Windows 10: How do I get rid of a residual Anitvirus- provider entry in the security center registry?

Hi!I have a sticky problem since I uninstalled Comodo Internet Security on my Win11 machine. It isnt removed from the registry as a Av Provider. Virus Protection from Windows Defender and real time protection cannot be activated. I always get error messages.The entry that might cause the problem is here: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center\Provider\Av\... There is a comodo entry left and no matter which way I execute the uninstall procedure, nothing will remove it. I used the Comodo Installation Cleanup tool, it doesnt remove this entry. I tried to delete it in safem

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windows defender & security center services keep turning off


Are you running any other AV or did you have one running in the past? If you didn't use an uninstaller for the AV, then the remnants of it could be causing the problem. Normally any time you install an AV it disables Defender by default.

If you are getting any error codes please list those, that will be helpful in helping you.

As torre suggested, might be a good idea to do a reset or even a reinstall.

Reset Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums

There are also some suggestions listed here:

Unable to turn on Windows Defender in Windows 7 / 8 / 10

 

Windows 10 Security Center Service can't be started

I am also having a probem starting windows security center. When I did the following step: I found the following disabled:

Security center properties

Windows update properties

Security center WSCSV

Remote registry

net.tcp port sharing

internet connection sharing

COMODO LPS launcher

COMODO Internet security

Auto time zone update

Should these be enabled and if so how do I enable them?

I have no defense toward any threats at this time. Please help!!

Method 1: I suggest you to follow the steps provided below:

• Press Windows key + R on the keyboard.
• Type “Services.msc” without quotes and press Enter.
• Locate for Remote Procedure Call (RPC) and Windows Management Instrumentation.
• Check whether the following services are Started and set to Automatic.

 

Windows 10 Security Center Issues with Other Providers and Itself.

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

We understand the difficulties you are facing with security settings in Windows 10 PC after 1903 update. We appreciate your effort in troubleshooting the issue and providing us the detailed information along with the screenshots.

As you have mentioned, that you are using Malwarebytes Premium with Windows Defender. We would like to know if there is an option for reinstalling the Malwarebytes program, in case we need to uninstall and reinstall in future.

However, we suggest you to try this steps and check if you are able to fix the issue.

Registry disclaimer: 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.
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support

1. Press Windows + R and type regedit.
2. Navigate to this location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
   
3. Look for disableAntiSpyware - Right Click and
   Delete
4. Select Default - set value to
   "0"
   
5. Restart the PC and then check.
   

We await your response.

Aditya Roy

Microsoft Community – Moderator