Windows Defender Stopped Autoscanning

[dklr]

Running XP Home SP3 fully updated.
avast Home antivirus
Comodo firewall

A few weeks ago WD stopped doing daily autoscans. I've
uninstalled/reinstalled WD several times and each time it will perform an
autoscan on schedule once - then the autoscan feature stops. Control
Panel/Scheduled Tasks shows "MP Scheduled Scan" at the correct time; but it
doesn't run (as evidenced by no hard drive activity at the scheduled scan
time or as shown at the bottom of the window when WD is opened).
Manual scans and auto definition updates work OK.
Online searches have shown several others with this problem; but I've not
seen any solutions other than "check to see if WD is listed in the Control
Panel/Scheduled Tasks list" and/or "uninstall/reinstall WD".
Anyone here have this happen?
Were you able to fix the problem (how)?

 

[Bill Sanderson]

This is strange--the scan job is re-scheduled on each boot of the
machine--partly to improve reliability, I suspect.

If you go to scheduled tasks, and set it to show hidden tasks, and right
click the job and choose run, does it run?

 

[dklr]

Bill - Thanks for the reply
Yes, clicking "Run" on the scheduled task does start a WD scan.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Hmm - If you check one of the unchecked boxes within Windows Defender's
option settings, it will give a warning each time the scheduled job is
re-scheduled (I.e. at each boot)--if you say no to that action, it would
prevent the re-scheduling.

Otherwise:

Hmm - the job is there, and, when right-clicked, runs successfully. This
seems to indicate that the scheduling process is fine, the credentials are
fine, and the job syntax is fine. If you sit tight 'til after it is
SUPPOSED to run, (and hasn't)--what is the completion code in scheduled
tasks for the task?

Here's a possibility: The task is running just fine, but something is
preventing communication back to the Windows Defender UI. Are you running
CCleaner with too stringent settings?

 

[dklr]

Bill -
Thanks again
My replies/comments are nested in your last reply

Hmm - If you check one of the unchecked boxes within Windows Defender's
option settings, it will give a warning each time the scheduled job is
re-scheduled (I.e. at each boot)--if you say no to that action, it would
prevent the re-scheduling.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Did you mean there's a box to check that
will give a warning
hwen the time for a scheduled job is chanhged? If you did - I can't find it.
Or did you mean that checking any unchecked box will trigger the warning?
In any event, I don't get any warnings hwen a job is re-scheduled (reboot or
not)
I have all boxes within WD Options checked except for the "Choose if WD
should notify you" - none of these are checked.

Otherwise:

Hmm - the job is there, and, when right-clicked, runs successfully. This
seems to indicate that the scheduling process is fine, the credentials are
fine, and the job syntax is fine. If you sit tight 'til after it is
SUPPOSED to run, (and hasn't)--what is the completion code in scheduled
tasks for the task?

Well, after WD did its manual scan (I clicked on "Run" in the scheduler as
you suggested). I reset the scheduler to the next hour and it ran on time.
I don't know what the "completion code" is; but the info in the scheduler
fields show correct values for "Next time run", Last time run", the "Status"
field is blank, the "Last result" shows oxo and "Creator" shows System

Here's a possibility: The task is running just fine, but something is
preventing communication back to the Windows Defender UI. Are you running
CCleaner with too stringent settings?

I am running CCleaner - but I've running it long before I started
experiancing trouble with WD and haven't made any recent changes. Did you
have any particular settings in mind?

Unless you have something for me to try, I think I'll wait until tomorrow's
scheduled scan time
and see what happens. I'm reluctant to set a new scan time for today on the
chanch that "new" scan times will scan OK the first time.

snip

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Those boxes for "choose if wd should notify you" are the ones which will
give that notification--leave them alone!

That 0x0 is the result code--0 is good.

My bet is on CCleaner. Look in CCleaner for some reference to Windows
Defender, and uncheck it. I think others here know just where to find it--I
haven't looked at the app enough to know where the setting is.

 

[dklr]

Bill -
Duh, after a 3rd look, I did find a CCleaner setting (
"Applications/Utilities") for Windows Defender. According to some posts on
the CCleaner forum, if this box is checked (as mine is), the WD scan history
is removed when CCleaner is run and since there is no scan history, Windows
Defender will report "Last scan: Not available" when opened.

However, none of the discussions on the forum mention that checking the box
will interfere with WD running a scheduled scan.

I'll play around with checking/unchecking the CCleaner box and see if I can
find any pattern re scheduled scans.

Thanks for your help

Those boxes for "choose if wd should notify you" are the ones which will
give that notification--leave them alone!

That 0x0 is the result code--0 is good.

My bet is on CCleaner. Look in CCleaner for some reference to Windows
Defender, and uncheck it. I think others here know just where to find
it--I haven't looked at the app enough to know where the setting is.

snip

 

[Bill Sanderson]

I'd have to re-read the thread to check your evidence. The CCleaner setting
would prevent Windows Defender from knowing whether the scheduled scan had
run, but it shouldn't actually prevent the scan from running, as you
surmise.

So, I suppose there might be more than one thing going on--keep us posted!

 

[The Boxman]

Running XP Home SP3 fully updated.
avast Home antivirus
Comodo firewall

A few weeks ago WD stopped doing daily autoscans. I've
uninstalled/reinstalled WD several times and each time it will perform an
autoscan on schedule once - then the autoscan feature stops. Control
Panel/Scheduled Tasks shows "MP Scheduled Scan" at the correct time; but it
doesn't run (as evidenced by no hard drive activity at the scheduled scan
time or as shown at the bottom of the window when WD is opened).
Manual scans and auto definition updates work OK.
Online searches have shown several others with this problem; but I've not
seen any solutions other than "check to see if WD is listed in the Control
Panel/Scheduled Tasks list" and/or "uninstall/reinstall WD".
Anyone here have this happen?
Were you able to fix the problem (how)?

 

[The Boxman]

Maybe I got lucky but all i did was uninstall McAfee in windows Vista and
defender started working again!!

 

[Bill Sanderson]

That would do it, but what are you doing for antivirus protection now?

Windows Defender is not an antivirus application--you do need one.

 

[occam]

As an aside, CCleaner was last updated 28 Jul 2009 (to version
2.22.968). Did you update, and does this match up with the time the WD
problems started? (In your original post, you say WD started playing up
'a few weeks ago')