Disable Windows Defender automatic updates?

[Pat Willener]

An acquaintance of mine sits in a country where broadband connections
are virtually unknown, and he has to use a slow dial-up connection.

Windows Defender seems to want to connect via MpCmdRun.exe every few
hours to check for updates. He already has Windows AutoUpdate disabled,
but he also needs to disable Windows Defender's own update check.

Is there a way to disable these automatic update checks? He wouldn't
mind to implement this via a registry change, if WD options do not allow
for this.

Thanks!

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Does he have a scheduled scan set to run every few hours? In Tools, Options
(scroll down!) there is a setting to update definitions before a scheduled
scan. This may be what is happening. It should be possible to disable
update within the app completely, I believe.

He might be interested to know that the latest definitions will always be
available at the Microsoft Security portal:
www.microsoft.com/security/portal However, those definitions will always be
complete, so the download size is larger than if they are acquired via
WindowsUpdate or AutoUpdate (or may be, anyway.)

 

[Stu]

Further to Bill`s post and assuming he`s running XP. Has your acquaintence
tried altering the settings thru the scheduled task options? While I haven`t
tried this myself there is an option to run MpCmdRun once only. This can be
done thru Control Panel>Scheduled Tasks then select Advanced>View Hidden
Tasks. Right click `Mp Scheduled Scan`select Properties and then the
`Schedule` tab. Under `Scheduled Task`, scroll down and select `Once` click
Apply and OK. Whether or not MpCmdRun then tries to default back to the
original schedule (after the scan has been run) is anyone`s guess. MS can,
sometimes, be very persuasive in these areas I`ve found Anyway, thought it
might be worth a try.

Stu

 

[Pat Willener]

Thanks; I will pass both your comments on.

Further to Bill`s post and assuming he`s running XP. Has your acquaintence
tried altering the settings thru the scheduled task options? While I haven`t
tried this myself there is an option to run MpCmdRun once only. This can be
done thru Control Panel>Scheduled Tasks then select Advanced>View Hidden
Tasks. Right click `Mp Scheduled Scan`select Properties and then the
`Schedule` tab. Under `Scheduled Task`, scroll down and select `Once` click
Apply and OK. Whether or not MpCmdRun then tries to default back to the
original schedule (after the scan has been run) is anyone`s guess. MS can,
sometimes, be very persuasive in these areas I`ve found Anyway, thought it
might be worth a try.

Stu

 

[Bill Sanderson]

The scheduled job is re-scheduled--not sure whether this happens per-boot,
or per 24 hours. But, at least on a per-boot basis--the job gets
re-scheduled if it exists. If you don't want a scheduled job, just tell it
not to do scheduled scans.

 

[Stu]

Thank you Bill. Why didn`t I think of that ? <smile>

Stu