Windows 10: Defender not Running Regular Scan

Update 2
For those interested, automatic maintenance scan worked only once on 16th Sept. This was exactly seven days after the last one. It has not run since. I checked Task Scheduler (Task Scheduler Local / Task Scheduler Library /Microsoft/ Windows / Windows Defender) every day to confirm the Task ran.

Does anybody have AU version with Defender performing regular automatic scans?

 

Are you allowing the Auto Maintenance scan the proper "conditions" to run? The computer needs to be idle, probably at least 10 or 15 minutes. Meaning you can't have it set to sleep until at least 30 minutes. Assuming the scan starts after being idle long enough, the computer can't be touched. Any activity including touching the mouse or trackpad will immediately stop the scan. If you do all that it "should" run. IME it's a separate, scheduled task for a scan that will not run.

 

Hi Bru,
Yes I am aware of the conditions for Automatic Maintenance to run.
Attached is screenshot from my Task Scheduler (Task Scheduler Local / Task Scheduler Library /Microsoft/ Windows / Windows Defender) from today. This is typical of every day.





You can see 3 of the 4 tasks ran. As usual the 'Windows Defender Scheduled Scan' did not run. It shows (0x2) error.

Hence my question > Does anybody have AU version with Defender performing regular automatic scans?

 

The other three tasks related to Defender run for me and I assume others as well. 0x2 is the issue, whether for the Quick Scan that's part of Automatic Maintenance or a separate scheduled task.

 

In Task Scheduler Actions Enable All Tasks History
Then after it fails look at the History tab for that task
See if you can find any message/info that might help.

 

I can't take the credit but I have been able to finally schedule a task that will allow a Quick Scan to run when I want it to. I have disabled the Automatic Maintenance Quick Scan since its limitations were not to my liking. I can share the parameters for the task if someone is interested but I think this thread was mainly focused on the Automatic Maintenance scan.

 

Bru,

I'm also consistently getting this '(0x2)' on the Windows Defender Scheduled Scan Task just like Jeddie's screen shot, while the other 3 are fine. So I would be interested in your parameters for getting a Quick Scan to work. Thanks!

 

I would like to know if anybody with AU version has Defender performing regular automatic scan as part of Automatic maintenance?

I am just trying to determine if this (0x2) error is a bug or not?

 

Yes, mine does. I haven't set up any scheduled task myself, it's just the default 'out of the box' settings. I left it on overnight and it now shows this...

 

In fact, there are no scheduled tasks for Windows Defender at all, yet it still seems to do a scan if I leave the system idle for a while.

 

As an experiment I left the PC on overnight. Automatic Maintenance took place, performing a Defender quick scan and a File History check (which failed as file history is on a network drive and I'd turned off WiFi). I cannot see any scheduled tasks for the automatic maintenance, Defender or File History, so I assume it must use its own timing mechanism to run these tasks.

 

You are not looking in the correct location for the Task Schedule. The automatic maintenance of Defender (there are 4 tasks) including a scheduled scan are located Task Scheduler (Task Scheduler Local / Task Scheduler Library /Microsoft/ Windows / Windows Defender) as I mentioned in post #44.
Can you check there and advise? And post or PM me your settings?

 

Edit: Ah, there's more than one 'Windows Defender' - my apologies @Jeddie, I see what you mean now. Is this what you want to see?

 

FYI, NirSoft's TaskSchedulerView utility lets you search the entire collection of defined tasks, no matter which heading they fall under. Definitely worth using when trying to find stuff in the Task Scheduler hierarchy.
HTH,
--Ed--

 

After a bit of trial and error due to MS changing some requirements, my created task for running a Defender Quick Scan seems to be working just fine. This way I am assured a scan will run, on my terms. I have disabled the Automatic Maintenance scheduled task to avoid any duplication of efforts.