I was forced to reinstall MalwareBytes in the process of updating the virus definition. MalwareBytes is now the main AV. The Windows Security Centre has a Virus & threat protection
subpanel showing MalwareBytes as the active AV. The subpanel also has a Manage settings
showing that "You're using other antivirus providers". I don't recall if that was how I set things up beforehand, but I'll roll with it.
After the aforementioned re-install, however, the context menu no longer provides the option to scan with Defender. I used to routinely scan a file with all 3 of the following antimalware apps from the context menu: Defender, MalwareBytes, and SpybotS&D.
How can I restore the context menu option to scan with Defender?
Contextual details
Regardless of my configuration in the past, I may have had real time protection completely disabled in the past. With the re-install, real-time protection is enabled (all 4 features: web, malware, ransomware, exploit).
The Virus & threat protection
subpanel also has Windows Defender Antivirus options
, where "You can keep your current provider, and have Windows Defender Antirvius periodically check for threats". Enabling this does not restore Defender scanning in a file's context menu.
The following suggests that you can restore Defender scanning to the context menu by not registering MalwareBytes, but I don't want to do that. I don't why it is necessary to remove on-demand scanning by Defender simply because it isn't the main AV:
In Windows 8, the following uses the registry to add Defender scanning to the context menu. As it mucks with the registry of another OS, I'm reluctant to blindly forge ahead with it on Windows 10:
https://www.eightforums.com/threads/scan-with-windows-defender-add-in-windows-8.15790
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Created by: plutomaniac
; http://www.eightforums.com
; Tutorial: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15790-scan-windows-defender-add-windows-8-a.html
; Folder Scan
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\WindowsDefender]
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\\\Windows Defender\\\\EppManifest.dll"
"MUIVerb"="Scan with Windows Defender"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\WindowsDefender\Command]
@="cmd.exe /s /c \"\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MpCmdRun.exe\" -SignatureUpdate & echo. & cmd.exe /s /c \"\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MpCmdRun.exe\" -scan -scantype 3 -file \"%1 \"\"\" & echo. & pause"
; File Scan
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\WindowsDefender]
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\\\Windows Defender\\\\EppManifest.dll"
"MUIVerb"="Scan with Windows Defender"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\WindowsDefender\Command]
@="cmd.exe /s /c \"\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MpCmdRun.exe\" -SignatureUpdate & echo. & cmd.exe /s /c \"\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MpCmdRun.exe\" -scan -scantype 3 -file \"%1 \"\"\" & echo. & pause"