Not having time to exit, Windows 8 from Microsoft became the subject of real online battles. Forum participants poured each other with all possible types of substances, trying to prove their point of view.
Someone compared the G8 to the failed Windows Vista, while others claimed that the new operating system was perhaps the best Microsoft product. Be that as it may, but today it is more and more confidently spreading to users' computers around the world.
One of the reasons for its popularity was the Windows 8 “protector”. How to enable it on a newly installed system and is it necessary to do this in principle? Let's find out.
A bit of history
Back in 2001, at the same time as the official release of Windows XP, Microsoft began work on creating a new system. Users were promised a real paradise on earth: a new file system, a complete rejection of the tree structure of directories, as well as a built-in antivirus with a firewall.
Vista came out (by the way, she has almost nothing to do with those developments), after which it suddenly turned out that the promises were not fulfilled. There was a UAC function (which was terrible in Vista), as well as Windows Defender, the functionality of which was called into question by all reputable computer publications.
With the release of Windows 7, the “defender” patched up a bit, but still it was extremely unpopular. Then in Redmond they made a feint with their ears, releasing Microsoft Security Essentials. It was already almost a full-fledged antivirus, upon installation of which the standard Defender was automatically turned off.
Why did we tell you all this? The fact is that Essentials is just the standard “defender” of Windows 8. How to enable it?
We understand the issue
In general, when installing a clean system, you do not need to include anything. The fact is, by default everything is already activated initially. Thus, if you did not install any third-party antivirus software, then you have nothing to worry about.
Thus, you need to enable Defender only after removing antiviruses from other manufacturers.
How it's done
So, if third-party antivirus protection is still installed on your computer, Windows 8 “defender” will not start. How do I enable it in this case? You will have to uninstall this program, if possible using a special utility for uninstalling from its manufacturer. This is due to the fact that the smallest of its remains in the registry or on the hard drive will lead to the appearance of a message about the impossibility of launching the “Defender”.
In the lower left corner, right-click, and then select the "Control Panel" item in the resulting context menu.
A dialog box of the same name opens, in the upper right corner of which there is a search field. Enter the phrase "Defender Windows", then press the "Enter" key. That's all. Click on the link that appears, after which the program will be enabled.
Everything would be fine, but ... And how to turn on the Windows 8 “protector” if even after that it refuses to start?
Another variant
Again, go to the "Control Panel". We are looking for the item "System and Security". In the dialog box that opens, there is a "Support Center" item. Having opened it, it is necessary to open the drop-down list "Security". In the "Virus Protection" field, click on the "Enable Now" button. As a rule, Windows 8 Defender is immediately activated. How to enable it, even if this measure does not help?
Last measure
In rare cases, it may happen that a disabled service prevents it from starting, without which this important program simply cannot function normally.
To eliminate this trouble, right-click again in the lower left corner. When the context menu opens , select the “Run” item. In the appeared field we drive the services.msc command.
A long list of all the services available on the computer opens, in which you need to find the item "Windows Defender Service". Next, double-click on it with the left mouse button, and then in the "Startup Type" item set "Automatic". After that, in the same list, look for the item "Security Center".
In the same way, click on it with the left mouse button, assigning the attribute “Automatically”. That's all, the program is running.
How to disable Defender?
And how to disable the "protector" of Windows 8? After all, there are exactly the opposite situations when some third-party antivirus refuses to continue the installation due to the running service of this program. Make it easy.
Launch “Defender”, select the “Settings” tab in the main working window, and then uncheck “Enable real-time protection” in it. Save the parameters, exit the program.
Application Features
By the way, how did the “protector” of Windows 8 prove itself in business? The recall of any computer publication indicates that the basic protective functions of the application work flawlessly. Simply put, if you live on social networks, occasionally browse news sites and listen to music on your computer, you will have plenty of abilities.
So if you bought a new computer with the G8, then it does not always make sense to rush to install an antivirus there. After all, it is already in the basic delivery of the system!