Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid of it

X

xringx

New Member
Its never been there before, and now it its. To make matters more interesting, it has an exclamation mark on it. When I click it, it says check for new definitions. I do, it comes up with nothing, but the exclamation point stays..

Whats up with that?


Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

Reboot your machine and see if it can get its updates....
 

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    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
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    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
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    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
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    PSU
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Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. I have rebooted my machine many, many times since this has happened.

Any other thoughts?
 

My Computer

System One

Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

Obviosuly something is preventing it from getting updates. Have you checked Windows Updates to see if there is a corresponding update to around the same time this started happening?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

You can to Local Group Policy click Computer Configuration and then the Windows Components tab (Under the computer config tab, not user) Then scroll down to Windows Defender, and enable Turn on definition updates through both WSUS and Windows Update.

See if that helps. You can also disable it and use another anti-virus.

I recommend Avira or avast.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Hewlett Packard
    CPU
    3.40Ghz / 2.20Gz Duo Core
    Memory
    2GB / 3GB
    Hard Drives
    160 GB / 160 GB
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

I am using Avira... its the same thing as Defender??? Didnt know that...
 

My Computer

System One

Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

xringx said:
I am using Avira... its the same thing as Defender??? Didnt know that...
Click to expand...

Its not the same, but it does the same job defender does except better ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Hewlett Packard
    CPU
    3.40Ghz / 2.20Gz Duo Core
    Memory
    2GB / 3GB
    Hard Drives
    160 GB / 160 GB
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

xringx said:
I am using Avira... its the same thing as Defender??? Didnt know that...
Click to expand...

Avira is an antivirus on top of being antispyware. Defender is just antispyware, and Avira does a better job at detecting/removing malware IMO.

(Yay, 1st post, and I'm happy to be here. :D)
 

My Computer

System One

Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

Yeah, I have a similar problem with Defender, i.e. exclamation mark, trying to update seems to do nothing. I have a strong notion to just deactivate it! Currently I'm running AVG 8...that should handle all my Internet intrusions, shouldn't it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Centrecom (Bendigo)
    CPU
    Core 2 Quad 6600
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte EP45-DS3 (Bios F5)
    Memory
    8Gb Corsair 6400-C5 (4x2Gb)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire HD4850
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 22" 2232BW
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    640Gb Western Digital SATA II + 500Gb Maxtor External
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 650W
    Case
    Antec Three Hundred
    Cooling
    Heaps of fans...some glow red
    Keyboard
    An old MS multimedia
    Mouse
    Logitech MX518
    Internet Speed
    Dial-up
    Other Info
    Wacom Intuos3 9x12 tablet,
    Saitek Cyborg Evo-force joystick,
    Logitech x-240 speakers,
    Pioneer DVD-rewriter
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

If you have an anti-virus that can handle both viruses & malicious software, you can disable Windows Defender. (Well, I did anyways, and I hadn't had any problems. (yet))
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
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    ASUS P5B-E Plus
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    4GB Kingston ValueRAM DDR2-667
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    Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Packard Bell Maestro 190W
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 @ 75Hz
    Hard Drives
    WesternDigital 200GB 7200RPM + Iomega Desktop HD 360GB 7200RPM
    PSU
    Xilence Power 600W Gaming Edition
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    Coolermaster Centurion 534 Black
    Cooling
    Standard Coolermaster Case Fans + Standard Intel CPU Fan.
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 V1
    Mouse
    Razer Copperhead Tempest Blue
    Internet Speed
    100.0 Mbps
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

I use SEP 11 and it automatically disabled Defender.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

If you use free version of Avira it does NOT have spyware protection.

Avira AntiVir Personal - FREE Antivirus
 

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System One

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    Onboard Realtek ALC889A
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    HP 22" Monitor
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    1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    2 Western Digital 500 GB SATA 3G 7200 rpm
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    Corsair CMPSU-750TX
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    Cooler Master CM 690
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    6 120mm case fans + 1 80mm case fan
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    Logitech Media
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    Logitech Marbal Trackball
    Internet Speed
    Cable
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

Thanks Axon, besides I'm only a dial-up user, so the chances of me getting bogged down with unwanted intruders is much slimmer than most!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Centrecom (Bendigo)
    CPU
    Core 2 Quad 6600
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte EP45-DS3 (Bios F5)
    Memory
    8Gb Corsair 6400-C5 (4x2Gb)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire HD4850
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 22" 2232BW
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    640Gb Western Digital SATA II + 500Gb Maxtor External
    PSU
    CoolerMaster 650W
    Case
    Antec Three Hundred
    Cooling
    Heaps of fans...some glow red
    Keyboard
    An old MS multimedia
    Mouse
    Logitech MX518
    Internet Speed
    Dial-up
    Other Info
    Wacom Intuos3 9x12 tablet,
    Saitek Cyborg Evo-force joystick,
    Logitech x-240 speakers,
    Pioneer DVD-rewriter
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

my product did the same and i use vodafone modem for my interent and only get 2g so not mutch goes into my system does make updates along time tough :mad:
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    sont vaio VGN-NR32L
Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

xringx said:
Its never been there before, and now it its. To make matters more interesting, it has an exclamation mark on it. When I click it, it says check for new definitions. I do, it comes up with nothing, but the exclamation point stays..

Whats up with that?


Thanks
Click to expand...
Hi there xringx
I had the same problem. Defender was showing in the system tray with the exclamation point. Lately, I see Defender updates in Windows Update and there is no Defender icon to accompany it. In the Windows Update history, I have about 30 updates since April all of them under KB915597.
Do you have Defender updates in your Windows Update history?
Anyway, try this MS KB article on troubleshooting Defender updates:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918355
Get the updates direct and download them from
http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/ADL.aspx
It worked for me so good luck !
Let us know.....
 

My Computer

System One

Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

Hi,
same problem here... I did not think of downloading the update separately because the dumb thing kept saying there were no updates needed. That exclamation point was just too annoying!!! I think this worked, at least for now the thing vanished.. shall see tomorrow. For now, I thank you for your idea. ciao
 

My Computer

System One

Re: Windows Defender tray icon just popped up w/ exclamation point and cant get rid o

For the first time the same phenom showed up for me yesterday... exclamation point-ridden icon would not go away; opening it to click to initiate a definitions update produced a "none available" message. Over and over. Yet the defs on file were more than two weeks old. Looked to me like newer ones had failed to make it into my machine.

I write this to reconfirm that the basics of a solution contributed earlier in this forum have fixed the problem (for now at least). I used - and kept - this link to MS itself

How to manually download the latest definition updates for Windows Defender

On that page go to the directions for either 32 or 64 bit Vista (whichever you have) and there's a download link for the current defs installer. You save it onboard, then run it.

After the install, run a full scan with Defender and that's the fix. The defs installer can be discarded.

BTW, I have run both Defender and Avast without conflict from day one of this laptop. Not really 100% sure but I do think it's good to have both Defender and a separate always-on antivirus. (The laptop came with the bloatware Norton antivirus on it.) I think that each can pick up some malware items the other won't.
 
Last edited:

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