Startup error + cannot open Windows Security

Robbert 20 Reputation points

Hi!

Ever since updating to windows 11 (or maybe since I had a RAM related crash I'm not quite sure) I have been getting a pop-up on startup relating to security health. I have been able to ignore this up until recently where I needed to access my windows security settings and was unable to do so. Whenever I click Windows Security in the settings panel it freezes and I am unable to access its contents.

I have tried to find a solution on google and have ran

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

and

sfc /scannow

Additionally I have tried to repair and reset my windows security.

Some faults were found and fixed through these steps but the problem still persists.

Help would be much appreciated!

Error message (translated):

SecurityHealthSystray: SecurityHealthSystray.exe - Invalid installa... PC:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth\10.0.29510.1001-0\SecurityHealthSSO.dll is not compatible with Windows or contains an error. Try reinstalling the program using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or software vendor for support. Error status Oxc000012f.

Original error message:👁 WhatsApp Image 2026-06-14 at 19.43.09

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4 answers

  1. _AW_ 68,006 Reputation points • Volunteer Moderator

    Hopefully this will resolve the Windows Defender issues.

    Download and unzip ExecTI from https://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/getmirror/execti,1.html

    Run ExecTI.exe as administrator and enter cmd.exe > OK

    In the resulting command window copy/paste/enter RD /S /Q "C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth\10.0.29510.1001-0"

    Go to C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth and make sure the 10.0.29510.1001-0 folder has been deleted.

    Download Win11-service-fix from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UyJ9Jgb23F_KVLJudHp_mOPdih9ZaGAs/view?usp=sharing

    Unzip Win11-service-fix.reg and move it to the root of your C drive.

    Run ExecTI.exe as administrator and enter regedit.exe > OK

    In Regedit, go to File -> Import and select Win11-service-fix.reg

    If the import is successful, reboot the computer.

    Download SecurityHealthSetup from

    https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/defu/2026/03/securityhealthsetup_a9b1a353945e3cc61ef19dcf0f78e199e1bd5c74.exe

    Right click on securityhealthsetup_a9b1a353945e3cc61ef19dcf0f78e199e1bd5c74.exe and run as administrator

    All going well, Windows Security should now open.

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  2. _AW_ 68,006 Reputation points • Volunteer Moderator

    I need some information in order to provide instructions to resolve this.

    Please open Windows Powershell.

    Copy and paste in each of the following commands then click enter.

    gci 'C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth'-recurse -file -Include '*.dll', '*.exe', '*.appx'  | Get-AuthenticodeSignature | ft -auto Path, Status

    gsv SecurityHealthService, WdBoot, WdFilter, WdNisDrv, WinDefend, wscsvc | ft -auto Name, DisplayName, StartType, Status

    Post a screenshot of the output.

    1. Robbert 20 Reputation points

      Apologies for the late response, I did not have access to my system for a while.
      Here is the requested information:
      👁 User's image

    2. Robbert 20 Reputation points

      Additionally; it came to mind I recently updated to windows 11 and had issues with the tpm module/bios. I have tweaked settings in the BIOS when I was attempting to solve these issues and I wonder if maybe any of the security settings in the BIOS may be blocking my windows security working properly?

      Here is the link to the additional forum post I requested help on for context: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5840518/windows-not-updating-compatible-tpm-cannot-be-foun

    3. _AW_ 68,006 Reputation points • Volunteer Moderator

      No that's unrelated. I'll be posting a fix shortly.

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  3. Alvise Cervellati 5,215 Reputation points • Independent Advisor

    Hi robert, welcome in community

    Since your Windows Security settings panel is completely freezing, the AppX package for the Security Center UI will likely need to be re-initialized after the file swap to clear out the hang.

    Open an elevated PowerShell prompt and run:

    Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage

    If the interface still freezes when you try to open it, force a fresh registration with this command:

    Add-AppxPackage -Register -DisableDevelopmentMode "C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.SecHealthUI_cw5n1h2txyewy\AppXManifest.xml"

    If not solved, you can usually force Windows to rebuild the directory structure natively:

    • ​Delete the corrupted versioned folder completely (this usually requires Safe Mode as well).
    • ​Look in the root of C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth\ for an executable named SecurityHealthSetup.exe.
    • ​Run it as an administrator. It is designed to unpack a fresh copy of the versioned directory and re-register the necessary DLLs.

    Let me know how it goes

    Elvis

    1. Robbert 20 Reputation points

      Hi Alvese,

      Thank you for your response and assistance on the matter.

      I attempted the above prompts and it resulted in the following error
      👁 User's image

      On the latter steps, I remember having tried a similar SecurityHealthSetup.exe execution following a youtube 'fix' but this seemed to also have led to nothing, though I do not remember if I followed the removal step. Will try this next.

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  4. AI answer

    The error indicates corrupted or incompatible Windows system files (SecurityHealthSSO.dll) that DISM and SFC did not fully repair. Use the advanced repair steps for Windows system files and, if needed, a repair of Windows itself.

    Follow these steps in order:

    1. Repair Windows image and system files again
      1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
      2. Run: 
         DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
        Wait for it to complete and confirm it reports that the operation completed successfully.
      3. Then run: 
         sfc /scannow
        Wait until verification reaches 100%.
      4. Restart the PC and test Windows Security again.
    2. Perform a clean restart and test
      1. Perform a clean restart of Windows so only minimal drivers and startup programs load. This helps rule out conflicts that might interfere with Windows Security. (See How to perform a clean boot in Windows.)
      2. After the clean restart, try opening Windows Security from Start > Settings > Windows Update and confirm whether it opens without freezing.
    3. Repair hard drive errors Corruption on disk can cause system files (including SecurityHealthSSO.dll) to be damaged.
      1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
      2. Run: 
         chkdsk /f C:
      3. Approve running it at next restart if prompted, then restart and let the check complete.
    4. If issues persist, repair Windows via update or clean installation If Windows Security still cannot open or the startup error persists after the above repairs, the remaining option is to repair Windows itself:
      • First, ensure Windows Update is working and install all pending updates. This can replace corrupted components.
      • If Windows Update cannot fix the issue, perform a clean installation of Windows 11 using the Windows 11 installation tool from the software download page. Back up important data first, as a clean install reinstalls Windows and removes apps and settings.

    These steps target corrupted system components and disk errors that can cause the SecurityHealthSystray.exe / SecurityHealthSSO.dll error and Windows Security freezing.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.
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