NOTES:
- Windows Defender can report as enabled at the same time as ENS if the Windows Security Center service takes too long to load. To correct the issue, ENS 10.6.1/10.7.0 July 2020 Update and later allows Windows Security Center more time to load before it tries to register with Windows Security Center.
- WAC enables Windows Defender, if an ENS or VSE on-access scan is disabled. Or if ENS or VSE content is more than three days out of date.
- If you intentionally uninstalled Windows Defender and want it to remain uninstalled, you need to uninstall it after each major upgrade of ENS or VSE.
When you perform a major upgrade of ENS or VSE (ENS 10.6.x to 10.7.x), ENS and VSE uninstall the old ENS or VSE version. It then installs the new ENS or VSE version. - The uninstall of ENS or VSE triggers the action to reinstall Windows Defender.
- Open the Control Panel and verify the status of Windows Defender.
- Verify the status of the Windows Defender services:
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, and then select Task Manager.
- Click the Services tab.
- Verify the status of the following services:
Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service
Windows Defender Antivirus Service
It is a Windows system issue when:
- The Windows Defender services are stopped.
- But the Control Panel shows that Windows Defender is enabled.
