What is Werfault.exe?

Werfault.exe is a Windows Error Reporting (WER) process. It is responsible for handling error reporting in Windows operating systems. WerFault.exe was first released on 11/08/2006 for Windows Vista and is still present in Windows 10 and 11. Such errors arise when loading WerFault fails, either during the start of the application or, in some cases, while the application is running.

Thus, when a program encounters an error, Werfault collects information about it. It includes the program causing the error, the nature of the error, and system information. Next, Werfault offers options for sending this information to Microsoft for analysis. This will help Microsoft improve the stability and reliability of Windows (probably). Werfault.exe typically runs in the background and should not usually require user interaction unless prompted by an error.

Fix Werfault.exe Application Error

Werfault.exe error usually means an issue with the Windows Error Reporting process or an application causing it to crash. However, it’s nothing to worry about if it only happens one or two times!

But if the WerFault.exe error occurs repeatedly and causes trouble, or if it takes a relatively high CPU power in Task Manager, you should take action to resolve it. Here are some steps that you can take to try and fix this issue:

Step 1. Update Windows

Windows constantly improves to enhance its stability and reduce program crashes. To achieve this goal, Microsoft provides regular security updates and bug fixes. You may encounter security issues and bugs if you don’t install these updates. A couple of particular Windows updates broke WerFault, which Microsoft addressed in further patches. To check for updates, press the Windows key + I and click “Windows Update”. If there are any updates available, download and install them.

Step 2. Run the Windows SFC Scan

The SFC tool repairs corrupt system files that can cause Werfault.exe errors. Press Windows key + R, type “cmd”, and hit Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open Command Prompt as administrator. Next, type or paste in the Command Prompt “sfc /scannow” and press enter.

After completing the scan, Windows will attempt to repair any corrupt files. Finally, restart your device and check if the error is corrected. If the scan finds corrupt files, but Windows is unable to repair them, try repairing corrupt system files using repair tools.

Important note! Avoid downloading and copying WerFault.exe to your Windows system directory from third-party sites. Microsoft typically does not release standalone Windows EXE files for download because they are already bundled together inside a software installer. This may cause system instability and stop your program or OS from functioning.

Step 3. Use Repair Mode

Please restart your PC using the pressed Shift button—this will turn the device into Automatic Repair. Select Advanced options to enter WinRe and choose your language. Next, select the Troubleshoot and Advanced options.

Select Command Prompt, log in with your account and run the below commands.

chkdsk X: /f
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Note: If you installed the system update before the system is abnormal, you can use “Uninstall Updates” to uninstall recent updates (which include Quality updates and Feature updates; try both).

Step 4. Try to Find Malware

While Werfault.exe is a legit executable file, its activity may be attributed to malicious software. Hackers use DLL sideloading technique by exploiting the WerFault.exe tool to deploy malware onto compromised systems. This method allows them to infect devices discreetly without triggering antivirus alarms. During this exploitation, you may see the said errors coming from WerFault.exe, as well as the process itself in the Task Manager.

Malware can sometimes exploit genuine processes in its activity. This can cause program crashes and, in some cases, trigger the werfault.exe error. I recommend GridinSoft Anti-Malware; it is best suited to detect and remove even sophisticated malware.

Download and install Anti-Malware by clicking the button below. After the installation, run a Full scan: this will check all the volumes present in the system, including hidden folders and system files. Scanning will take around 15 minutes.

After the scan, you will see the list of detected malicious and unwanted elements. It is possible to adjust the actions that the antimalware program does to each element: click "Advanced mode" and see the options in the drop-down menus. You can also see extended information about each detection - malware type, effects and potential source of infection.

Click "Clean Now" to start the removal process. Important: removal process may take several minutes when there are a lot of detections. Do not interrupt this process, and you will get your system as clean as new.

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How to Disable Microsoft Defender in Windows 10/Windows 11

There are two ways to disable Microsoft Defender: one is temporary, and the other is permanent. We’ll skip the temporary method since you’re probably here for the latter. Since the Microsoft Defender versions in Windows 10 and 11 are almost identical, this guide is applicable to both. A crucial note – these actions are only possible if you’re using an administrator account.

One more warning: I don’t recommend disabling Microsoft Defender, as this will leave your system unprotected and could have negative consequences. If you have reliable anti-malware software, like GridinSoft Anti-Malware, already running in the system, then it is fine. Otherwise, you expose your system to a significant malware risk.

Let’s begin. The first thing you need to do is disable Tamper Protection – a self-protection feature of Defender that prevents it from being disabled or tampered with externally. To do this, open Windows Security, click on Virus & Threat Protection → Manage settings.

Scroll down to Tamper Protection and turn it off. This will allow you to proceed with the next steps.

Next, open the Group Policy Editor. To do this, press the “Win + R” keys on your keyboard, and in the Run dialog that appears, type or paste “gpedit.msc” and press Enter.

In the window that opens, navigate to the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

Find the file named “Turn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirus,” double-click it, select “Enabled,” and then click Apply and OK to apply the changes.

Disabling Microsoft Defender with Regedit

For some users, such as those with the Windows 11 Home edition, the previously mentioned method won’t work because these versions don’t have access to the Group Policy Editor. In this case, you can use the Registry Editor. To do this, press the “Win + R” keys again and type “regedit”.

In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

In this folder, right-click on an empty space, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value, and name it “DisableAntiSpyware”.

Double-click on it to open it, set the Value data to “1”, and make sure the Base is set to “Hexadecimal”. Then click “OK.” Restart your PC to apply the changes, and this should disable Microsoft Defender.

Disabling Microsoft Defender with Command Prompt

If you encounter any difficulties with the last method, you can also disable it using the Command Prompt. To do this, open the Start menu or search bar and begin typing “cmd”. When the Command Prompt appears, click “Run as Administrator.”

Copy the command below, paste it into the Command Prompt window, and press “Enter,” as shown in the screenshot below:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Microsoft Defender" /v DisableAntiSpyware /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

That command essentially performs the actions from the previous method. After doing that change, reboot the computer for them to take effect.

Should You Disable Defender?

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t recommend disabling Microsoft Defender without a serious reason. The Windows system requires security solutions, and Microsoft addressed this by adding a built-in solution that meets the needs of most home users. This solution has undergone significant evolution and now offers a sufficient level of protection, including features like Zero Trust, sandboxing, and quite high effectiveness.

However, despite all the advantages, there’s another side to the story. All these features consume a significant amount of resources. While this may go unnoticed on modern, powerful machines, users with less powerful devices might experience some difficulties when using the system. This is particularly true for machines that use an HDD instead of an SSD. During background scanning, Microsoft Defender can noticeably strain the hard drive.

In any case, if you plan to disable Microsoft Defender completely, I don’t recommend leaving your system unprotected. Furthermore, I would suggest considering alternative solutions, such as GridinSoft Anti-Malware. It offers advanced functionality, including key components like proactive protection and an Internet Security module.

The post How to Disable Windows Defender? Windows 10 & 11 Guide appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

Windows Cannot Access Error Overview

There are quite a few reasons for this issue to appear, and, as its name implies, the reason for this is the system facing troubles with accessing what you ordered it to access. Most commonly, it follows the attempt to run a program, open a certain directory or an attached drive. The deeper reason for all this is the malfunction of certain system settings, account permissions, or sometimes hardware. In rare cases, it is a rather intended behavior of the system, particularly when the security system interrupts the normal operations.

Fixing steps for the issue will therehence differ quite a lot, and the user may need to go through multiple solutions to find what exactly is wrong. Unfortunately, it is pretty hard to say what exactly caused the issue, if we are not talking about digging through event logs and similar complicated stuff. Below, you will find the comprehensive list of solutions that target pretty much any possible source of the Windows Cannot Access issue.

Several specific cases of this error appear to refer to some of the popular online games, namely Valorant and League of Legends. Users complained about the issue preventing the game from running, despite the game launcher working fine.

Windows Cannot Access The Specified Device, Path of File Ways to Fix

We begin with the least complicated fix options, as it is hard to get hold of realistic stats about which fix is the most effective. One should thoroughly follow the guide, as skipping steps can stop the solution from working.

Wait for an Update

In the actual case of Windows Cannot Access that I’ve just described, the only working remedy was just to sit and wait for the fix to appear. It may happen to pretty much any game, even the largest titles, and the developers will likely fix the problem in just a few hours. To be a good citizen, you can also report the issue on the game/app forum, unless it is already reported.

Run App as Administrator

Yes, this obvious step may sometimes help with solving the Windows Cannot Access problem. Either the user can lack access permissions for a specific directory the file is located in, or the program tries to access one, having only user privileges. It is a particularly common case when the program works with system files, ones from the C:\\Windows folder.

Reinstall the Program

Among the most efficient advice for solving the Windows Cannot Access issue that happens to a specific program is to simply reinstall it. If the files were corrupted, any attempt to run the program will lead to the system stumbling on these bad files and showing the said pop-up notification.

Create a New Shortcut

A particularly common case for this error to happen is when the user tries to run a program through a shortcut, but the executable file’s address has changed. Thus, the shortcut tries to run a non-existent file, causing errors. And to make it work properly, one should create this shortcut from scratch.

Open the folder of a program (or a file) you are trying to open. There, find the executable file (.exe extension) or the file you need, click it with the right mouse button, and find “Create shortcut”. For Windows 11, you may need to click the “Show more options” button to show the extended menu with this function.

Check for Correct Software Location

Similarly to the shortcut issue, you may have placed the software or a file you are trying to run on an attachable drive. All the shortcuts in this case will be functioning until you plug off the drive. If you have attachable drives, consider plugging them into the system and trying again. This is especially probable if you were installing certain software from that drive: programs often default to their installer directory.

Stop Third-Party Security Software

Among the other reasons for Windows having troubles accessing certain folders and files may be the interference from third-party software. In particular, antivirus programs are capable of disrupting access to certain folders – both when they are performing the scan or when the folder is considered malicious. Removing this block is possible only through stopping the antivirus from running.

Find it among the programs in the system tray, click the icon with the right mouse button, and choose “Exit” (or a similar option). This should stop the antivirus from running, at least until the next system reboot.

Disable PUA Protection

One more problem that stems from antivirus software, particularly from Microsoft Defender, is the app being blocked with the PUA protection feature. As the name suggests, it aims at preventing unwanted apps from running. Thing is – MS Defender is not ideal and may have false positives, leading to a genuine app being blocked.

To solve this, you can either create MS Defender exclusion or disable the corresponding option in the Settings. The first one is recommended, as disabling the entire protection block for running a single app is a bit of an overkill. Open Windows Security, go to Virus and Threat Protection and click “Manage Settings”.

Here, scroll all the way down to find Exclusions, and click Add or Remove Exclusions button to continue. The menu that follows is rather simple to use: just click the button and paste the location of the file that you cannot open correctly.

Upgrade File Permissions

In certain cases, it is not user permissions that do not allow the program to reach specific locations, but the lack of permissions of the program itself. This may happen particularly often in the systems that have multiple users . Fortunately, to solve this, you don’t need to make any significant changes – just give the file additional permissions. Click the file that caused the Windows Cannot Access issue with the right mouse button, go to Properties → Security, and click on the account you are currently using. Now, deselect all the checkboxes from the column titled “Deny” (to the right).

This should disable any restriction that may stop the system from accessing the files and showing the error notification.

Enable Admin Permissions in Gpedit

In a selection of cases, the reason for the Windows Cannot Access error is the lack of user privileges. While this may be solved locally, for specific apps, as I’ve just shown above, the best option is to grant max permissions for all the user actions. To do this, you would need to go through the Group Policies Editor.

Click Win+R and type “gpedit.msc” – this will open the Group Policy Editor. Here, go to Local Computer Policy → Computer Configuration.

In this menu, find the Admin Approval Mode for Built-In Administrator. This policy is what allows us to skip the addiitonal approvals and execute all the programs with admin permissions even for regular users. Set its value to Enabled, then press Apply and Ok. Reboot for the changes to take effect, and try running the file again.

Check for Source Disk Integrity

One particular reason for the files corruption described in one of the paragraphs is disk issues. Despite how reliable modern disks are, there is still a possibility of it having a bad sector or cell. This step is not that much about fixing the existing issue rather than detecting the source and preventing it in future.

Pick a disk check tool of your choice and scan all of your drives. I particularly recommend a free Victoria HDD tool – a renowned software of this kind. Presence of sectors with significant access delay, or even outright bad sectors is what you may blame for the Windows Cannot Access issue. Most of the disk scanning software also offers to fix the issue by remapping the drive, so you will be able to fix all the issues without going for a lot of software. This, however, is far from being the only possible source of the problem.

Reinstall Windows

There are cases when the Windows Cannot Access error is an outcome of some severe system malfunctions. You can understand that this is the case when, aside from this error, you see your system going completely crazy: missing menus, reboots, random BSODs and overall bad system performance. In that case, all the aforementioned methods are unlikely to work, simply because the problem is deeper than file locations or misconfigurations. And the only and the best remedy here is to perform a clean system installation.

You can opt for the reinstallation way you like: clean install from a thumb drive, using restore point or a backup, or else. I will only warn you against downloading system images from third-party sites, due to the risk of new problems or even malware.

Can the Windows Cannot Access Error be a Virus Sign?

Yes, this error may be caused by malware activity. Quite a few samples of malicious software mess up with system and software settings, in order to arrange their own needs. In particular, such activity is characteristic to spyware, backdoors, dropper malware and sometimes ransomware. Most of them are rather hard to notice without specialized software, so I recommend scanning the system with GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

Please note that malware removal does not always fix the issue. Settings that have changed will remain the same, and one may need to go through the steps from above to get the system functioning correctly.

The post Windows Cannot Access The Specified Device, Path or File Error Fix Guide appeared first on Gridinsoft Blog.

What is AggregatorHost.exe?

The Aggregatorhost.exe is a system process that you can occasionally spectate in the Task Manager. I should note right away that this is a legitimate Windows process related to Windows Defender and Windows Update functionality. Originally, this process belonged to the Windows Evaluation Program, and helped to test features before they are released to the public. Aggregatorhost is responsible for collecting and submitting user feedback and telemetry data from participants in the Windows evaluation program.

Since its functions are not always performed, the process may periodically appear and disappear in the Task Manager. In addition, AggregatorHost is responsible for some UI elements. For example, it is responsible for the live tiles in Start, which display real-time information from applications. It also does the job of drawing a thumbnail when hovering over a running application on the taskbar.

Is AggregatorHost.exe Safe?

This process is entirely safe by itself, as it is a legitimate Windows process. However, attackers can use the name of this process to disguise their malware. To understand whether a process is legitimate or not, you need to check certain information about it.

First, a legitimate executable is always located in the C:Windows\System32 directory and is signed by Microsoft. To verify this, locate the process in Task Manager (AggregatorHost.exe), right-click on it, and select Open file location. This factor alone is enough in the majority of diagnostic cases, but you can go further and check other properties.

Next, you can check the digital signature of the file. To do this, right-click on the process again, click the Properties → Details tab, and make sure that the signature belongs to Microsoft Corp.

Though, in some versions of Windows, the above information may not be displayed. To check this, open PowerShell and paste the following command:

Get-AuthenticodeSignature -FilePath C:\Windows\System32\AggregatorHost.exe | Format-List

Make sure your results match these values:

Issuer: CN=Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington,
C=US
Status: Valid

If everything corresponds to the values above, then Microsoft issued the signing certificate and the file is all right. The Status value acts as another confirmation, as some of the malicious programs, namely backdoors, happen to use expired certificates from legit issuers to avoid detection.

Another aspect to consider is the resource utilization of the file. In its normal state, the process should consume minimal resources. If you notice a file consuming a significant amount of system power, it could indicate a problem, or malicious activity. In particular, high CPU and GPU consumption may be a sign of malicious crypto miner activity.

Can I delete Aggregatorhost.exe?

I would not recommend removing the Aggregatorhost.exe file, as it is a legitimate Windows process. However, you should investigate further if you are having any issues with this file. But first and foremost, make user your OS has all the latest patches installed – this may solve quite a few issues with the system.

Next, run a system file check. To do this, open Command Prompt as an administrator, type sfc /scannow, and press Enter. The System File Checker tool will check and restore system files if necessary.

How To Scan the System?

I recommend using GridinSoft Anti-Malware to scan your system for malware. In some cases, malware can masquerade as legitimate processes, taking its name or even its place.

Download and install Anti-Malware by clicking the button below. After the installation, run a Full scan: this will check all the volumes present in the system, including hidden folders and system files. Scanning will take around 15 minutes.

After the scan, you will see the list of detected malicious and unwanted elements. It is possible to adjust the actions that the antimalware program does to each element: click "Advanced mode" and see the options in the drop-down menus. You can also see extended information about each detection - malware type, effects and potential source of infection.

Click "Clean Now" to start the removal process. Important: removal process may take several minutes when there are a lot of detections. Do not interrupt this process, and you will get your system as clean as new.

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