“The service couldn’t be started. The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.”
Windows Defender is turned off when you use a 3rd party Antivirus and once you uninstall the Antivirus software you won’t be able to turn ON Windows Defender. If you try to enable Windows Defender you will face the error “The Service Couldn’t Be Started” with error code 0x80070422. So without wasting any time let’s see how to actually Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422 with the help of below-listed troubleshooting guide.
Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422
Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.
Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422 Method 1: Run SFC and CHKDSK Method 2: Temporarily Disable 3rd party Antivirus Method 3: Make sure Windows is up to date Method 4: Make sure Windows Defender service is set to Automatic Method 5: Enable Windows Defender through Registry Editor Method 6: Run CCleaner and Malwarebytes Method 7: Refresh or Reset your PC Method 8: Repair Install Windows 10
Method 1: Run SFC and CHKDSK
1.Press Windows Key + X then click on Command Prompt (Admin).
2.Now type the following in the cmd and hit enter:
3.Wait for the above process to finish and once done restart your PC. 4.Next, run CHKDSK from here Fix File System Errors with Check Disk Utility(CHKDSK). 5.Let the above process complete and again reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 2: Temporarily Disable 3rd party Antivirus
1.Right-click on the Antivirus Program icon from the system tray and select Disable.
2.Next, select the time frame for which the Antivirus will remain disabled.
Note: Choose the smallest amount of time possible for example 15 minutes or 30 minutes. 3.Once done, again try to run Windows Defender and check if the error resolves or not. 4.Press Windows Key + X then select Control Panel.
5.Next, click on System and Security. 6.Then click on Windows Firewall.
7.Now from the left window pane click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
8.Select Turn off Windows Firewall and restart your PC. Again try to open Windows Defender and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422. If the above method doesn’t work make sure to follow the exact same steps to turn on your Firewall again.
Method 3: Make sure Windows is up to date
1.Press Windows Key + I then select Update & Security.
2.Next, again click Check for updates and make sure to install any pending updates.
3.After the updates are installed reboot your PC and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422.
Method 4: Make sure Windows Defender service is set to Automatic
Note: If Windows Defender service is grayed out in Services Manager then follow this post. 1.Press Windows Key + R then type services.msc and hit Enter.
2.Find the following services in the Services window: Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service Windows Defender Antivirus Service Windows Defender Security Center Service
3.Double-click on each of them and make sure their Startup type is set to Automatic and click Start if the services are not already running.
4.Click Apply followed by OK. 5.Reboot your PC to save changes and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422.
Method 5: Enable Windows Defender through Registry Editor
1.Press Windows Key + R then type regedit and hit Enter.
2.Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinDefend 3.Now right-click on WinDefend and select Permissions.
4.Follow this guide in order to take full control or ownership of the above registry key. 5.After that make sure you have selected WinDefend then in the right window double-click on Start DWORD. 6.Change the value to 2 in the value data field and click OK.
7.Close Registry Editor and reboot your PC. 8.Again try to enable Windows Defender and this time it should work.
Method 6: Run CCleaner and Malwarebytes
1.Download and install CCleaner & Malwarebytes. 2.Run Malwarebytes and let it scan your system for harmful files. 3.If malware is found it will automatically remove them. 4.Now run CCleaner and in the “Cleaner” section, under the Windows tab, we suggest checking the following selections to be cleaned:
5.Once you’ve made certain the proper points are checked, simply click Run Cleaner, and let CCleaner run its course. 6.To clean your system further select the Registry tab and ensure the following are checked:
7.Select Scan for Issue and allow CCleaner to scan, then click Fix Selected Issues. 8.When CCleaner asks “Do you want backup changes to the registry?” select Yes. 9.Once your backup has completed, select Fix All Selected Issues. 10.Restart your PC to save changes and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422.
Method 7: Refresh or Reset your PC
1.Press Windows Key + I to open Settings then select Update & Security. 2.From left-hand menu select Recovery and click on “Get started” under Reset this PC.
3.Select the option to Keep my files.
4.Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process. 5.This will take some time and your computer will restart.
Method 8: Repair Install Windows 10
This method is the last resort because if nothing works out then this method will surely repair all problems with your PC. Repair Install just using an in-place upgrade to repair issues with the system without deleting user data present on the system. So follow this article to see How to Repair Install Windows 10 Easily. Recommended for you:
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That’s it, you have successfully Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422 but if you still have any questions regarding this guide then feel free to ask them in the comment’s section.
