Windows 10: How can Microsoft Security Scan show 88 infected files during the scan then when finished...

How can Microsoft Security Scan show 88 infected files during the scan then when finished say there were no viruses at all? This has happened the last 5 times I use this scan.

:)

 

Safety Quick scan shows 4 files infected while running,

Hi Gustavo,

I am Dave, I will help you with this.

Are you using the Microsoft Security scanner or Defender?

If you are using the security scanner, the way that works is, when it is scanning, it marks files the may be infected and then at the end, is scans those files for malware, and if none is found, the scan returns no malware found, this is normal, that is the way it is suppose to work.

Are you seeing any notification anywhere else to indicate your PC is infected, please provide a screenshot.

 

Why Microsoft Safety Scanner shows that it found several infected files while running, but Scan Result says "no viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted software were detected"?

Hi Alex,

I am Dave, I will help you with this.

1

The Windows Security Scanner mars potential infected files when it is doing the scan, then at the end of the process it checks those files and if they are not infected, that scan will come back clear, this is normal, that indicates your PC is not infected.

2

Open File Explorer, then at the top, select View - Show - Hidden Items.

Navigate to this folder:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\Service

Delete the contents of the Service folder

Close File explorer.

Open Defender and select the option to perform an Offline Scan, your PC will reboot to perform that scan.

Then check the list in Defender to see if it is now empty.

 

MSERT scanned 23 files infected, viruses/malware

If the Microsoft Safety Scanner shows clean (no detections found) when finished, then it's most likely that MSERT suspected a possible threat during the scan, displayed it as such (infected files) but determined the file(s) were not an actual confirmed threat(s) upon completion.

Keep in mind that Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT) is intended to be a supplement to an existing anti-virus program (not a replacement).