How to Troubleshoot ‘Operation did not Complete Successfully’ Error?

by Joey Williams Consultant

This Operation did not Complete Successfully bug is pretty common and occurs suddenly on the screen. However, many users reported that the has occurred whenever particular files are being opened, or it is universal, and most of the executables on the system return this error. This operation did not complete successfully shows the following message when trying to launch any file on the computer system:

“Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software.”

Although, there are various causes of these errors, but here we describe the three most common reasons for the error ‘Operation did not complete successfully’ error, which is as follows:

The file users downloaded is actually affected by malware or other viruses.
Probably, the Windows Defender or another antivirus security software is set to a maximum protection mode.
It is a fake optimistic scan result from the AV vendor.

Regardless of causes, underneath we will describe various ways to resolve Operation did not complete successfully bug by changing the Windows Defender settings, adding an exclusion to the tricky files, successfully updating the software, and many others. To troubleshoot the error, one need to follow the steps which are mentioned below.

Solution-1: Update the Windows Defender or Other Security Software

Generally, the Virus databases are often updated, and an outdated database might cause several issues for the users. Before starting the process, ensure that your Windows Defender anti-virus is up-to-date. Here what you have to do for fixing the issue:

Right-tap on the ‘Start’ icon and choose ‘Settings’ option from it.
Click on the ‘Settings’ option to launch it on the screen.
Now, navigate to the ‘Update & Security’ option.
Press the ‘Windows Security’ option located on the left panel of the screen.
Alternatively, scroll down the list and find out ‘Virus & Threat Protection Updates’ appears on the right side of the screen.
Choose and click on the ‘Check for Updates’ option.
Then, Windows will automatically download and install them on the device.

Well, it might be possible that the installed security application might differ, and the process of up-gradation should not be complicated for anyone. Mostly, users will get the update prompt in settings or inside the main program window.

Solution-2: Temporarily Turn Off Windows Defender

For temporarily disabling the Windows Defender, follow the steps:

As explained above, you need to go back to the ‘Windows Security’ option.
Tap on the ‘Virus & Threat Protection’ located under the ‘Protection’ areas window.
Now, press the ‘Manage Settings’ option situated in the ‘Virus & Threat Protection’ section.
Inside the ‘Real-Time Protection’ section, toggle the button to the left side or change it from white to green to disable the protection option.

Bob Martin is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cyber security, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet and new media. He writes for Norton security products at norton.com/setup.

Source : Troubleshoot ‘Operation did not Complete Successfully’ Error