FIX: Windows 10 prevents antivirus installation

In today’s Internet world, it is very dangerous to run your computer without any protection. So, people install antivirus programs to keep their computer as safe as possible.

But the new operating system always brings some problems with itself, and this time Windows 10 caused problems with installing antivirus software to some users.

Your antivirus software should work just fine on the new Windows operating system, but if you’re unable to install it for some reason, follow the instructions below, and hopefully, you’ll solve the problem.

Several users reported that they are unable to install antivirus on their Windows 10 PC. Regarding antivirus problems, users reported the following issues:

• Not able to install antivirus on Windows 10 – According to users, some of them are unable to install antivirus on their Windows 10 PC. This can occur if your antivirus isn’t compatible with Windows 10.
• Virus blocking antivirus installation – Sometimes malware can prevent you from installing your antivirus. To fix that, you need to create a rescue disk on a different PC and use it remove the malware.
• Antivirus program won’t install – In some cases, your antivirus won’t install due to file corruption. However, you can fix the problem by running DISM and SFC scans.
• Computer won’t let me install antivirus – In certain cases, you can’t install an antivirus on Windows 10. This can happen due to certain third-party applications, so be sure to remove them.

What do I do if Windows 10 prevents installing an antivirus?

1. Turn off Windows Defender

1. Go to the Settings app, and then to Update and security.
   
2. Go to Windows Defender tab and click on Open Windows Defender Security Center.
   
3. Navigate to Virus & threat protection.
   
4. Select Virus & threat protection settings.
   
5. Uncheck Real-time protection.
   

Windows Defender is Microsoft’s built-in security tool, which protects your Windows 10 if you don’t have any other antivirus installed.

It shouldn’t make any problems with the third-party antivirus, but maybe some features of the antivirus conflict with Windows Defender, and that’s why you can’t install it.

So, try to turn off Windows Defender, and then install the third-party antivirus.

Now your Windows Defender is disabled, and you can try to install your antivirus program again.

2. Check if your antivirus is compatible with Windows 10

If you’re using some less famous antivirus, there’s a chance that it’s not compatible with Windows 10.

So, just in case, check out our list of all antivirus programs that are compatible with Windows 10, and if your antivirus is not on the list, you should consider getting a new protector of your system.

If you’re looking for antivirus that works with Windows 10, we have already given you a couple of recommendations in Solution 3.

3. Make sure you don’t have any other antivirus installed

You should know that two antivirus programs don’t function well together, so if you already have some other antivirus installed, you should uninstall it before you try to install the new one.

There’s a chance that you didn’t even know that you have another antivirus on your computer, as it maybe came as a bloatware, along with another software you installed on purpose.

So, head to Control Panel, then click on Programs and features, and if you have any other antivirus installed, just uninstall it and try to install your desired antivirus again.

Then again, you could choose an alternative antivirus altogether, one that doesn’t any compatibility issues at all, such as the one recommended below.

This solution is rated as being one of the top antivirus tools in the world in terms of sheer protection, and that is thanks to the constant live scanning features that do not slow your PC down in any way.

ESET HOME Security Essential

Try an antivirus that is really protecting your data but doesn’t interfere with your programs.

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4. Remove problematic applications

Sometimes third-party applications on your PC can interfere with your system and cause this problem to appear.

To fix the issue, you need to find and remove that application from your PC. Users reported that applications such as System Mechanic can cause this issue to appear, so be sure to remove them from your PC.

In order to completely remove an application, you need to use uninstaller software. These tools are designed to remove all files and registry entries associated with the problematic application, so be sure to use one for your applications.

Dedicated uninstaller software not only will remove any apps that are preventing you from installing an antivirus, but it will get rid of residual files as well since this too can contribute to such issue.

5. Run a SFC and DISM scans

5.1 Run a SFC scan

1. Press Windows Key + S, type cmd, and click on Run as administrator to open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. If Command Prompt isn’t available, you can also use PowerShell (Admin).
3. When Command Prompt starts, enter the following command and press Enter to run it: sfc /scannow
   
4. SFC scan will now start. This scan can take about 15 minutes, so be sure not to interrupt it.

Once the SFC scan is finished, check if the problem still persists. If the issue is still present, or if you were unable to run SFC scan, you’ll have to run DISM scan as well.

5.2 Run a DISM scan

1. Start Command Prompt as administrator as shown in the previous solution.
2. When Command Prompt starts, enter the following line, and press Enter: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
3. DISM scan will now start. This scan can take up to 20 minutes or more, so don’t interrupt it.

When the DISM scan is finished, check if the problem still persists. If the problem is still present, or if you were unable to run SFC scan before, try to run it again. After running SFC scan again, the issue should be resolved.

If your Windows 10 prevents antivirus install, the issue might be file corruption. Your system files can become corrupted and that can lead to this and many other problems.

Fortunately, there are several ways to fix file corruption on your PC. One of the easiest ways is to run an SFC scan.

SFC scan is designed to repair a corrupted Windows 10 installation.

6.  Clean your PC with a dedicated tool

According to users, sometimes this issue can be caused by temporary files on your PC. To fix this problem, you need to remove temporary files.

There are several ways to do it, and the simplest one might be to use a dedicated tool. You already have the Disk Cleanup tool embedded in Windows but that doesn’t have too many features.

If you want to use a more complex tool, you might want to try using Ashampoo WinOptimizer.

This tool comes with advanced features and it will clean your temporary files as well as your registry, so feel free to try it out.

7. Perform a Clean boot

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter msconfig.
2. Press Enter or click OK.
   
3. System Configuration window will now open. Navigate to Services window and check Hide all Microsoft services.
4. Click the Disable all button.
   
5. Navigate to Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager.
   
6. A list of startup applications will appear. Right-click the first item on the list and choose Disable from the menu.
7. Repeat this step for all startup applications on the list.
   
8. After disabling all startup applications, close Task Manager and go back to System Configuration window.
9. Now click on Apply and OK to save the changes.
   
10. After doing that, restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved.

Third-party applications can interfere with your antivirus, and prevent you from installing it. If your Windows 10 prevents antivirus install, you might be able to fix the problem by performing a Clean boot.

This is rather simple and you can do it by following the steps above.

After you install your antivirus, enable all startup applications and services once again.

8. Restart the Windows Audio service

1. Press Windows Key + R and enter services.msc. Press Enter or click OK.
   
2. When Services window opens, locate Windows Audio service.
3. Right-click the service and choose Stop from the menu.
   
4. Wait for a few moments, right-click the service again and choose Start from the menu.

After restarting the service, try to install your antivirus again.

If your Windows 10 prevents antivirus install on your PC, the issue might be your services. Speaking of services, users reported that Windows Audio service is a common cause for this problem.

To fix the issue, you need to find this service and restart it.

9. Disable Fast Startup

1. Press Windows Key + S and enter power settings.
2. Choose Power & sleep settings from the list of results.
   
3. Now select Additional power settings.
   
4. From the menu on the left, select Choose what the power button does.
   
5. Now click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
6. Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click on Save changes.
   

Windows 10 comes with an interesting feature called Fast Startup. This feature combines shutdown and hibernation into one allowing your system to boot faster.

Although this is a useful feature, it can lead to certain issues. Speaking of issues, few users reported that this feature can prevent you from installing certain applications, such as your antivirus.

After doing that, the Fast Startup feature should be disabled. Keep in mind that your PC might boot a bit slower after disabling this feature.

This problem can also occur with your company computers so you should also look at our list with the best antiviruses for Windows Server.

That’s it! We hope that our solutions helped you fix the problem with the antivirus not installing in Windows 10 and you were able to do that. If you have any other suggestions, leave them in the comments section below.