Run WinDefender as Service?

[MikeV06]

How can I run WinDefender so that my nightly scans occur even if no one is
logged in?

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

To complete these steps, you must be logged on as an administrator or be a
member of the Administrators group.


1.Open Windows Defender by clicking Start, clicking Programs, and then
clicking Windows Defender.
2.Click Tools, and then click Options.
3.Under Administrator options, select or clear the Use Windows Defender
check box, and then click Save.

Also, you can change the time for the scans, when you are logged.

I would recommend what the help for the product recommends: Do quick scans,
and do a full scan IF something is detected.

The quick scan works backwards from memory content and startup items, and is
intended to catch 100% of active in-place spywªre.

If you read the help in Windows Defender, it recommends a daily quick scan,
and a full scan only when something is found on the quick scan.

The Windows Defender service depends on RPC--so be sure that RPC is not
disªbled.
Remote procedure Call (RPC)
Remote procedure Call (RPC) Locator

Is the Task Scheduler disabled under services? Microsoft Antispyware
schedules as a hidden task using the Windows Scheduled tasks facility--so
Task Scheduler needs to be availªble. On XP, the job is a hidden task.

I hope this post is helpful, but we would highly appreciate it if you could
rate the pºst, so we can keep the community informed and saves somebody else
the hours of trawling through the web trying to find a solution.

 

[MikeV06]

To complete these steps, you must be logged on as an administrator or be a
member of the Administrators group.

1.Open Windows Defender by clicking Start, clicking Programs, and then
clicking Windows Defender.
2.Click Tools, and then click Options.
3.Under Administrator options, select or clear the Use Windows Defender
check box, and then click Save.

When I do this I get a pop-up that says Defender is Turned Off with a
description that says it won't be protecting my computer. It gives a link
to turn on and run Windows Defender. When I click that link, it re-selects
the Windows Defender check box under Administrator.

Also, you can change the time for the scans, when you are logged.

I would recommend what the help for the product recommends: Do quick scans,
and do a full scan IF something is detected.

The quick scan works backwards from memory content and startup items, and is
intended to catch 100% of active in-place spywªre.

If you read the help in Windows Defender, it recommends a daily quick scan,
and a full scan only when something is found on the quick scan.

The Windows Defender service depends on RPC--so be sure that RPC is not
disªbled.
Remote procedure Call (RPC)
Remote procedure Call (RPC) Locator

RPC is automatically started and is running. RPC Locator is setup to run as
manual.

Is the Task Scheduler disabled under services? Microsoft Antispyware
schedules as a hidden task using the Windows Scheduled tasks facility--so
Task Scheduler needs to be availªble. On XP, the job is a hidden task.

Task Scheduler is automatically started and is running.

I hope this post is helpful, but we would highly appreciate it if you could
rate the pºst, so we can keep the community informed and saves somebody else
the hours of trawling through the web trying to find a solution.

If I go to services and start Windows Defender, it starts and then stopped
saying it has no work to do. Windows Defender is not scheduled in Task
Scheduler.

Evidently Windows Defender needs to run with that box checked?

Thanks.

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

Windows Defender does run as a service--so what you want to do should, in
fact, be happening.

Have you installed OneCare?

--

 

[MikeV06]

Windows Defender does run as a service--so what you want to do should, in
fact, be happening.

Have you installed OneCare?

It does run as a service. However, it is not on unless the Administrator
option is enabled. If the administrator (or authorized user) is logged in,
WinDef gives real time protection and scans at the selected time. If the
administrator (or authorized user) is not logged in, it does not run the
scheduled scan.

What I wanted was to have real time protection for all users (which can be
done by selecting the administrator option). However, I still wanted the
scheduled scan to occur (say at 2 AM) even if no user is logged on. That
does not appear to occur based on the logs and reaction I see in Windows
Defender after being logged off for a couple of days.

What is OneCare?

Thanks.

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

Sorry - that was a confusing reference, I can see. OneCare is Microsoft's
consumer-oriented malware protection suite. The current version of OneCare
incorporates Windows Defender's protection, and thus disables Windows
Defender when it is installed. What prompted me to ask that was your
reference to Windows Defender being disabled.

I don't have an XP machine to test the behavior on at the moment, I'm
afraid.

I believe that Defender should be capable of doing what you are looking for,
as long as other details permit--for example, whatever sleep state the
system is in at 2 AM must be susceptable to being waked up by a scheduled
task. Normally, the scheduled task runs as SYSTEM, so that shouldn't be an
issue, but making sure that the system is awake to run the job might be.

I'll see whether I can either manage to scrounge up a live box to test this,
or do it on a Virtual Machine, but that will take a while. I
apologize--other factors have resulted in most of my available hardware
running software which precludes running Windows Defender--which is a
problem!

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