Paul,
Since there are no error numbers to go by is it
possible that this will resolve itself with the
next update?
The only program I added recently was CcCleaner.
Thoughts/suggestions,
Robert
Googling shows, CCleaner had problems with Firewalls,
around 2009. But this is four years later, so those
problems would be fixed.
One thread I read, suggested going to the Firewall Control Panel.
If you can't find it, try Start : Run : firewall.cpl
The Advanced tab on the right, has at the bottom,
a "Default Settings" area. To the right is a
"Restore Defaults", which I presume, puts the
allow and deny rules back to what they were
in the beginning. If you had done any customizations,
those would be lost.
*******
In Command Prompt...
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...s-xp-sp3/1e829738-9bd2-4f5d-95b4-467d3945930a
Netsh firewall reset
firewall.cpl (then click to turn it on)
The "netsh firewall" has a bunch of things it can do,
like add rules to the firewall. The examples on the left
side of the items here, show the syntax for WinXP.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947709
And this page says essentially, all that the "reset" does,
is the same as the "Restore Defaults" button.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771046(v=ws.10).aspx#bkmk_reset
As I read it, "Netsh firewall reset" won't do anything
more than the button in the Firewall control panel.
*******
In the same thread...
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...s-xp-sp3/1e829738-9bd2-4f5d-95b4-467d3945930a
the reply by "GUARDIANG7" shows how to do the "nuclear
option". I.e. Reinstall the firewall. I'm not convinced though,
that the nuclear option will solve anything. My suspicion
is, something else in your environment is doing this,
and not the Microsoft firewall code itself. Malware
can tip over the firewall, but I don't suspect malware
in this case, because you report no other "interesting"
symptoms. We already discussed the .NET code problem,
and we don't think it's that either. What else is left ?
You can try the GUARDIANG7 suggestion, if you do a backup
first. As then, you can put your system back later, if
there is trouble.
If you're going to do your own maintenance on the computer
(in the same way that I fumble around here), you need to
at least become very fluent with some kind of backup/restore
method. You can test your prowess with the backup/restore
stuff, by making a fake data partition, and checking whether
you can put it back or not. I.e. Pretend you had an accident,
the fake data partition is deleted, and now you're relying
on your restore software to put it back.
Once you're more comfortable with doing that sort of
thing (like a "fire drill"), you'll be better
prepared for experiments like the GUARDIANG7 one.
Confident you can put your C: back together, using
a backup you made five minutes ago.
One reason I keep my C: partition so small, is so I
can run a backup quickly. It's only 20GB and takes
maybe ten minutes to back up. And then I can
"go nuts with the commands"
Paul