Windows Essentials issue

[Breelander]

...my Windows Essentials protection has turned itself off and won't turn itself back on again...
When I go to turn it on it asks me if I trust the publisher...
Windows 7 . No other issues.

Runs fine for me on my (one remaining) W7 machine. That 'trust the publisher?' message is worrying. Some malware will try to prevent Microsoft Security Essentials (and other AVs) from running. The first thing I would do is a scan for malware using AdwCleaner.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/

For further peace of mind, you should run Windows Defender Offline.

Windows Defender Offline is a powerful offline scanning tool that runs from a trusted environment, without starting your operating system. This topic describes how to use Windows Defender Offline in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... tect-my-pc

If that is clean, it may be that the virus definitions are corrupt. Manually download and install the latest from here.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... icrosoft-s

If that still fails, try uninstalling and reinstalling MSE. You can get it from here.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/downloa ... px?id=5201

[Breelander]

Maybe it's a chin condense coincidence....or would Malwarebytes changed some defaults or something?

Well, I don't use Malwarebytes in W7, but if installed in W10 it will turn off Defender while it is providing real-time protection, as it does for the duration of the trial. It's plausible that is has changed some MSE setting(s) in W7 when the trial lapsed. If so, uninstalling then reinstalling MSE should fix it.

Malwarebyte after the trial lapses becomes just an on-demand scanner. That should not interfere with MSE.

[88V8]

I'm running MSE and MWB Premium in W7, no problems.
MSE sometimes nags me to do a scan, otherwise it just sits there. There are pretty much daily updates.

V8

[Breelander]

....and it all seems to be working fine this morning...

Curious, open MSE and check the date of the definitions update. It may be that it has updated itself since your problems and that was the 'fix'.

[Watis]

It wasn't you, Snorvey!

There was an issue with MSE, now fixed. Details in this article:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/some-wind ... -problems/

HTH anyone else who has encountered the issue.

Watis

[Breelander]

It may be that it has updated itself since your problems and that was the 'fix'.

It wasn't you, Snorvey!

There was an issue with MSE, now fixed. Details in this article...

So it was the fix (for a bug of MS's own creation). Well spotted!