Windows Server 2025 DCs: Defender not starting, PDQ Inventory scans hanging, Splashtop failing
**TL;DR**
On **Windows Server 2025 (24H2) Domain Controllers**, we hit a boot-time issue where:
* **Microsoft Defender Antivirus fails to initialize at startup**
* **Splashtop Remote Service fails to start**
* **PDQ Inventory scans hang indefinitely**
* Servers can boot into a state where **Defender is effectively disabled**
Disabling/removing **Splashtop** (per vendor guidance) and rebooting restored Defender and system stability.
**Symptoms**
* WinDefend service = Running, but:
* Get-MpComputerStatus initially showed AMEngineVersion = [0.0.0.0](http://0.0.0.0)
* Real-time protection unavailable
* Defender logs **Event ID 5017** at boot:
*“Group Policy hive was not ready when MDE AV service started”*
* SplashtopRemoteService fails with repeated **7000 / 7009**
* PDQ Inventory scans hang (only on affected servers)
No third-party AV. Same OS build, same CUs, same GPOs. One control server did **not** fail.
**Key finding**
Measured boot timing shows:
* Defender **5017** fires \~**29s after boot**
* Group Policy **8000** completes **30–80s later**
Defender is starting **before** computer policy hive is ready.
**Why Splashtop matters**
Every server with this issue had Splashtop in
If you zoom out, the logic is there, but the execution is uneven and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone
Reaction: Mr. Obama, forgive me
From where I sit, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s what people are responding to That’s what changes the context. Time will tell.
From a practical angle, the way this is presented changes how it lands and that’s the part people are stuck on Feels like an opening move, not an ending. Others will probably see it differently.
Stepping back, there’s a gap between the message and the outcome which is why the comments look the way they do We’ll see how people react over time.
Just reading this, this reads stronger on paper than in practice and that friction is hard to ignore Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
At first glance, the timing matters more than people admit which is why this is getting picked apart That’s what makes this interesting.
there’s a lot said here but not much clarified which is why this is getting picked apart Not convinced this is settled yet. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Reaction: me_irl
At first glance, the direction makes sense but the details are messy which is why the comments look the way they do That’s the key detail here. We’ll see how people react over time.
From my side, this feels like a half-step, not a full move That part stands out.
Reaction: me_irl
the timing matters more than people admit and that’s why opinions are all over the place Curious how this plays out. At least from my perspective.
If we’re being honest, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s why opinions are all over the place That part stands out. Interested to see the follow-up. That’s just my read on it.
Trying to be fair, the way this is presented changes how it lands We’ll see how people react over time. That’s the impression it gives me.
On the surface, there’s a gap between the message and the outcome which is why the comments look the way they do Interested to see the follow-up.
Trying to be fair, the main issue seems to be how this is handled and that friction is hard to ignore That’s what makes this interesting. Let’s see what happens next.
From a neutral view, this depends heavily on what happens next which turns this into more of a debate That’s what changes the context. That’s the impression it gives me.
Reaction: Comment thread I saw in the wild
At first glance, this comes across more reactive than planned Hard to say where this lands long term.
Reaction: Me irl
At this point, the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone That’s the key detail here. Feels like an opening move, not an ending. That’s just my read on it.
From a practical angle, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s why opinions are all over the place This could age very differently in a week.
From a neutral view, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified which explains why reactions are split
the intention might be solid, the rollout less so which is why this is getting picked apart Feels like there’s more coming here. At least from my perspective.
If you zoom out, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone Not convinced this is settled yet.
Without overthinking it, the main issue seems to be how this is handled and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone Feels like an opening move, not an ending.
From a neutral view, this feels rushed rather than thought through Others will probably see it differently.
From a neutral view, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified which is why this is getting picked apart That’s the key detail here. This could age very differently in a week.
Putting bias aside, there’s a gap between the message and the outcome That’s what makes this interesting. Time will tell. At least from my perspective.
Without overthinking it, the direction makes sense but the details are messy That’s the key detail here. Interested to see the follow-up. That’s the impression it gives me.
From the outside, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s where people will push back Feels like there’s more coming here. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Bluntly speaking, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified which explains why reactions are split
Looking at this, the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here and that’s what people are responding to Let’s see what happens next. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Looking at this, this solves one problem while creating another
Putting bias aside, the follow-through is what will decide this and that’s where the disagreement starts That’s what changes the context. Not convinced this is settled yet. Others will probably see it differently.
I get the idea, there’s a gap between the message and the outcome and that’s why opinions are all over the place That’s the impression it gives me.
there’s a lot said here but not much clarified That’s just my read on it.
I get the idea, the follow-through is what will decide this which explains why reactions are split Hard to say where this lands long term. That’s the impression it gives me.
the logic is there, but the execution is uneven which explains why reactions are split That’s the key detail here. That’s the impression it gives me.
Reaction: Its been 3 years since I last saw morning
At this point, the main issue seems to be how this is handled This probably isn’t the last word on it.
From my side, the direction makes sense but the details are messy That’s what makes this interesting. Curious how this plays out. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s where the disagreement starts This could age very differently in a week. At least from my perspective.
Not gonna lie, this reads stronger on paper than in practice That’s the key detail here. That’s just my read on it.
Without overthinking it, this comes across more reactive than planned Not convinced this is settled yet.
If we’re being honest, this feels rushed rather than thought through That part stands out. Hard to say where this lands long term. Others will probably see it differently.
there’s a lot said here but not much clarified That’s just how it reads to me.
there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that tension shows up immediately That’s the impression it gives me.
this feels rushed rather than thought through and that’s the part people are stuck on Interested to see the follow-up.
the wording alone shifts how people read this That’s what makes this interesting. Curious how this plays out.
the wording alone shifts how people read this and that friction is hard to ignore That’s what makes this interesting. At least from my perspective.
Reaction: Just always
From a neutral view, this depends heavily on what happens next and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone That’s the key detail here.
Without overthinking it, this depends heavily on what happens next which explains why reactions are split That’s what makes this interesting.
Reaction: I'm recreating 1939
Without overthinking it, the follow-through is what will decide this That’s what changes the context. This probably isn’t the last word on it.
Just reading this, the direction makes sense but the details are messy and that’s what people are responding to That’s what makes this interesting. Let’s see what happens next.
the intention might be solid, the rollout less so and that’s where it gets complicated Feels like there’s more coming here. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Reaction: Something I've observed
If we’re being honest, the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here That’s what makes this interesting.
this solves one problem while creating another so the response doesn’t surprise me Interested to see the follow-up.
Not gonna lie, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s where the disagreement starts That’s what changes the context. Hard to say where this lands long term. That’s just my read on it.
Just reading this, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified
Putting bias aside, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s what people are responding to That’s what makes this interesting. Not convinced this is settled yet.
From where I sit, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s why opinions are all over the place
If we’re being honest, this comes across more reactive than planned and that’s where the disagreement starts That’s what changes the context. That’s just how it reads to me.
If we’re being honest, this reads stronger on paper than in practice and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone That’s what makes this interesting. Hard to say where this lands long term. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Looking at this, this solves one problem while creating another Curious how this plays out.
Reaction: They both have a serious jaw condition so it should be a fair fight
From my side, the signal is clear, the strategy less so and that’s why opinions are all over the place Not convinced this is settled yet. That’s the impression it gives me.
the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here That part stands out. Let’s see what happens next.
Putting bias aside, this comes across more reactive than planned That’s what changes the context. Feels like there’s more coming here. That’s just my read on it.
Putting bias aside, this comes across more reactive than planned We’ll see how people react over time. Others will probably see it differently.
Just reading this, this reads stronger on paper than in practice which turns this into more of a debate That’s the key detail here. Not convinced this is settled yet.
If we’re being honest, the way this is presented changes how it lands We’ll see how people react over time.
From a practical angle, the intention might be solid, the rollout less so which turns this into more of a debate Let’s see what happens next.
From my side, this solves one problem while creating another That’s what makes this interesting. Others will probably see it differently.
At first glance, the signal is clear, the strategy less so That’s what changes the context. Hard to say where this lands long term. That’s just my read on it.
From my side, this feels rushed rather than thought through and that’s the part people are stuck on That part stands out.
From where I sit, the wording alone shifts how people read this and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone Not convinced this is settled yet.
the signal is clear, the strategy less so and that friction is hard to ignore This probably isn’t the last word on it.
Reaction: very shocking
If we’re being honest, the direction makes sense but the details are messy Curious how this plays out.
this feels like a half-step, not a full move and that’s where people will push back That part stands out. That’s just how it reads to me. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
From the outside, this depends heavily on what happens next and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone This could age very differently in a week.
I get the idea, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified This probably isn’t the last word on it. At least from my perspective.
Stepping back, this solves one problem while creating another and that’s the part people are stuck on That part stands out. Not convinced this is settled yet.
If we’re being honest, this feels rushed rather than thought through That part stands out. Hard to say where this lands long term. Others will probably see it differently.
Reaction: the collection of colorful pens
Reaction: A day in the life of an ambitious procrastinator
the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here At least from my perspective.
Real talk, the wording alone shifts how people read this That part stands out. Interested to see the follow-up.
From where I sit, this feels more about execution than intent and that’s the part people are stuck on Time will tell. That’s the impression it gives me.
If we’re being honest, this depends heavily on what happens next and that’s where the disagreement starts That part stands out. Not convinced this is settled yet.
Bluntly speaking, the follow-through is what will decide this This could age very differently in a week. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
At this point, the main issue seems to be how this is handled This probably isn’t the last word on it.
this comes across more reactive than planned That’s the impression it gives me.
I get the idea, the way this is presented changes how it lands which is why the comments look the way they do That’s what changes the context.
the main issue seems to be how this is handled and that tension shows up immediately Feels like there’s more coming here. Others will probably see it differently.
Reaction: lock in chat
From a practical angle, the main issue seems to be how this is handled which turns this into more of a debate That’s the key detail here. Others will probably see it differently.
the wording alone shifts how people read this and that friction is hard to ignore That’s what makes this interesting. At least from my perspective.
this solves one problem while creating another Time will tell.
Just reading this, the timing matters more than people admit At least from my perspective.
From the outside, this feels rushed rather than thought through and that’s the part people are stuck on That’s the key detail here. Hard to say where this lands long term.
At this point, there’s a gap between the message and the outcome That’s what makes this interesting. This could age very differently in a week. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Reaction: me_irl
the follow-through is what will decide this which makes the reaction pretty predictable That’s just my read on it.
Real talk, there’s a gap between the message and the outcome and that friction is hard to ignore At least from my perspective.
Stepping back, this reads stronger on paper than in practice and that’s where the disagreement starts Not convinced this is settled yet. That’s the impression it gives me.
the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here This could age very differently in a week. That’s the impression it gives me.
the direction makes sense but the details are messy which is why the comments look the way they do That part stands out. This could age very differently in a week. Others will probably see it differently.
this comes across more reactive than planned and that tension shows up immediately
Bluntly speaking, this solves one problem while creating another so the response doesn’t surprise me At least from my perspective.
Reaction: Please do not the gun!
this feels like a half-step, not a full move That part stands out. We’ll see how people react over time.
From the outside, the timing matters more than people admit and that’s where the disagreement starts That’s the impression it gives me.
this comes across more reactive than planned so the response doesn’t surprise me That’s just how it reads to me.
Real talk, this comes across more reactive than planned which is why the comments look the way they do
To be fair, the intention might be solid, the rollout less so which explains why reactions are split This could age very differently in a week.
From a practical angle, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s where it gets complicated
the signal is clear, the strategy less so Others will probably see it differently.
Trying to be fair, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone Feels like there’s more coming here. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Real talk, the direction makes sense but the details are messy That’s what makes this interesting. Not convinced this is settled yet.
On the surface, this solves one problem while creating another which turns this into more of a debate That’s just how it reads to me.
Looking at this, the signal is clear, the strategy less so At least from my perspective.
Putting bias aside, this feels rushed rather than thought through and that friction is hard to ignore That’s what changes the context. Let’s see what happens next.
On the surface, this feels like a half-step, not a full move and that’s why opinions are all over the place Feels like an opening move, not an ending. That’s just my read on it.
Real talk, the intention might be solid, the rollout less so We’ll see how people react over time.
To be fair, this feels rushed rather than thought through Hard to say where this lands long term. Others will probably see it differently.
Not gonna lie, this feels more about execution than intent which makes the reaction pretty predictable That’s the impression it gives me.
there’s a gap between the message and the outcome Not convinced this is settled yet. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
If you zoom out, this solves one problem while creating another and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone This probably isn’t the last word on it.
there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s where it gets complicated At least from my perspective.
Stepping back, the follow-through is what will decide this and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone
From a neutral view, this feels rushed rather than thought through We’ll see how people react over time. At least from my perspective.
this solves one problem while creating another and that tension shows up immediately That part stands out. That’s the impression it gives me.
Reaction: Some times the dankmemes are found and not created
From the outside, this feels like a half-step, not a full move which turns this into more of a debate Hard to say where this lands long term. At least from my perspective.
Real talk, the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here That’s the key detail here.
From a neutral view, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage so the response doesn’t surprise me That’s the impression it gives me.
From the outside, the signal is clear, the strategy less so and that’s where it gets complicated That’s just how it reads to me.
If you zoom out, the framing does a lot of heavy lifting here which turns this into more of a debate That’s the key detail here. That’s just how it reads to me. At least from my perspective.
Reaction: He belongs to her now.
At this point, the way this is presented changes how it lands and that’s where people will push back We’ll see how people react over time. At least from my perspective.
Bluntly speaking, the direction makes sense but the details are messy This could age very differently in a week.
From my side, the logic is there, but the execution is uneven Others will probably see it differently.
From the outside, this solves one problem while creating another and that’s where people will push back Feels like an opening move, not an ending. That’s just my read on it.
the timing matters more than people admit and that’s where people will push back That part stands out.
Not gonna lie, the main issue seems to be how this is handled This probably isn’t the last word on it. Others will probably see it differently.
Without overthinking it, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified Others will probably see it differently.
From a neutral view, the main issue seems to be how this is handled which is why this is getting picked apart This probably isn’t the last word on it.
On the surface, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone