Tamper protection and try again.

There are no pending virus definitions. I can't turn off tamper protection, all the buttons are locked.

 

[davehc]

Do you have another virus program resident - maybe Bitdefender?

 

[Rab89]

Have you another Antivirus installed? Defender can't function if there is. One antivirus Avast, if it is also installed, can be extremely hard to uninstall completely.

 

[stantonarch]

I don't have another antivirus installed. I'm only using Windows Security / Windows Defender.

 

[Wolfie]

Take a look at the following link to see if you can find something to help you:

Windows threat protection

Describes the security capabilities in Windows client focused on threat protection

docs.microsoft.com

Failing that, you can try Advanced Startup and troubleshoot your system there!

Advanced Startup Options

If you run in to serious problems with Windows 10, you may need to access the advanced startup options to begin troubleshooting your issue. Many of our other articles will refer to this page as an initial step, to avoid duplication. From this...

www.windows10forums.com

Let us know how you get on please.