Windows doesn't adjust certain configurations (unusual system issues)
Windows doesn't adjust certain configurations (unusual system issues)
some unusual occurrences began after attempting to turn off Windows Defender. initially, none of the related group policies, regedit, or tamper protection settings helped disable the program. no matter what I tried—such as using the Windows Aero program (which failed and created further issues)—Windows Defender always remained active.
now I face several new issues: the address bar in regedit doesn’t function properly. copying a regedit URL won’t open the intended folder path automatically; it requires manual navigation, unlike before.
another problem involves Windows settings like the scrollbar visibility for Win Explorer. when enabled or disabled, nothing changes—still hidden. this setting was previously working too.
search suggestions in the Start menu also behave oddly. I used to disable them, but now they appear again.
finally, Bing search results in the Start menu are malfunctioning. previously I turned them off, yet they now display web search results unexpectedly.
in short, it seems something might have triggered these complications? Could it be a virus? What are your thoughts?
i’m considering resetting Windows but hoping to resolve these issues first.
You wanted to disable Defender, but have concern about having a virus "maybe"?
Perhaps a bit more background about why you would wish to disable something so integral to the OS as well as going messing around in the registry which by the measure of this post you don't know what you are doing there?
My recommendation would be to try and back up what you wish to save, like docs, pics, personal items and perform a clean install with a USB installer directly from MS and then leave it alone and use as designed.
.02
I have been using Windows for 20 years and I haven't done anything related to crack, keygen, or similar. After trying to disable Windows Defender, I did so because it bothers me—it runs in the background. I’ve always disabled it before with Windows 10 and older versions, and I haven’t encountered any viruses for about ten years. I didn’t suspect viruses at all; it was just a guess. Also, nothing about the scrollbar feature seemed suspicious. When you try to disable Windows Defender, you might run into ownership issues, so I’m only considering this possibility. Maybe there’s an ownership setting that prevents certain settings from applying...
Did you record the steps taken to disable the defender? If you interfere with security, a reset may not resolve the issue.
i really don't recall but they focused on adjusting group policies and registry entries to completely turn off windows security. i also used a winaeo program which caused issues. for instance, after disabling win defender with that tool, my chrome browser stopped functioning, and none of the webpages opened afterward. i just undid the changes i made.
by the way, i noticed the scrollbar option doesn't work in windows explorer either—it only appears in the settings menus, not in file explorer. i think microsoft is making some mistakes if you ask me.
just give it a try if you don't believe me. enable the "always show scrollbars" setting from settings (accessibility > visual settings), then open a folder with many files that trigger the vertical scrollbar in windows explorer. you should still see the hidden scrollbar on the right side.