Can't turn MS FireWall ON

Hi

I just installed SP2 on a Dell Inspiron 2500 laptop running XP Home.
When I go to "Windows Firewall" control panel all my options under
the "General" tab are grayed out! Other tabs work fine,
So I can not turn my FireWall ON!

After a little research I found a command to enter at a DOS window.
"netsh firewall show state"

Here are my resolutes:

Code:

Profile              = Standard
Operational mode     = Disable
Exception mode       = Enable
Multicast ...        = Enable
Notification mode    = Enable
Group policy version = Windows Firewall
Remote admin mode    = Disable

My problem is the OS thinks there is a "Group policy "
but this computer is a stand lone laptop not in a domain!

How do I get "Group policy version" to say None?
I'm a little rusty on my rights and policies.

One reason I installed SP2 so I could take advantage of the firewall.

Thanks

 

gpedit.msc > This will open the Group Policy Object Editor for the local machine.

>>but this computer is a stand lone laptop not in a domain!

You don't have to be in a domain to have group policies. There is such a thing as local policies. Only in a domain will a domain policy trump a local policy.

How this got enabled may always be a mystery. This you ever apply a security template *.inf ??

>>the "General" tab are grayed out.

Grayed out is typically a permissions thing. Does the account you are logging in with have administrative rights. The groups User & Power User may not have the rights to change the firewall.

I know that anyone part of the User Group does not have permissions to view security related messages in Event Viewer.

Confirm that your account is part of Administrators group before fooling around with gpedit.msc

- Don

 

Thanks Don

Yes the user I'm signed on as is a "Computer Administrator "

Don under Group policies where do you think the firewall setting will be?

 

Don I don't have "gpedit.msc" on this computer.
You know that wonderful message "Not Found "

Remember this is XP Home edition.

 

Hello Bill,

As you found out, Home doesn't come with gpedit.msc - one possible work around is a program from the Doug Knox site that allows editing of permissions for access to folders or software http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_home_sectab.htm

Does come with a warning, so be prepared to backtrack.

Regards - Charles

 

This may provide a solution ... FaJo XP File Security Extension (XP FSE)

 

If that doesn't do it perhaps something here will:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/sharedaccess.htm

 

Bill Griffith--Do you have a third party firewall also installed? Zone Alarm (which is a better firewall, anyway), for example, has an optional setting (FireWall tab|Advanced) that disables Windows Firewall.
The reason is that you should only have one firewall running.

 

try this. go to control panel and then to security center. check if it says that your firewall is not monitored. if that is the case click the button bellow which says recommendation. then make sure that the box bellow is unchecked - I have firewall solution that'll monitor myself. then restart your computer and see if you are able to enable the firewall.