[Solved] Microsoft Security Client Error OOBE Stopped

Have you ever heard of Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE)? It’s actually the antivirus software runs quietly and efficiently in the Windows background; its main function is to protect PC again different kinds of malicious software like virus and spyware. By default, this application is built on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. As for the later versions of Windows, such as Windows 8 and Windows 10, the default antivirus program has been changed to Windows Defender. That is to say, the Microsoft Security Essentials is replaced by Windows Defender in the newer versions. However, Windows 8 and Windows 10 users can still choose to install this software manually according to needs.

[SOLVED] Windows Defender Deleted Files, How To Get Back Easily?

Microsoft Security Client Error OOBE Stopped

Recently, I found there are a large number of users encountered the Microsoft Security Client error and desperately need a solution for it. Taking that into consideration, I feel it’s my honor to organize some practical methods for fixing MSE OOBE error. (MiniTool Solution is a master at solving PC problems.)

You may see the following error message in the General tab of an Event Properties – Event 3, Kernel-EventTracing window:

Session “Microsoft Security Essentials OOBE” stopped due to the following error: 0xC000000D.

If you search online, you’ll find many people posted their experience of encountering the error and express their desire for repairing Microsoft Security Essentials.

Common Microsoft Security Client error codes you may encounter:

• 0x800b0100
• 0x80070426
• 0x80070002
• 0x80073b01
• 0×8007064e
• …

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Troubleshoot Microsoft Security Essentials OOBE Stopped Error

There are basically 6 useful ways to fix the Microsoft Security Client OOBE stopped error. Please remember to restart your computer after trying each method.

Method 1: Clear the EppOObe.etl File

As the user said in example 3, finding and deleting the EppOObe.etl file from the computer is an easy way to kill the OOBE 0xC000000D error message.

How to remove the files from your PC:

1. Open the File Explore by pressing Windows key + E combination (or clicking on the file folder icon on the taskbar).
2. Double click on Local Disk (C:) to open the system drive.
3. Expand ProgramData, Microsoft, Microsoft Security Client, and Support folder one after another.
4. Look for the file named as EppOObe.etl.
5. Select the file and press the Delete button on the keyboard (you can also press Shift + Delete simultaneously to delete items permanently: the deleted data won’t be sent to Recycle Bin for temporary storage.)
6. Restart your computer to see whether the OOBE error has been fixed or not.

Extend reading: some users complained their File Explorer or taskbar is not working, so I’d like to list the links to solutions for them.

How to fix when Windows Explorer runs into a problem?

Full Guide to Windows Explorer Needs to Be Restarted

How to fix Windows Explorer needs to be restarted problem? This post tells you several methods to solve it.

Read More

What to do when your taskbar stops working?

Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working – How To Fix (Ultimate Solution)

If you find your Windows 10 taskbar is not working, please don’t panic since I have useful methods to help.

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What’s the biggest problem during the process? Some users reported they can’t find the ProgramData folder in step 3. What happens exactly? According to the search, I find the most possible reason for causing this issue is that the ProgramData folder is hidden by default since it is system protected.

How to show hidden ProgramData folder in Windows 7?

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click Organize on the toolbar.
3. Select Folder and search options from its submenu.
4. Shift to the View tab in the Folder Options window.
5. Check Show hidden files, folders, and drives under Hidden files and folders section.
6. Click on the OK button to confirm changes.

How to show hidden ProgramData folder in Windows 8 and Windows 10?

1. Also, you need to open File Explorer.
2. Click View from the menu bar.
3. Find Options from the submenu and click on the small arrow under it.
4. Select Change folder and search options from its drop-down list. (You can also click on the Options icon directly to replace step 3 and step 4.)
5. Shift to the View tab.
6. Find the Advanced Settings section.
7. Look at the Hidden files and folders.
8. Check Show hidden files, folders, and drives under it.
9. Click on the OK button to apply changes.
10. Then, you can follow the steps mentioned above to locate and delete EppOObe.etl file.

Method 2: Disable the Microsoft Security Client Process

There are three common ways to end Microsoft Security Client.

One: use Task Manager.

1. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL on the keyboard.
2. Choose Task Manager from the pop-up list.
3. Scroll down to find the msseces.exe process.
4. Right click on it to choose End process from the context menu.

Two: use Computer Management.

1. Right click on This PC/My Computer/Computer icon on the desktop.
2. Choose Manage from the context menu (you can also right click on Start in the lower left corner and choose Computer Management).
3. Expand System Tools, Performance, and Data Collector Sets one by one under Computer Management (Local).
4. Select Startup Event Trace Sessions from the left sidebar.
5. Look for the Microsoft Security Client OOBE entry from the right pane.
6. Right click on it and choose the Properties option.
7. Navigate to the Trace Session tab.
8. Find the Enabled option and uncheck it.
9. Click on the Apply button to confirm your changes.
10. Click OK.

Three: use Command Prompt.

1. Run Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Type Stop msseces.exe into the Command Prompt window.
3. Press Enter on the keyboard.
4. Wait for a few seconds.

Please read this page if you’d like to use Command Prompt to recover lost files from your PC.

Method 3: Disable the Program Compatibility Assistant Service

1. Press Windows Key + R on the keyboard to open Run dialog box. (You can also open Start menu -> expand Windows System -> select Run).
2. Type services.msc into the textbox after the word Open.
3. Click on the OK button in the Run window or press Enter on the keyboard.
4. Scroll down to find the Program Compatibility Assistant Service (all the services are arranged in alphabetical order).
5. Right click on the service; then, choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
6. Look for the Startup type section and choose Disabled from its drop-down menu.
7. Move to the Service status section under it and click on the Stop button.
8. Wait for the service to close down completely.
9. Click on the OK and Apply button to confirm changes.

However, some users reported that they came across the following error message after clicking on the Stop button in step 7:

Windows could not stop the Program Compatibility Assistant Service on Local Computer. Error 1079: The account specified for this service differs from the account specified for other services running in the same process.

How to fix this issue?

1. Repeat step 1 to step 5 to open the properties window of Program Compatibility Assistant Service.
2. Shift to the Log On tab.
3. Locate the Browse… button and click on it.
4. Type the correct account name into the textbox under Enter the object name to select.
5. Click Check Names and wait.
6. Click on the OK button when the process is over.
7. The prompt will appear to ask you to type your password into the Password box.

If this doesn’t help, please follow these steps to fix the problem:

1. Right click on DHCP Client and choose Properties.
2. Shift to the Recovery tab.
3. Select Restart the Service from the drop-down list of First failure, Second failures, and Subsequent failures.
4. Click on the OK button to confirm.

Method 4: Perform a System File Checker Scan

It’s possible that the Microsoft Security Client error is caused by system files corruption, so you’d better run an SFC scan to try to solve the problem. (How to recover corrupt files?)

1. Also, you need to open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. While the Command Prompt window appears, you should type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth into it.
3. Now, press Enter on the keyboard and wait for the command to complete.
4. After that, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
5. Wait for the process to complete (it may last for a period of time, like half an hour or more).

Method 5: Update System and Drivers

As you all know, Microsoft has been issuing system updates to fix new bugs and optimizing performance. Therefore, you can take a chance by updating your system to the latest version; then, wait to see whether the error can be fixed.

Also, you can try to upgrade the graphics card drivers on your PC to the latest versions.

Method 6: Uninstall/Reinstall Microsoft Security Essentials

Don’t ask me: should I uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials. Please figure out the answer yourself; whether it is necessary for your daily study/work or not.

How to remove Microsoft Security Client:

1. Click on the search icon or box on the taskbar.
2. Type Control Panel and press Enter.
3. Select to View by Category (if it’s the default choice, you should skip this step).
4. Look for the Programs section.
5. Click Uninstall a program link.
6. Find Microsoft Security Essentials from the program list.
7. Select it and click on the Uninstall button.
8. Choose Yes to remove the software completely.
9. Restart your PC.
10. Go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Microsoft Security Client\Support to clear the leftovers.

If the error has been fixed after that, you can try to reinstall it to see what happens.

Method 7: Recover Data after Microsoft Security Essentials OOBE Stopped

One thing you need to notice: the error may have caused or is going to cause data loss. The more terrible situation is the Microsoft Security Essentials OOBE stopped error could lead to a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), which will block your access to the system and hard drive data.

Therefore, you definitely need to recover data from your PC.

How to recover data when PC is still working:

1. Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery and install it properly to the drive containing no lost data.
2. Launch the data recovery software and keep This PC selected in the left pane.
3. Specify the drive in which the data have been lost due to Microsoft Security Client error.
4. Click on the Scan button and wait.
5. Browse the found data and check the files you really need. (If you can’t find needed data, please wait for the scan process to complete.)
6. Click on the Save button.
7. Choose a proper storage path for the files you want to recover and click OK.
8. Wait for a while until you see a prompt window in the software.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

However, this may be useless when the BSOD occurs. Please try the following steps when that happens:

1. Try restarting your PC.
2. If it fails, find another computer.
3. Get a MiniTool Power Data Recovery that contains the Snap-in WinPE Bootable Builder.
4. Install the software properly and launch it; then, click on the Bootable Media button in the lower left corner to create a USB/CD/DVD bootable drive. (Please make sure the CD/DVD is inserted or the USB drive is connected to the computer.)
5. Remove the bootable drive you created from that computer and connect it to your PC.
6. Restart your PC to enter BIOS and change the boot order to put the bootable drive top of the list.
7. Exit BIOS and save changes. Then, follow the instructions to see the MiniTool PE Loader window.
8. Choose to launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery and repeat step 2 to step 8 of the above part: How to recover data when PC is still working. (You must connect an external drive to save the recovered files.)

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Conclusion

It’s easy to come across various errors when you are working on a PC. I’m not surprised when I found many people discussing the Microsoft Security Client OOBE stopped error on the internet. What’s on my mind is I need to share what I know in order to help those troubled by this error right now and let more people know about what the Microsoft Security Client error is. Hope this page is helpful for you!

Microsoft Security Client Error FAQ