Windows 11 is still saying I have a 3rd Party Anti Virus after I uninstalled it

The only (minor) issue is that on startup I still get the message telling me that "You're also using another antivirus program for active protection" - if this is the only problem I can live with it.

Please share your Farbar scan logs for analysis.- Download Farbar Recovery Scan Tool 64-bit FRST64.exe

• If the OS language is not English, rename FRST64.exe to FRST64English.exe.
• Run the program. Don't check or uncheck any options. Click "Scan".
• Add the two logs, FRST.txt and Addition.txt, to a zip archive.
• Share the zip file on OneDrive or GoFile.io, and post the link here.

Note: If Microsoft Edge or Chrome mislabels the Farbar Scanner executable as PUA/malware, choose to keep it by tapping … in the bottom bar, choosing Keep, and then choosing Keep anyway in the dialog that appears. See this screenshot. It's a safe tool used in most antimalware forums.

Welcome Simon Walshe,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum. I am sorry to hear that Windows 11 is still detecting traces of a previously uninstalled third‑party antivirus such as TotalAV. 

You can try the steps below to troubleshoot the issue: 

Option 1: Clean Leftover Files 

• Open File Explorer, enable hidden files, and delete everything inside: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Service  
• Or use Powershell: Remove-Item C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Service\*" -Recurse -Force 
• Restart your PC afterward to clear old Defender scan history that may reference the previous antivirus. 

Option 2: Remove Registry Traces 

• Open Registry Editor > navigate to : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender 
• Set DisableAntiSpyware = 0 if it exists.  Search for "TotalAV" (e.g, under Security Center > Providers) and delete any leftover keys.  Restart your PC. 

Option 3: Restart Services 

• Open Command Prompt (admin) > run sc stop WinDefend sc start WinDefend 
• Restart your PC and check Windows Security to confirm only Defender appears under Providers. 

I really hope that the information I gave above was helpful to you. Please feel free to reply below and let me know if you have further concern on this matter.    

PS: If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".     

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Please run the fixlist below.

• Download fixlist.txt
• Save Fixlist.txt to the same folder as FRST64English.exe.
• Close all programs.
• Launch the Farbar Scanner tool and click "Fix".
• Restart Windows when prompted.
• Upload the output log file (FixLog.txt) to your OneDrive.

NOTE: The fixlist.txt script was written specifically for this user and for use on that particular machine. It is not recommended to run it on another machine, and don't run the same fixlist.txt more than once.