Windows Defender Errors

[MrMercyGG]

Tonight, a Microsoft tech support person took remote control of my PC to help me re-activate Windows. Turns out my copy of Windows 10 was corrupted. After she helped me re-install Windows to fix the corrupted files, the PC had it's activation problem solved, but created another one.

Now, every time I boot up the computer or try to run Windows Defender, I get greeted with this error message:

On the Microsoft support forum, there was a post about this error which told me to do the following:

Please follow the given steps to run a DISM scan:

1) Press Windows + x on your keyboard.

2) Select Command prompt (Admin) to open Administrator Command prompt.

3) In the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type the following commands. Press the Enter key after each command:

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

I did so and got this error for both command prompts:

"Error 87: The online/cleanup-image/restorehealth option is unknown"

Also, when I try to launch Windows Defender as an Admin, I get this message:

How can I fix this?

I'd also like to mention that I do not have any other antivirus software installed on my system. I know that these errors can be caused by antivirus programs conflicting sometimes.

 

[Colif]

The tech support person is an idiot. If the install was corrupt then he should have run dism to confirm the image its based on isn't also corrupt

"Error 87: The online/cleanup-image/restorehealth option is unknown"

this is telling you the spacing is wrong. you need a space between the "/words ". The spacing itself is important. The Microsoft advice should say to copy/paste the commands in as they should know that.

so its really dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth - not online/cleanup-image/restorehealth

What version of win 10 are you using?
right click start
choose run...
type winver and press enter

If its Build 1607, I would do this instead:

Download a copy of the win 10 iso from Here - create ISO by telling it you want to make DVD - and then mount that ISO in file explorer (see Here) and then copy paste the below command into command prompt (admin)

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /source:WIM:X:\Sources\Install.wim:1 /LimitAccess
Where "X" is the drive letter where the ISO is located. Simply change the "X" to the correct drive letter

If your version of win 10 isn't 1607, I would go here and click update now. This will download the upgrade assistant that when run will install latest version of Win 10. and might fix this up for you.,

 

[MrMercyGG]

The tech support person is an idiot. If the install was corrupt then he should have run dism to confirm the image its based on isn't also corrupt

"Error 87: The online/cleanup-image/restorehealth option is unknown"

this is telling you the spacing is wrong. you need a space between the "/words ". The spacing itself is important. The Microsoft advice should say to copy/paste the commands in as they should know that.

so its really dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth - not online/cleanup-image/restorehealth

What version of win 10 are you using?
right click start
choose run...
type winver and press enter

If its Build 1607, I would do this instead:

Download a copy of the win 10 iso from Here - create ISO by telling it you want to make DVD - and then mount that ISO in file explorer (see Here) and then copy paste the below command into command prompt (admin)

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /source:WIM:X:\Sources\Install.wim:1 /LimitAccess
Where "X" is the drive letter where the ISO is located. Simply change the "X" to the correct drive letter

If your version of win 10 isn't 1607, I would go here and click update now. This will download the upgrade assistant that when run will install latest version of Win 10. and might fix this up for you.,

Sorry for the late reply.

I did manage to successfully start the DISM by adding spaces in the command and it turned up no errors or problems, but upon restart my errors persisted.

I then downloaded a fresh copy of the Windows 10 ISO, mounted it as a DVD, and used your command in the command prompt. Again, no errors as the process completed successfully. I figured that since the DISM that I had just run wasn't for the actual copy of Windows installed on my system, that I had to install the ISO. According to the DISM, there were no errors with the ISO anyway, so I re-installed Windows 10 from the freshly-downloaded and DISM-checked ISO. After it completed, the errors persisted.

So DISM is telling me there are no issues, and yet I'm still experiencing the same errors. What is my next course of action? Could this possibly be a hardware issue instead? If it is, what hardware needs to be replaced?

Also, it's worth noting that while I still get the error messages on the Administrator account I created after this whole issue started occurring and I'm still unable to access Windows Defender, I am not blocked from accessing key system windows such as Device Manager on the Admin account like I am on my main account (Which also does have Admin privileges)

 

[Colif]

DISM just fixes the image that win 10 would use to do a reset. It is also the file SFC /scannow uses to fix system files so can try

right click start button
choose command prompt (admin)
type SFC /scannow and press enter

and see if it helps at all.

If your ISO had been wrong version you would have got another error. Seems you just cleaned it twice.

did you try the solution in bottom post here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/windows-defender-error-code-0x80070426/12a3affc-1487-4ea5-9b17-a9e5ff56aab3

 

[MrMercyGG]

DISM just fixes the image that win 10 would use to do a reset. It is also the file SFC /scannow uses to fix system files so can try

right click start button
choose command prompt (admin)
type SFC /scannow and press enter

and see if it helps at all.

If your ISO had been wrong version you would have got another error. Seems you just cleaned it twice.

did you try the solution in bottom post here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/windows-defender-error-code-0x80070426/12a3affc-1487-4ea5-9b17-a9e5ff56aab3

Yes, I did try that previously when I was finally able to figure out how to to input it and it completed successfully but did not fix the problem. I am currently running the SFC /scannow command as I type this and I will update this post with my results when it's finished.

Update: SFC /scannow returned with this:

Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some
of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For
example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. Note that logging is currently not
supported in offline servicing scenarios.

For added help, I've uploaded the CBS.log file here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/svfp8vo6w81ah9l/CBS.log

 

[MrMercyGG]

FINALLY. ITS FIXED.

I got a new hard drive, installed windows on it and POOF. PROBLEM FIXED. So yes, it was something corrupted on my hard drive causing that error, probably something having to do with the way the tech person took control of my PC that one time.

So if you are getting this error, a new hard drive will solve your problem. Just be sure to back up your stuff beforehand.

if someone can quote this post so I can post it as the solution, id appreciate it. I can't choose my own posts as the solution.