running a scan

Question

running a scan

Arlette Nelson 0

how do I run a scan? there are no options to do so??

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3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Arlette,

If your device is operating in 'S Mode', for example 'Windows 11 Home in S Mode', then there won't be any scan options in the typical place they're found in Windows Security.

What Is Windows 10 or Windows 11 in S Mode?

The reason is simple, scanning is entirely unnecessary with an S Mode system, since it doesn't allow the installation or operation of the legacy executable (EXE) file types or the scripting languages (e.g. Java), Windows Shells, or other similar portions of legacy Windows (Microsoft calls it; Classic) which are how malware has always managed to enter and infect the operating system.

In other words, the malware can't actually get into an S Mode system in the first place, so there's no need for the traditional scanning required for the older, legacy versions of Windows that still contain these.

Even if you manage to copy a file containing certain other types of malware contained in something like a PDF, for example, the added portions of executable malware these are typically designed to download are both blocked by S Mode and/or not allowed to run, which means they still can't infect the operating system itself.

I've had the Microsoft Surface Go tablet I'm using to write this since 2019 and the worst I've ever seen was a fake popup screen in the older version of the Edge browser that came in the Windows 10 in S Mode version that originally came with it, though that was eventually replaced with the later version of Edge and I've never even seen one of these since.

Unfortunately, this protection and the fac that your device doesn't have these unnecessary scanning portions installed also means that you can't pre-scan something like a removable USB drive or PDF files like I mentioned for possible malware received from others either, before giving these to someone else. You can only be sure that your own S Mode device won't be affected.

Rob

Answer 2

In general, you should be able to do this via the Windows Security app - but you can also run a manual scan using PowerShell.

Press the Windows key, type PowerShell, and select Run as administrator.

To run a Quick Scan, enter Start-MpScan -ScanType QuickScan and press Enter. To run a Full Scan, enter Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan and press Enter.

To fix the issue with the Windows Security app scan, refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4064223/defender-scan-option-missing-in-windows-11

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin

Answer 3

If this is Microsoft Defender on Windows, run a scan from Windows Security:

Open Start and search for Windows Security.
Select Virus & threat protection.
Select Quick scan.
If no scan button is visible, select Scan options and choose Full scan or another available scan type, then start the scan.

If scans still do not appear, one documented cause is that third-party antivirus software can take over and block Virus & threat protection in Windows Security. In that case, remove the third-party antivirus first, then try again.

To make sure Defender is current before scanning:

In Windows Security, go to Virus & threat protection.
Select Virus & threat protection updates.
Select Check for updates.

For a deeper offline malware check, Microsoft Defender Offline scan is also available from the scan options. Note: if using the removable-media offline tool, a USB drive is reformatted and existing data on it is erased.