There will be an error code 0x80070426 with Windows Defender after upgrading your operating system from the older version to Windows 10. And if you don’t know how to deal with it, then this post is what you need. You can find several methods in this post written by MiniTool.
Microsoft Security Essentials doesn’t exist on Windows 10 anymore and it is replaced by Windows Defender. And if you upgrade to Windows 10 from an older version and want to open Windows Defender, then there may be an error message:
“An error has occurred in program initialization. If this problem continues, contact your System Administrator. Error Code: 0x80070426.”
But you don’t need to worry about the error too much because I have gathered some useful methods to fix the error.
Similar Scenarios Related to 0x80070426 Error
There are other scenarios that will appear error code 0x80070426, too. I have listed them below:
- Windows Update error: There were problems installing some updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (0x80070426).
- Microsoft Store error: Your purchase couldn’t be completed. Something happened and your purchase can’t be completed. Error code: 0x80070426.
You can also try some methods in this post to fix the error.
Method 1: Uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials
The first method you should try is to uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Press the Win key and the X key at the same time and then click Task Manager.
Step 2: Go to the Services tab, find the Windows Defender Antivirus Service (WinDefend) and then right-click it to choose Stop.
Step 3: Type control panel in the search box and then click the best match one.
Step 4: Navigate to Programs > Programs & Features > Uninstall a Program, and then right-click Microsoft Essentials to choose Uninstall.
Step 5: Restart your computer and then navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security.
Step 6: Click Virus & threat protection under Protection areas in the right panel to open Windows Security.
Step 7: Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings and then make sure that Real-time protection is on.
Step 8: Now go back to Task Manager > Services tab and make sure that Windows Defender Antivirus Service (WinDefend) is running.
With this method, you can run Windows Defender normally.
Method 2: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
Running Windows Update Troubleshooter to fix the 0x80070426 error is also a good idea. Here is the tutorial:
Step 1: Click Start and then click Settings.
Step 2: Choose Update & Security and then click Troubleshoot in the left panel.
Step 3: Click Windows Update in the right panel and then click Run the troubleshooter.
Step 4: Follow the instructions on the troubleshooter to resolve the update issues.
Step 5: Once the troubleshooter is finished, reboot your computer and then see whether the 0x80070426 error is fixed.
Method 3: Run an SFC Scan
Sometimes, the error 0x80070426 is caused by corrupted system files, therefore, you can run an SFC scan to fix the 0x80070426 error.
Step 1: Type cmd in the search box and then right-click Command Prompt to choose Run as administrator. Click Yes.
Step 2: Type sfc /scannow in the Command Prompt window and then press the Enter key.
Step 3: Wait for Windows to detect corrupt system files and then repair them.
Step 4: Reboot your computer and then check if the error still persists.
Method 4: Reset the Windows Update Components
If the error 0x80070426 occurs, you can reset Windows Update components to fix it.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt as administrator as mentioned above.
Step 2: Type the following commands in the Command Prompt window and then press the Enter key:
net stop wuauserv
net stop bits
net stop cryptSvc
net stop msiserver
Step 3: Type the commands and then press the Enter key:
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
Step 4: Type the commands and then press the Enter key:
net start wuauserv
net start bits
net start cryptSvc
net start msiserver
pause
Step 5: Close Command Prompt and restart your computer to check if the error is fixed.
Bottom Line
To sum up, you can fix the 0x80070426 error with the methods mentioned above when you fail to run Windows Defender, fail to update Windows or fail to run Microsoft Store.