According to recent reports, Windows Defender can’t install the latest definition updates due to error 0x800704e8. Here’s how one user describes this update issue: What can I do to get rid of the 0x800704e8 update error in Windows Defender? The easiest solution is to update Windows Defender manually. In some cases, the error is triggered by network connection problems. If that doesn’t solve your problem, remove the Windows Defender Signature file. While trying to download the latest definitions in Windows Defender, the instillation part of the process apparently failed after the download, then a message came up saying “Virus and Spyware definitions couldn’t be updated. Error Code 0x800704e8” (see picture below)
To see how you can do that, check the steps below.
Steps to solve Windows Defender error 0x800704e8:
Users also confirm that the Windows Update Troubleshooter doesn’t identify any problems related to this error message. As a result, it can’t fix the problem. At the same time, users report that some Windows Defender updates download successfully, and the error message 0x800704e8 doesn’t always come up.
Solution 1 – Manually update Windows Defender through CMD
To fix error message 0x800704e8, follow these troubleshooting steps: -READ ALSO: Fix: Windows Defender won’t turn on in Windows 10
Solution 2 – Remove the Windows Defender Signature file
Another way to get rid of the 0x800704e8 error is to remove Windows Defender Signature file. To do that, follow the steps: -READ ALSO: How to keep Windows Defender definitions up to date in Windows 10, 8.1 As you can see, solving the 0x800704e8 error using these methods is fairly easy. Just make sure that you don’t have any third-party antivirus programs on you PC, as this could easily compromise the entire process. If you’ve come across other workarounds to fix the Windows Defender error message 0x800704e8, list the troubleshooting steps in the comment section below.
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