"Firewall Not On" Warning At Startup?

Question

Hello, for the last two weeks I am getting a little bubble that says "Your firewall is not turned on" at startup. However, I immediately check the security section and it is on (I never take it off!).

My feelings are that this is just a glitch. Our PC (running XPsp3) is getting up in age, bloated-going to do some cleaning later today w/deleting temp files etc.-so it's not surprising that it might be showing its age.

I do download things but always check them before opening using my anti-malware programs. Also, regular scans are performed to ensure there are no "baddies" lurking around. There are no problems with using the internet or anything else, for that matter.

One suspicious thing though. This little pop up began appearing around the time that my McAfee Security renewal came up. Being that my PC already is well protected with other programs, I did not renew McAfee. Even though the pop up bears the Windows shield, I'm wondering if McAfee is unintentionally warning (or trying to scare) me into renewing their products.

Any thoughts would be most appreciated. A good day to all.

Answer 1

Now mcafee is of no use. Please uninstall it and use Avast or Avira. They are free. Or use the paid ones like NOD32 or Kaspersky.

Now for the firewall, i used to get the same problem. But i didn't care for it as it is always on and it shows only on startup. Use an outside firewall. check this site for comparisons on the best firwalls for xp: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-firewall.htm . Also use XP Service Pack 2 as it is safer than SP 3. I always get the sp3 update but i ignore it.

For uninstalling sp 3- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950249

Or if you want to know which sp is better then go here: http://www.insidehw.com/Software/Operating-System/Windows-XP-SP3-vs.-SP2.html



Also Check Is the Firewall Service set to start automatically?

To check:



Start > run > type services.msc > ok. The Services will display and scroll down to Windows Firewall. At the right under startup type, it should be "automatic" - my quess is that it's set to "manual". If not, double click on the line, in the dialog box under startup type change to automatic via the drop down menu.



:)

Answer 2

Computers don't "show their age". A 10 year old computer will still run a 10 year old program just as well as the day it came out of the box. (Hard drives, being mechanical, can fail.) Remove McAfee. Turn off the Windows firewall. Restart Windows. Turn on the Windows firewall., Restart Windows.

Answer 3

MCafee has a firewall and if the program is no longer active then this should happen but also that you have no anti-virus.



If you're not going to renew you subscription to McAfee,you'll need to replace it with another anti-virus,and anti-malware. If you want to save some money,get AVG 9 free.McAfee has to be completely uninstalled.If there are any traces left behind,AVG will not install.



For anti-malware get Ad-Aware,Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Windows Defender



Check you firewall status again.Open your Security Center and make sure which firewall is active.Also go to "Manage security settings for" and make sure that the Windows firewall is on and click OK.



Clean you hard drive with CCleaner.Run both the cleaner and registry cleaner in it's default settings.

This will do a much better job than the default cleaner in your PC

Answer 4

Part of the problem may arise from the method of putting your computer away for the night (or whatever schedule you follow).

Turning a Windows system "OFF" (from 'Start> Turn Off Computer...' button) is not the best way to put your system away for the night (or extended periods) and forcing a shutdown with the power button is NEVER a good option; only a last resort.

It prevents Windows from 'housekeeping' system files to get ready for the next start-up.

Delayed initiation of any particular function (the firewall, for example) just may be those 'background services' progressing through the start-up queue.



A vastly improved method is 'Hibernation'.

Shutdowns using the 'hibernate' method gives several benefits: It's a near zero power state; all 'Start-up' folder items are already loaded, Windows background services are already 'up', and all open work moves to the hard drive, yielding really fast start-ups.

And if power is lost (storms, etc.) the document or picture you were working on won't be lost like it would be in 'Standby' mode, and the system will resume just where you left it.



For XP (newer OS's are similar):

Go to Start> Control Panel> Power Options> Hibernate: here check the box.

To show this option when turning unit off; Start> Turn Off Computer> HOLD down 'Shift' key & 'Standby' becomes "Hibernate': tick that.

(Some systems have a 'crescent moon' key to go right to hibernate, or set laptops for this operation 'when lid is closed').

Emergency power outage can occur without any affect on the system; the trouble comes when the power is restored, which can cause a "spike" which will likely cause damage to the system (as with any configuration).



To start up, push the power button, and Windows will resume right where you left it, bada bing.

"Turn off" can be done once a week to keep things in order, or as directed from within an application install or MS update.



Make sure to scrub out all remnants of McAfee; "CCleaner" will help with all those annoying 'dead-end' files slowing down your machine.

Windows firewall is anemic; get Comodo (a bit 'tekky') or Zone Alarm (more user friendly).

Answer 5

Delete the McAfee Program. By the way when you installed this program, it disabled the Windows Firewall.



Download a free Firewall to replace it. Try PCTools Firewall. It's free:



http://www.pctools.com/firewall/



Good Luck

Answer 6

To turn on your firewall:

Click the start button

Just above start button is a search box/type services and hit enter

click continue

expand the page to fill the screen

Scroll down the page until you find Windows Firewall

Right click on windows firewall

Click on properties

In the drop down box/where the arrow is/click it to allow it to drop down

Click Automatic

Click Apply

Click Start

Click ok

Windows Firewall is now on and enabled