Windows 7 Windows Security Centre

xy736m

New Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
When I try to start Windows Security Centre a message appears:" The Windows Security Center service can't be started."
 
A number of possibilities to pursue. Easiest to start with is:

Goto run programs
enter services.msc and run it
Scroll down to Security Center and double click on it
check that the startup type is set to Automatic
click on ok, close the windows and restart
 
It was disabled,set it to Automatic but after I had restarted the PC the same message appeared. I forgot to mention that when I search in the Internet I am redirected to other sites very often.
 
Windows could not start the Security Centre service on local computer
Error 1058: The service can not be started,either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.
 
I forgot to mention that when I search in the Internet I am redirected to other sites very often.

That implies to me that your computer is infected. See if the following solves the problem.

Please download Link Removed - Invalid URL to your desktop.


  • Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
  • At the end, be sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
  • If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
  • Once the program has loaded, be sure Quick scan is selected, then click Scan.
  • When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
  • Be sure that everything is checked, EXCEPT items in System Restore as shown in this sample:
    MBAM_SR.png
  • Click Remove Selected.
  • When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See the Note below)


** Note **

If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts. Click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process. If asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately.
 
If you do not feel it is a virus, and the browser misdirects sounds like it is, perhaps you could go back to the Services.msc dialog. My Security Centers shows set to start as Automatic (Delayed).

After that, right click on the service and go to properties. Look under the Dependencies tab and check what has to be running for it to run.

Mine shows Remote Procedure Call (RPC) and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). If you check those services, are they running? If they aren't, can you start them and they are both automatic start. If not, try the next level for those.

Let us know what you discover.
 
Just some guesses then.. Since the Security Center is the Action Center, it handles quite a few things. Since it is involved in Windows Update, maybe try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter to see if it points out anything.

Also, have you opened an Administrative command prompt and run the system file checker.

SFC /scannow

If you run it, let it work a few minutes and when it finishes, let us know if there were any files it was not able to repair.
 
The troubleshooter did not find anything. I had opened command prompt, typed SFC/scannow and a message appeared: " You must be an Administrator running console session in order to use the sfc utility" I am the Administrator of the PC. When I had type SFC in the Start menu and clicked run a black window opened and closed immediately.
 
Type CMD in the Start Menu Search Box and hit CTRL+SHIFT+Enter, or open the all programs, accessories and right click the command prompt and select Run as Admin.
 
Thank you, but it didn't help. I did everything exactly as you said.

Without reviewing a log, I'm using guesswork to suggest a solution. If the computer is infected with what many people refer to as the "Google redirect virus", TDSSKiller should be able to pick it up:

Please download the TDSSKiller.exe by Kaspersky... save it to your Desktop. <-Important!!!

  • Double-click on TDSSKiller.exe to run the tool for known TDSS variants.
    Vista - W7 users: Right-click and select "Run As Administrator".
    If TDSSKiller does not run... rename it. Right-click on TDSSKiller.exe, select Rename and give it a random name with the .com file extension (i.e. ektfhtw.com).
    If you don't see file extensions, please see: How to change the file extension.
  • Click the Start Scan button. Do not use the computer during the scan!
  • If the scan completes with nothing found, click Close to exit.
  • If malicious objects are found, they will show in the "Scan results - Select action for found objects" and offer 3 options.
    • Ensure Cure (default) is selected... then click Continue > Reboot now to finish the cleaning process.
  • A log file named TDSSKiller_version_dd.mm.yyyy_hh.mm.ss_log.txt will be created and saved to the root directory. (usually Local Disk C:).
 
It seems that perhaps at some point you may have had a piece of malware or a virus that has resulted in your present problem and the fact that you have indicated that you are still being redirect while browsing suggests that maybe the infection is not completely gone. So ....
My first question would be what are you presently using for an Anti Virus solution?
I have included three images for you to have a look at regarding the registry key that impacts the running of the Windows Security Center
The primary key is
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\wscsvc
and its' two subkeys
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\wscsvc\Parameters
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\wscsvc\Security
If either of these keys are missing or do not contain the appropriate data values in the right pane or are otherwise corrupt, you may be stuck with either a repair or clean install of the OS, or if you can acquire this key from another computer it's possible that you can import it to repair the damage.
 
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I am using McAfee Internet Security. Where I am supposed to find these keys? It looks like they are missing.
 
First if you don't mind try uninstalling McAfee completely from your computer, use the programs and features applet in the control panel followed by the vendor specific proprietary removal tool and then see if you can installLink Removed due to 404 Error and run a full scan.
See if that makes any difference at all in whether or not you can open the security center.
The keys are found by using the registry editor (exactly in the HIVE location I described above) as well as methods to export and import same. Please do not attempt to edit the registry if you are not confident in doing so, as you may make the problem worse instead of better. If you would like to export that particular key (if present) zip it up and attach it to your next post, I would be happy to take a look at it for you.
Regards
Randy
 
I have been looking around and found some things. We know the entire key is not gone because the Security Center would not have shown up in the Services.msc dialog (just tried it). So possibly only part of the key is gone that controls the service starting, and hopefully Trouble will find it.

Beyond that, I found the following thread you can check to see if it is relevant. Sometimes I feel that certain virus type problems are created by folks trying to promote some product. The one mentioned (HMP), I downloaded and ran on my system once, but I cannot really recommend it because I have no other experience. But if you can't find another answer or an anti-virus you feel better with, you might try.

Link Removed - Invalid URL
 
I have no longer problem with Microsoft Security Center but now I can't start Microsoft Security Essential, message appears telling me that the service can't be started either because the service is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.
 
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