I had an issue recently where Windows updates installed Windows Defender automatically, on top of Microsoft Security Essentials on my TS3 server. This caused MSE to disable itself, and Windows Defender didn’t enable itself, causing my TS3 server to be exposed for longer than I would have liked.
Obviously this was a huge problem, and I prefer to use MSE over Windows Defender, but getting rid of it wasn’t as easy as just re-enabling MSE.
So, to disable Windows Defender:
- Open Control Panel
- Find & open Windows Defender
- Within Windows Defender, click Tools
- Then Options
- Click the last option, Administrator
- Un-check the box labelled “Use this program”
Now,
- Open up services (Run -> services.msc)
- Find Windows Defender in there
- Double click on it to open Properties
- Set Startup Type to Disabled
- Enable MSE and restart the PC
Even if, at this point, MSE hangs. When you log back in again it should be re-enabled.
