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#1
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uninstall Windows Defender
I installed Microsoft Security Essentials, then uninstalled it. Now
when I do Windows Update it keeps trying to install "Definition Update for Windows Defender" as an "important" package. How can I instruct Windows to completely uninstall Windows Defender so it doesn't keep trying to install updates for it? There's nothing in Control Panel / Uninstall programs for Defender. ty |
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#3
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uninstall Windows Defender
invalid, incapable of picking a nym, wrote:
I installed Microsoft Security Essentials, then uninstalled it. (but get updates for Defender) Those are two DIFFERENT security programs. That would be like installing MS Word and CCleaner, uninstalling MS Word, and expecting CCleaner to never get updates thereafter. Now when I do Windows Update it keeps trying to install "Definition Update for Windows Defender" as an "important" package. Because Defender in an integrated aka embedded program in Windows. Users can disable Defender. They cannot uninstall it. Why would you want to uninstall all other security software and use Defender? Only in Windows 8 did Defender move from a spyware-only detector to including anti-virus detection. Defender protects you little on Windows 7 and only against a specific category of unwanted software. Why would you downgrade from anti-virus software to spyware-only software? MS Security Essentials is better than Defender, yet you uninstalled MSE and want to disable Defender. Do you plan wandering the Internet while nude of any anti-malware protection? The WU client is going to see Defender is there. So it queries the catalog to find if there are updates to it. Why do you care about updating Defender, especially if it is quiescent (you disabled it)? How can I instruct Windows to completely uninstall Windows Defender so it doesn't keep trying to install updates for it? There's nothing in Control Panel / Uninstall programs for Defender. Disable Defender. Go into Defender's own settings and disable its on-access (real-time) protection. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...nder-antivirus Then disable its service; however, as I recall, its service is configured for Manual startup. That means its service doesn't start unless requested by a caller - but you disabled the caller. For me, the "Windows Defender" service is set to Manual but I may have set it that way when I disabled Microsoft's crappy solution. https://www.raymond.cc/blog/how-to-d...nder-in-vista/ I did both options (in reverse order): first going into Defender's settings and disabling it and then changing (or ensuring) its service does not load on Windows startup (something other than Automatic). However, that won't prevent the Windows Update client from seeing the Defender files and finding if there are updates to it. Why do you not want Defender to get updated? Updating it doesn't enable it. The WU client used to keep reporting updates to Skype. I don't have Skype installed on my computer. However, MS Office incorporates some Skype features and that's probably what keeps triggering the Skype updates. I select to hide those updates each time they appear. I'm not installing Skype to then update it for a program that I don't want but that won't stop the WU client from finding there are applicable updates for Skype. Are you sure you are seeing an update to Defender and perhaps instead are seeing the Malicious Software Removal Tool offered? That shows up monthly. It is not an update. It is an self-contained malware scanner that downloads, runs, reports if it found malware (within its limited database), and then should delete its downloaded file (if it found no malware in its limited list) - until the next month when it gets offered again. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...-software-remo |
#4
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uninstall Windows Defender
"Windows Defender" is a service enable by the OS. You can disable it
with msconfig or equivalent. See my 3/31 posting below. I left it 'cause can use all protection available and I don't think it's heavy on resources. |
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