Updated : Nov 25, 2019 in Technology

Windows Defender Error Code 0X800704EC: Easy Methods To Solve

Windows operating system has one of the largest market shares in the world, and that is for truly legitimate reasons. You can find this on the computers of both homes and offices around the world. 

No matter whatever the task you are trying to perform, you will be able to accomplish that. Better yet, the effective design of this computer operating system is going to make that a lot easier for you. 

The problem occurs when you get certain technical glitches which show up in the form of error messages

And because of that, you will not be able to use the computer system to perform the task at hand. The Windows Defender error code 0X800704EC is one of them and can leave your PC vulnerable to virus attacks. 

Go through this article and fix the problem with prominent solutions. 

Why are you getting the Error Message 0X800704EC from Window Defender? 

Before you go ahead to fix this error code, it is very important to check out the reasons why such an error message is coming up. 

By doing that, you will be able to understand technical solutions better. Thus, implementing them to fix the problem is going to be that much more convenient. Further, you will be able to avoid a lot of the other adverse effects to the OS. 

This is what we are going to be discussing in this section, so check this out carefully. 

Now, symptoms of this issue are quite clear other than the 0X800704EC error message. The first thing that you will notice is that your computer will slow down significantly. Along with that, there are going to be frequent crashes when you are trying to run Windows Defender scans

Load on the CPU is going to increase and this will inflict a lot of harm to your system. You also have to face a lot of BSOD issues when you are working on your computer. 

Behind these things, there can be the antivirus software that you use, a misconfiguration in the settings to be specific that may cause this error. 

Furthermore, if you have had a virus attack on your system, then the corrupt system files from there can cause this issue as well. 

So, these are the main reasons which lead to this problem. Now, let us check out what you can do to fix this error code

How to Troubleshoot the Windows Defender Error Code 0X800704EC?

In this section, we are going to list all the solutions to get rid of this problem. And by executing the instructions from this section, you will be able to fix the problem effortlessly. 

Run the Windows Registry Editor 

The Registry Editor of Windows can help you fix this Windows Defender problem. Here are all the steps that you need to take. 

  1. Type regedit into the search panel of Windows and hit the Enter key after that. 
  2. As the Registry Editor window comes up, choose the HKey_Local_Machine\\Software\\Policies\\Microsoft\\Windows Defender path. 
  3. Look for the DisableAntivirusSpyware option and remove the value next to it. Make sure to double-click on the REG_DWORD option and make the value 0
  4. Now, shut off the Registry Editor and then restart your computer. 

After you have done all this, run the Windows Defender to check if it is working or not. If it does not, then apply the next solution from this list. 

Get Rid of Corrupt System Files  

Another effective fix that you can try if you are facing this error message is to remove all the corrupt system files. Here is how you will be able to do that. 

  1. Press the Windows key and the X key and from the list of results, click on the Command Prompt option. 
  2. As the Command Prompt window comes up, type sfc/ scannow and then press the Enter key. 
  3. Now, type in the commands DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth and then DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth by pressing the Enter key in between each. 
  4. As you have done that, wait for the process to complete. 

Then restart the system and check if you are still facing this issue. 

Stop the Antivirus Software 

To prevent another antivirus from creating problems with Windows Defender, you will have to disable it for the time being. Here is how you can do that. 

  1. Launch the antivirus system and open the Menu section over there. 
  2. Click to expand the Settings option and then select the Troubleshooting option. 
  3. Click the checkbox next to Enable option for the antivirus program. Click on the Yes button to finish this part of the process. 
  4. Next, press the Ctrl key, the Shift key, and the Esc key together. Right-click on the security software and select the End Task option. 
  5. Finally, select the Uninstall option next to the antivirus software to remove it. 

To finish this, restart your computer to apply all the changes that you have made. 

So, you now have the necessary solutions to overcome the Windows Defender error code 0X800704EC. If you have any other queries related to this for which you need further clarification, you can post that in the comment section below. 

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