Forum Discussion
Windows Security hangs on Full Scan?
Hi guys,
I've had a bit of time on my hands this week so decided to do a bit of system maintenance... I appear to have an issue with Security, I've tried several times now, and after updates, sfc etc., and I still can't get it to complete.
From memory, I've sure I used to run Full Scans and they'd take about an hour? My current attempts just appear to be hanging at varying stages of the scan.
Any ideas?
13 Replies
The reason for this problem may be -> not enough space on the C drive - you need to have about 15 G of free space, it is best to delete the cache beforehand, restart the computer, and then perform a full security scan.
- I have over 800GB free space on the drive.
- Do you see any change on number of files scanned?
How long it has been in this condition?
Are you able to perform a quick scan?
To diagnose the problem, you may try using Performance analyzer for Microsoft Defender, have a look at:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/defender-endpoint/tune-performance-defender-antivirus?view=o365-worldwide- Thanks! Every time I run the Full Scan, it inveriably hangs on a different number of files, so it's not like it's getting stuck on just one file.
I reckon it's been like this for a month now? Quick Scans and the automatic background scan run and report their findings fine.
I'll check out your link and report back, thank you!- Hi Slipd!
Hope you are doing well, I wish to help you with this issue!
Wondering if you are able to run a Windows Offline Scan and if it works?
Are all your Security Updates in order and Windows is all up to date?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help-protect-my-pc-with-microsoft-defender-offline-9306d528-64bf-4668-5b80-ff533f183d6c#:~:text=How%20do%20I%20use%20Microsoft%20Defender%20Offline%201,Defender%20Offline%20scan%2C%20and%20then%20select%20Scan%20now.
Thank you!
God bless,
Shawn
