Windows Defender in Windows 10 v1903 - No Classic GUI?

[SearchLight]

As you all may recall, in earlier versions of Windows 10, Microsoft provided a GUI for Windows Defender(see screenshot), that provided direct access to all its features. Now, in order to make changes or determine the status of WD, one has to click through several menus in the Windows Security Center.

Even in earlier versions, there was a hack to return to the Classic GUI: Get Classic Windows Defender in Windows 10 Creators Update. The file MSASCui.exe has also been removed, if one were to try the hack.

I have been using WD for awhile now using ConfigureWD by Andy Ful but I think what would benefit users imo even more, would be if Microsoft once again, provided an option to use the Classic GUI. I don't know about you but I often like to have all my security info at my fingertips such as status and updates.

If anyone has a workaround that works in v1903 to restore the Classic GUI or other alternative please advise. Thanks.

 

[plat]

Wow, I checked, indeed it's no longer accessible. Probably a recent update to the Antimalware Platform removed MSASCui exe. I googled around a bit and found nothing to restore it. Not even a third party software that could restore it.

If it's not on the first two or three pages of a search, I wouldn't completely trust the search results thereafter. The current Defender interface is too convoluted, I agree totally. But that the old UI vanished without a trace and no word or anything--that's annoying. I guess there's the Feedback Hub to ask why and whether it can be restored.

 

[436880927]

The file MSASCui.exe has also been removed, if one were to try the hack.

Have you tried obtaining the executable from a previous version of Windows 10 which has it and testing whether it works on your Windows 10 v1903 environment? It's possible that it will still work fine.

However, you should understand that since it is now unsupported (for the time being), it could be unstable and/or bring other unprecedented consequences in the future.

 

[Local Host]

Is as dead as the control panel (although this one is still available, until all the settings are ported), Microsoft wants everyone to move to the new UI.

Wow, I checked, indeed it's no longer accessible. Probably a recent update to the Antimalware Platform removed MSASCui exe. I googled around a bit and found nothing to restore it. Not even a third party software that could restore it.

If it's not on the first two or three pages of a search, I wouldn't completely trust the search results thereafter. The current Defender interface is too convoluted, I agree totally. But that the old UI vanished without a trace and no word or anything--that's annoying. I guess there's the Feedback Hub to ask why and whether it can be restored.

No word? Microsoft warned some time ago it was moving Windows Defender to the Security Center, and that wants people managing Windows Defender there (for ages now it has been the default UI for Windows Defender as well, so there's no surprise whasoever).

Honestly the Old UI didn't supply half of the Settings the Security Center has (but I admit is still lacking).

 

[436880927]

No word? Microsoft warned some time ago it was moving Windows Defender to the Security Center, and that wants people managing Windows Defender there (for ages now it has been the default UI for Windows Defender as well, so there's no surprise whasoever).

I agree with their decision to be honest.

Do you know if the old GUI when used on newer versions of Windows with the previously supported tweak allowed configuration of everything like in the updated GUI, or is it literally just the same old GUI with no more settings available? I've never used it so I do not know. I'm curious if Microsoft did changes to it for Windows 10 when they introduced the compatibility support awhile ago.

Microsoft might want to make changes to how things work under the hood and thus the old GUI might be trying to query or update things which have since changed, which would require them to maintain the old UI as well.

It's just more work which Microsoft won't want to do and since the new UI is the focus, they probably don't want to spend time testing with the old UI to ensure compatibility.

 

[SearchLight]

I guess with Microsoft less is not necessarily more.
For now the alternative to a more detailed and less convoluted GUIs would be to replace WD with Av of your choice.

Software is forever evolving

 

[Local Host]

I agree with their decision to be honest.

Do you know if the old GUI when used on newer versions of Windows with the previously supported tweak allowed configuration of everything like in the updated GUI, or is it literally just the same old GUI with no more settings available? I've never used it so I do not know. I'm curious if Microsoft did changes to it for Windows 10 when they introduced the compatibility support awhile ago.

Microsoft might want to make changes to how things work under the hood and thus the old GUI might be trying to query or update things which have since changed, which would require them to maintain the old UI as well.

It's just more work which Microsoft won't want to do and since the new UI is the focus, they probably don't want to spend time testing with the old UI to ensure compatibility.

The old UI had less settings, you had to switch between old and new (in the settings app) to tweak all the settings Microsoft provides (even the new UI is lacking settings, most of them are still hidden in regedit and GPO).