Hi SR,
If the Registry check proved fruitless, here are a few things to consider.
We know that WD is supposed to function, if only in Passive mode, with
other third part anti-virus installed. So not being able to uninstall them
is probably not going to affect your problem. Something else has to be
causing it.
I did not mention them before, but there are four more "services" that
could be involved. Find them as you did for "Security Center Service".
They are Windows Defender "services", further down the page. One in
particular could be more likely to cause the problem than the others,
but they all should be running. "Windows Defender Security Center Service", if
not running, is most likely to cause your problem. It should be set for Automatic.
I'm thinking you all have exhaustively scanned for malware already.
I have noticed that at least two who have responded to this thread, are
at v1803 Build 17134.48. What about the rest of you? What is your Build # ?
The build # of a recent Repair Upgrade that I performed was 17134.191.
On August 5, Fed said he was going to try a Repair Upgrade, but he has
not checked back yet. Perhaps some of you should give that a try.
Unless your problem lies in an App (or malware), the Repair Upgrade
will surely fix your problem. As the OS is replaced with a new one.
One caveat, if the build # that comes with it is 17134.191, WDO will
load. Your PC will boot back into Windows, before WDO can load.
Microsoft may have fixed this, but doubtful.
Repair Upgrade seems like a major operation, but it is a fairly simple
procedure. All you have to do is download the "Media Creation Tool"
from Microsoft. Right click it and run as administrator. Run, as for another
computer, Select download to be ISO. The ISO will end up in the Documents
Folder as Windows. Right click the ISO and select "mount". Double click
"setup.exe" and you are on your way. Be sure that both options are checked
for "What To Keep". Do the other obvious things, such as accept the license etc.
For some reason I can not get the "LINK" function to work. Here is the download
location. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows 10
Regards, Glen