Windows Defender Real Time Protection, toggle button disabled

Hi Julian,

If I understand correctly, you have determined that both of the Services are missing.

I've never seen this before, but there is a first time for everything.

Surely some form of malware caused this situation. If you know when the failure actually

occurred, Paul's suggestion for a System Restore is feasible. However, I doubt that you

became aware of this problem, anywhere near the time that it occurred. And you should

not restore your System, back to a distant time. You lose all that has occurred in the interim.

To eliminate the possibility that malware might still be involved, you should download a

free copy of MalwareBytes from MalwareBytes.com, and scan with it. Set it to Scan for

Rootkits, and allow it to clean all that it finds.

There are two ways to retrieve the missing Services. You can download a copy of each,

and merge them into your Registry, or you can perform a Repair Upgrade. The Upgrade

completely replaces your W10 OS, but retains your Apps & Files. Leaving your PC intact.

Both procedures are described below. You decide which is best for you.

To perform a Repair Upgrade, you Download the Tool from

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

This procedure is very safe, if the configuration of your PC is HDD only, or SSD only.

The combination of HDD + SSD has been problematic in the past, but very rarely.

If that is your configuration, it is prudent to create a System Backup before proceeding.

Right click the downloaded file and select "Run as Administrator".

Choose "Upgrade This PC Now", and the procedure will begin.

Answer the questions logically, and when asked "What to keep", ensure that both the

OS and Apps & Files are selected.

The procedure will run for about an hour, and your PC will restart several times.

Sometimes it appears to be doing nothing, but be patient, and do not disturb it.

When it is finished, your sign in screen will appear. Sign in and you should find that

your PC is intact, with all your information.

Replace The Services

If you prefer to not completely replace your W10 OS, instructions for replacing the services

follow. First, determine the current version of your AntiMalware Platform.

Open File Explorer and click the View Tab. Check the box for "Hidden Items". Then

Navigate through Explorer C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Platform.

Write down the latest Version Number in this folder. For later use.

Merging the Services is less intrusive to your OS, but requires slightly more involvement

on your part. If you elect to replace the Services, you begin by downloading Windows

Security Service (SecurityHealthService) and Microsoft Defender Antivirus Service

(WinDefend) from here https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/57567-restore-default-services-windows-10-a.html

SecurityHealthService will merge into the Registry as it is. No modification is necessary.

After merging WinDefend, the key must be modified to address the current version of

the installed Antimalware Platform. A simple modification. Which I will explain later.

The Services show up on your PC as .reg files. To merge them into your Registry you just

double click them. However, before doing that, you must boot your PC into Safe Mode.

(Settings> Update & Security> Recovery> Advanced Startup> Troubleshoot> Advanced

Options> Startup Settings> Restart Type 5 Come up in Safe Mode.)

After you are finished merging the Services, just reboot into Normal Boot.

After merging the Services, you should be able to find their Registry Keys, now. Find

them using the same procedure that I described in my previous post on 10/24.

You will need to make a modification to WinDefend. Select it and find Image Path

in its right pane. Right click Image Path and choose "Modify". Use the arrow buttons

on your keyboard to navigate the sub-key. Replace the "Version" number in the sub-

key, with the one that you previously obtained from ProgramData.

Exit the Registry and Restart your PC.

The Services should now be present.

Good luck, Glen ****