Microsoft defender

Question

I have a HP windows 11 laptop - A6SQPHNH . I want to do a windows defender scan, but it says I can not open windows defender without signing in. I have a Microsoft account ,and when I try to sign in it says my password, and / or pin number is incorrect. Can you help ??

Answer 1

Hi RogerHanna.

Thank you for your reply.

Has your issue been resolved?

If so, and also if it's convenient for you, I kindly ask that you log into your account and select “Yes” under the post that offers a solution. This small gesture will not only provide better access to information for other users, but it will also allow us to work together to build a more friendly and mutually supportive community.

Also, the fact that you have explained to us the differences you have found between Windows Defender in Windows 10 and Windows 11 shows that you have good observation and thinking skills, and your good deed will help other users with the same doubts.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Best regards,

Zev - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Thank you for your complete and quick reply!! The Microsoft community is the best!! It has always been there for me with great solutions! This is why I will ALWAYS be using a windows OS!!

With your solutions, I also realized that windows 11 is a completely different animal than windows 10. Windows 10 has the windows defender security with the "shield " logo, whereas windows has BOTH "Microsoft defender" and Windows defender" with the same "shield" logo. Windows defender works just fine with the scan options, whereas if you try to do the same thing with Microsoft defender, it locks you out if you did not buy Microsoft 365. Trying to use Microsoft defender with the shield logo thinking you are using Windows defender with the SAME logo; it does not work.

Maybe this will help otherers that were as confused as I was.

Thanks again for your wonderful assistance as always!!

Answer 3

Hi RogerHanna.

Thanks for reporting this issue in Microsoft Community.

In your description, you can't open Windows Defender and you can't sign in to your Microsoft account.I do understand the frustration of not being able to open Windows Defender directly and not being able to sign in to your Microsoft account at the same time.

What is the specific error message reported in your attempt to open Windows Defender?

If you can, please provide us with a screenshot or photo of the error message you are seeing.

This could be an error in the account profile, please refer to the following link to create a new local administrator account

Manage user accounts in Windows - Microsoft Support

Check if Windows Defender does not open in the new local account.

If it still can't be opened, please refer to the following steps to check the system files

1. Search for Command Prompt in the taskbar, right-click it, and select Run as administrator mode.
2. Enter the following commands one by one, please make sure to execute the next command after the previous one is completed. DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth SFC /Scannow
3. After the scanning is completed, you can check the scanning information to see if the problem has been detected and fixed.

If you still have the problem, please refer to the following link to perform an in-place upgrade of your system. The in-place upgrade will overwrite the system with the system image file to repair the system while preserving your data.

Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides:

How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Community

Regarding your inability to log in to your Microsoft account, please refer to the following link to recover your account

Help with the Microsoft account recovery form - Microsoft Support

Alternatively, contact the Microsoft Account Security online support staff by following the steps below

Please click on the link below and sign in to your Microsoft account at the top right, or if you are unable to sign in, please create a new Microsoft account and sign in.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus

1 Click on this Windows icon

 

2 Click on “Get Home Support” on the left hand side.

 

3 Type “account” in the search box and click on “Get Help” at the bottom.

 

4 Then click on “Contact Support” at the bottom of the screen.

 

5 Select “Windows” for Products and Services, select “Manage Account Security” for the category, and click the Confirm button.

 

6 Then choose to chat with a support agent in your web browser and after filling in the relevant information, a staff member will contact you.

If you see that the chat is currently unavailable, please try at a time that meets the requirements.

 

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Best regards,

Zev - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist