uninstall system center endpoint protection

To do this we need to fire up the Configuration Manager Service Manager through the ConfigMgr console. You can either wait upto an hour or manually make it do the magic by restarting the SMS_SITE_COMPONENT_MANAGER role. Now you need to disable this setting which should then enable you to switch Defender on.ĭon’t enable Defender manually though, the Endpoint Protection point installer will do it’s magic. Look for the policy “Turn off Windows Defender” which is likely to be enabled.

If that’s not an option, there is another way, you’re probably not well advised to do this but be aware there is another way and you make your choice.Īs a local Administrator, hit start, run “Edit group policy”īrowse through to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender The easiest way to get around this would be to speak to your friendly AD and/or security person and have them make an exception for this server. Regardless, it’s needed.Ĭhecking the server I could indeed confirm that Defender was disabled, however it was disabled by group policy. My understanding of this is that it is used to download and verify the definition files. An installation of SCEP or Windows Defender is required on the server that will host the Endpoint Protection role. That’s a fairly generic error but it does focus around the SCEPInstall.exe which as we know is the AV installation or in Server 2016 is Windows Defender.Ĭonsidering the facts of this one I soon realised that the problem was Defender was disabled and could not be switched on. This translates simply to “Fatal error during installation” which I could figure out using the CMTrace error lookup feature. There were failure in the status messages and also in EPSetup.log I could see exit codes for the installer: After picking up from a colleague, I realised that this role had not actually installed despite the role being added.

As part of the install, the Endpoint Protection Point was required so that they could use and manage System Center Endpoint Protection/Windows Defender. I was working with a customer recently who had a newly provisioned Configuration Manager with all GPOs and their standard server products installed.

Uninstall system center endpoint protection