This program is blocked by group policy. For more information contact your system administrator. You may get this error code when Your system may freeze or develop some other fault.
Error Code 0x800704EC could result from a group policy or some other problem on your PC. In this post, we would be looking into what this error code is, what causes (the symptoms) and how to solve it.
The Error Code 0x800704EC is an error code that appears when certain Windows applications are stopping to work. Instead of launching or starting as required, the program is blocked and generates the 0x800704EC error code instead.
Your applications would begin to crash more frequently. The entire system may get frozen sometimes. The blue screen of death may appear on your desktop.
Note, this error could appear in other ways, but in the next section, you’ll see some of the causes.
What causes the Error Code 0x800704EC?
Several things can cause the Error Code 0x800704EC, here are a few of those:
The group policy has deactivated the windows defender.
There might be a conflict with your installed third-party antivirus software.
You may need to optimize your system.
These are a few of the possible causes of the Error Code 0x800704EC. However, in the next section, you should check out ways that you could fix the error.
How To Fix This Error?
The Error Code 0x800704EC can be fixed by several various means, and in this section, you have them explained for you. I would suggest that you followed the steps accordingly to avoid any other error coming up along the way.
1.Activate your Windows Defender Services
To fix this Windows Defender error, try activating your Windows Defender Services.
Step 1: Launch the Services Window
Hold the Windows key and R key together to open the Run dialogue box.
Fill in ‘services.msc’ in the box and hit Enter to continue.
Step 2: Activate Windows Defender Services
Locate all Windows Defender related that you can find.
Right-click all the Windows Defender services one after another.
Click on start to enable it.
Once you have enabled all Windows Defender services, reboot your computer and run your Windows Defender again.
You should check if the error has been corrected, and then if it hasn’t worked, you should check the next solution.
2.Disable or Uninstall any Third-Party Antivirus Software
The next solution to the Windows error code 0x800704ec is to check for antivirus software. The third-party antivirus software may cause the error code 0x800704ec.
Here, are the steps on how to uninstall the third-party antivirus software:
Step 1: Type Control Panel in the search box of Windows 10 and choose the adequate one.
Step 2: In the pop-up window, select Uninstall a program from programs.
Step 3: Select the antivirus program and right-click it.
Step 4: Then select Uninstall to continue. Once you have completed all the steps, then you should re-run your windows defender. If the error continues, then you should check the next solution.
3.Use Registry Editor
Since the other methods have failed, In this solution, try using Registry Editor to fix this issue.
Here are the steps you could follow:
Step 1: Press the Windows key and R key together to open the Run dialogue.
Step 2: Type the regedit in the dialogue and select OK to continue.
Step 3: In your Registry Editor window, locate the Windows Defender folder based on the following path:
‘Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender.’
Step 4: On your right blank side, choose the REG_SZ key and double-click it. Then change its value data to zero and click OK for you to continue.
Step 5: Now, you should reboot your computer and run Windows Defender.
If you have gone through these steps and the error persists, you should check out the next solution.
4.Change your Group Policy Settings.
The Windows Defender error may occur when the Group Policy has blocked your Windows Defender. If you want to solve this problem, you can try changing the settings of Group Policy.
Follow the steps below
Step 1: Hold the Windows key and R key together to open the Run dialogue.
Step 2: Fill in gpedit.msc into the box and select OK to continue.
Step 3: You should navigate to the Windows Defender Antivirus folder based on the following path:
Computer Configuration > Administrator template > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus
Step 4: On the right side, select the Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus and double-click it to continue.
Step 5: In the pop-up window, select the Not Configured, then click Apply and OK to continue. Still not working? Try out the solution below.
5.Optimize your System
If you have a Damaged or corrupted system, the file may also lead to the error code 0x800704ec. So if you face this Windows Defender error, it is advisable to check and fix the corrupted system files. You can do this by running the System File Checker and DISM tool.
Here are the steps you should follow.
Step 1: Fill in your command prompt in the search box of Windows 10 and choose the best-matched one.
Step 2: Right-click it to select Run as administrator and continue.
Step 3: In the command line window, type the command sfc /scannow and hit Enter to continue.
The whole process should take a few minutes. Please do not close the command line window until you see that it is 100% verified.
Conclusion
The Error Code 0x800704EC is a problem that is prominent with your Windows Defender. It could be due to third-party antivirus software, a group policy, or more that may be blocking you.
I have explained a few solutions that could remedy the situation in this post. It would help if you tried them out as they could fix your Error Code 0x800704EC.