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Getting Popups that Microsoft Defender found threats BUT I'm Unable to access "Scans" folder

Anonymous
2025-01-23T19:30:06+00:00

Hi, I keep getting the popups that Microsoft Defender found threats. One of the ways to correct this is to "Open Windows Explorer > Go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Service > Move/delete all the files inside the Service folder.
Then Restart the PC."

However, I cannot enter the "Scans" folder mentioned above. I think I do not have access to it. How can I get access to that? Because of that, I am unable to delete the files in the service folder :(

This is my laptop, I should have access to everything!

I hope I can get some help :) I have attached the screenshot as well

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Security and privacy

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  1. David-M 111.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-01-25T13:03:10+00:00

    Sorry for the delay in reply. I've been offline.

    Changing passwords is recommended in this situation. If you have already changed the password for all accounts that you have accessed using the device that was compromised, your accounts are already safe.

    I will leave an article from Microsoft that contains useful tips for you to protect your computer in the future.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/kee...

    If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Click on the "Reply" button below my reply.

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  1. David-M 111.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-01-24T17:40:20+00:00

    This procedure doesn't take that long. There may be a threat interfering with the tool's scanning.

    You can cancel the operation and try again in Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, the threat may not be a problem.

    See the instructions in the link below to start the system in Safe Mode.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win...

    Keep in mind that Microsoft Safety Scanner may report that it found threats before the end of the scan and show no detection at the end. What happens is that it finds possible infections, but at the end of the scan, it does a complete check of these items and may determine that there is no infection.

    This is normal behavior for Microsoft Safety Scanner.

    Therefore, if at the end of the scan, no threats were reported, no threats were detected by Microsoft Safety Scanner.

    As for Malwarebytes, I suggest using it in normal mode. In Safe Mode, simply restart your system for it to start in normal mode.

    In the meantime, I suggest changing the passwords for the accounts you accessed using this device. But do so using a different device, not the potentially infected device.

    Let me know the result. Click on the "Reply" button below my reply.

    Feel free to ask back any questions.

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  2. _AW_ 67,256 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-01-24T06:32:51+00:00

    To thoroughly check for malware, please run a scan with Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) and share your logs.

    https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/farbar-recovery-scan-tool/

    Note: If you are using Edge, SmartScreen may initially block the download.

    Click on the three dots next to the warning and select Keep => Show more => Keep anyway.

    • If your computer's language is not English, rename FRST64.exe to FRST64English.exe
    • Run the tool, leave the default settings, and press Scan.
    • Zip the logs, FRST.txt and Addition.txt, then upload to a cloud storage service like OneDrive, Google Drive or gofile.io
    • Post the share link.

    Share OneDrive files and folders - Microsoft Support

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-01-24T06:27:28+00:00

    Hi David. Thank you for your response. I tried the steps you mentioned and then deleted everything in the service folder. I then restarted my laptop. Next, I ran a Defender quick scan, however, the popups are still showing. Please check the attached screenshot.

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  4. David-M 111.9K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-01-23T20:06:00+00:00

    Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

    Sometimes, it is necessary to start the system in Safe Mode to access the "Scans" folder.

    Therefore, start Windows in Safe Mode as instructed in the article below.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win...

    After starting Windows in Safe Mode, do the following:

    1. Open File Explorer, paste the address below into the address bar, and press Enter:

    C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Service\

    1. Inside this folder, delete the folder "DetectionHistory";
    2. Then restart your computer.

    Then, see if the notification is no longer showing and run a scan using Defender, just in case.

    Feel free to ask back any questions. Click on the "Reply" button below my reply.

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