Windows 10: Can't download any files cause they all fail the virus scan

This issue only started happening recently within like the last week. Anytime I try to download a file it gets blocked because "virus scan failed". This happens with both chrome and edge (I would test with other browsers but I don't have any installed and can't download the installer)

So far I have

-Uninstalled my virus protection (it was a free trial inbetween renewing subscription) so it's just the default windows security

-checked for updates and installed new ones

-in the process of doing a full virus scan (it's gonna take a while but I did one not too long ago and it was clear and I haven't been doing much other than uni stuff since then so im hoping there is no viruses)

Still all file downloads blocked

I've been looking for solutions online but they all are over a year old so I'm not sure they still apply or they are only about chrome and the issue is with edge too.

submitted by /u/robinreddhood
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:)

 

Downloading files - VIRUS SCAN FAILED

Hi Everyone,

I keep getting the message VIRUS SCAN FAILED when I try and download files from all sites on the internet.

However can download Windows Updates.

Any suggestions would be extremely welcomed.

Thank you in advance,

John

 

Error: Couldn't download - virus scan failed message when trying to download a program

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that you receive an error, 'Couldn't download - virus scan failed message' when trying to download a program. I'll certainly assist you with this.



However, please let us know:

• May I know the program that you are trying to download?
• Which browser are you using?
• Are you able to download any other programs?

I would suggest you to try using a different browser like Microsoft Edge and see if that helps.



If you are receiving this error while using Google Chrome, I would suggest you to refer the section
"Virus scan failed" or "Virus detected" in the article Fix file download errors
and see if that helps.



Note: Important this section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow
these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.



Refer the article How to back up and restore the registry in Windows



I would also recommend you to create a system restore point.



Let us know the results, we will be glad to help you further.



Regards,

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

Virus Scan ONLY tool?

I was using Malwarebytes to run scans on things I downloaded to make sure they're clean before I run them... but now Malwarebytes wants to run constantly and wants to do virus scans all the time, even though I told it not to (I'll scan a single file then it starts another threat scan on its own).

Are there any good tools that do virus scanning only?