Add Adware Protection to Windows Defender
Microsoft announced recently that it added additional means of protection against the installation of so-called potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) to Windows Defender but only for Microsoft Enterprise customers.
It is unclear why Microsoft made the feature an Enterprise exclusive as unwanted software installations are likely more of a problem in home and small business environments than in Enterprise environments.
The Potentially Unwanted Application protection feature is available only for enterprise customers. If you are already one of Microsoft's existing enterprise customers, you need to opt-in to enable and use PUA protection.
While Microsoft announced the new feature as an Enterprise exclusive, it did not protect the feature in any way.
This means that home and business users can enable it on their Windows machines as well to block the deployment of adware during software installations.
The PUA protection updates are integrated into the definition updates and cloud protection of Windows Defender.
Enable PUA protection in Windows Defender
Microsoft makes no mention of the versions of Windows that support PUA protection in Windows Defender. We have tested the feature on a Windows 10 Home and a Windows 10 Pro system, and it worked without issues in both of them.
You need to add a Registry key and preference to the Windows Registry to add PUA protection to the system:
- Tap on the Windows-key, type regedit and hit enter. This opens the Windows Registry editor.
- Confirm the UAC prompt if it appears.
- Navigate to the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
- Right-click on Windows Defender and select New > Key.
- Name that key MpEngine.
- Right-click on MpEngine and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
- Name the Dword MpEnablePus.
- Double-click on MpEnablePus and enter the value 1.
- Restart the PC.
Once you have restarted the PC Windows Defender will block potentially unwanted programs from being installed on the system or downloaded if Internet Explorer / Edge are being used.
Please note that it may block the installation of the program and the included offers when it detects potentially unwanted software installers.
Detected files are quarantined so that they won't run. You can allow quarantined items by opening Windows Defender, selecting History, and selecting "allow item" under the "quarantined items" listing.
You can undo the change at any time by setting the newly created Registry Dword to the value 0, or by deleting MpEnablePus instead completely.
A quick test revealed that Windows Defender detects common services such as OpenCandy that are used to distribute potentially unwanted software on systems during installation of other software.
Windows Defender is not the first security program for Windows that protects systems against potentially unwanted software. Applications like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and many antivirus solutions block these as well.
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277