Error 0x800704ec: 6 Ways to Fix It

The error code 0x800704ec It is an inconvenience that occurs when the user proceeds to open Windows Defender.

You may encounter a message like “This program has been blocked, please contact your administrator.”

It is annoying to witness this, however, with mundobytes.com there is nothing, or almost nothing, that does not have a solution.

Our tutorials can help you solve your problems from home and without having to call a technician. Of course, if it is not a problem directly related to the hardware.

Although if the case is simple (does not require specialists) and you have some prior knowledge, we can also help you.

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Causes of error 0x800704ec

There are several factors that could be causing this error. Below we mention each of them:

• A third-party antivirus is intervening.
• Group Policy is causing Windows Defender crashes.
• The log files do not have the correct settings.
• Windows Defender services are disabled.
• There is corruption in one or more of the system files.

How do I fix error 0x800704ec on Windows 10?

There are some Tricks that you can use to fix 0x800704ec, an error in Windows. Throughout the tutorial, we will be analyzing them one by one. Pay attention:

1. If you have any third-party antivirus, disable it

As with many third-party applications, your antivirus may be interfering with your system. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: go to the Windows system search box.

Step 2: Type the phrase “Control Panel” and press Enter to search.

Step 3: look for the option Programs and Features.

Step 4: After you have done the above, you will see a window that has the phrase as its header «change or uninstall a program».

Step 5: Select the program you want to uninstall (the antivirus) and uninstall it.

Step 6: When you notice that the process has finished, delete all the residue and keep an eye on the PC to see if the error occurs again.

2. Enable all Windows Defender services

Enabling Windows Defender is another thing that can help you fix the 0x800704ec error. If you enable it, you will never have to deal with this problem again. To do so, follow these instructions:

Step 1: pulsa Win + R.

Step 2: A window will open. In it, you will need to type service.msc and then press Enter to start the search.

Step 3: As the service window opens, look for the services that are associated with Windows Defender. These include Antivirus Network Inspection, Advanced Threat Service, Security Center, and also Firewall.

Step 4: Click on the activation buttons for each of the services. These are located on the right-hand side. Before continuing the process, check that you have activated all of them.

Step 5: reboot the system and check if the error occurs again.

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3. Change Group Policy Settings

Group Policy sometimes interferes with Windows Defender causing it to crash. Follow all the instructions below to fix the error using this method. Do the following:

Step 1: press Windows and the key R simultaneously to open the dialog box.

Step 2: In the box, write gpedit.msc. Then press Enter To continue with the process.

Step 3: You will get a new window. In this, you need to go to Equipment setup, then Administrative Templatesthen to Windows components and then to Windows Defender Antivirus.

Step 4: On the right side, look for the option Disable antivirus and double click.

Step 5: Check the box next to Not Configured. Then click Apply and then in Accept for the process to continue.

Step 6: Restart the system. Check if the issue caused by error 0x800704ec has been resolved.

4. Check the operation of the Registry Editor

One of the causes of error 0x800704ec comes directly from the registry editor, so it is necessary to try this solution as well. The following procedure will help you:

Step 1: press Win + R.

Step 2: In the box that will open, write regedit. Then click Accept.

Step 3: go to Team, then HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEthen to Software, then to Policies, then to Microsoft and finally, head towards Windows Defender. This will open the registry editor window.

Step 4: When you have finished the above route, look for REG_SZ. When you find it, double click it.

Step 5: when the dialog box Edit string is open, modify the values; these must be at zero “0”. Once you have performed the action, press OK to end the current process.

Step 6: As with the previous processes, restart and check the operation. This is necessary so that you can notice if the problem continues or has disappeared.

5. Run SFC SCANNOW

Another thing that can cause this nasty error is damaged or corrupted files on the system. To fix this, the best option is to implement SFC Scannow directly from the symbol of the system. Pay attention and follow the instructions:

Step 1: Open the search box, type the word Command. Once you have done this, you will be shown the option to Symbol of the system.

Step 2: in "Command Prompt”, right click. Then press Run as administratorYou can find this option in the options menu.

Step 3: in the line of commands that will be displayed, type sfc / scannow. Then, press Enter.

Step 4: A scanning process will begin. When it shows that it has reached one hundred percent (100%), reboot.

Step 5: Let the system boot up and check the behavior to see if the method worked. That is, if the error has disappeared completely.

6. Get a Windows data recovery tool

If the error is caused by corrupt filesYou necessarily need to get a good file recovery tool. These can be found on third-party sites. However, you should make sure that the one you download is a reputable one; you don't want the cure to be worse than the disease.

Kernel It is very good; it can completely fix the files that are corrupted, and thus, get rid of the error 0x800704ec. Moreover, it is automated and very powerful. It even recovers the files that have become inaccessible. It also gives you a preview of the files before saving.

The free file recovery limit is 2 GBHowever, if you need more than that, choose the Premium version which gives you a unlimited capacityIn any case, you can find the tool on its official website.

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I hope these methods helped you solve the error 0x800704ec. Feel free to comment in the corresponding section. You can tell us how your system fared after our solutions and/or make suggestions. We like to keep an eye on users to help them with their problems and doubts in the area.