Windows Shuts Down When Scanning for Viruses? Best Fixes Here

Windows Shuts Down During a Virus Scan

Computer randomly shutting down is a common occurrence, such as Windows shutting down while gaming, computer shutting down when put to sleep, and so on.

Recently, many users complained that the computer crashes when scanning for viruses. This annoying problem is usually caused by conflicting applications, problems with the antivirus software itself, outdated Windows versions, corrupted system files, etc.

Now let’s see what should you do if your PC shuts down when scanning for viruses.

Solutions to Windows Shuts Down When Scanning for Viruses

Solution 1. Boot Windows in Safe Mode

The issue of “Windows shuts down when scanning for viruses” can be caused by conflicting applications or files, especially when you have installed a third-party program or downloaded a file from an untrusted resource.

To rule these out, you can choose to run Windows in safe mode. This is because a safe mode will boot your computer with the basic system programs and services started.

You can boot into safe mode from Windows Settings.

Step 1. Press Windows + I key combination to open Windows Settings.

Step 2. Click Update & Security > Recovery.

Step 3. Click Restart now below Advanced startup.

Step 4. In the Windows Recovery Environment, click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

Step 5. In the new window, choose the appropriate option by using your keyboard to access safe mode.

In safe mode, run the antivirus software to scan your device for viruses. If your computer does not shut down during a virus scan, you may need to uninstall the recently installed software or delete the newly downloaded files.

Solution 2. Use Another Antivirus Software

As said before, the matter of “Windows shuts down when scanning for viruses” may be caused by the antivirus software itself. In this case, you can use another antivirus to perform a virus scan to check whether the issue is fixed. If yes, uninstall the problematic antivirus. Here this article may be helpful: 5 Best Free Antivirus for Windows 11/10 Computer.

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Solution 3. Defragment the Hard Drive

If Windows shuts down during a virus scan, you can also try defragmenting the hard drive. This increases the performance and speed of your computer or laptop.

Here you can see how to perform a disk defragment.

Step 1. Type defragment in the Windows search box, then click Defragment and Optimize Drives.

Step 2. Select the target HDD and click the Analyze button to check if the drive needs to be defragmented.

If the analysis shows that the drive is less than 10% fragmented, there is no need to optimize the drive. If not, click the Optimize button to defragment the drive.

Wait for the process to complete. Then run a virus scan and check if your computer still shuts down.

Solution 4. Update Windows

If your Windows version is not updated, the matter of “Windows shuts down when scanning for viruses” may occur. Newer versions of Windows fix many bugs in Windows and related software. So, you need to open Windows Settings to check for Windows updates.

If there is a new Windows version, follow this page to update it: Update Windows 11/10 to Download & Install Latest Updates.

Further Reading

Windows claims that Windows updates will not delete your personal data. However, Windows users’ feedback shows that some users encountered data loss issues after updating Windows. To recover the files lost after the Windows update, you can choose MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is the best free data recovery software that is effective in recovering files deleted by antivirus, recovering files from Alt + Tab black screen, recovering files from SD cards, USB drives, SSDs, and so on.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Solution 5. Run SFC Scan

Corrupted Windows system files can be responsible for the trouble of “Windows shuts down when scanning for viruses” as well. In this case, you can use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files.

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Wrapping Things Up

Reading here, you should know what should you do if the computer crashes when scanning for viruses. Just try the listed solutions above.

If you have come across any other great solutions to this issue, welcome to share them in the comment zone to help more users. Thank you in advance.

If your files get lost during the issue repair process, use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to recover deleted files.

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