Windows Security Alerts says that my XP Firewall is off, but Firewall Control Panel says it is on???

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear friends:

Windows Security Alerts says that my XP Firewall is off, but the
Firewall Control Panel applet says that it is on. How to determine who
is right and who is wrong?

Am I in a dangerous situation?


Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[Kayman]

Dear friends:

Windows Security Alerts says that my XP Firewall is off, but the
Firewall Control Panel applet says that it is on. How to determine who
is right and who is wrong?

Am I in a dangerous situation?

Understanding Windows Firewall.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/internet/sp2_wfintro.mspx

Using Windows Firewall.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/security/winfirewall.mspx

 

[PA Bear]

Do you have a third-party firewall installed? Have any Norton or McAfee
applications ever been installed?

 

[Juan I. Cahis]

Never, only the Firewall that comes with XP

Do you have a third-party firewall installed? Have any Norton or McAfee
applications ever been installed?

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[PA Bear]

To keep track of things, it helps immensely if you include all of previous
message(s) in your replies to the newsgroup. Thank you.

Please confirm:

1. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Security Center is reporting that the
firewall is disabled and you can't use the tool there to enable it; and...

2. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Windows Firewall reports that the
firewall is enabled.

Also please tell me if a Norton or McAfee application has ever been
installed on the machine (e.g., a free-trial version preinstalled when you
bought the machine)?

Are you experiencing any other unusual or unwanted behavior (e.g., pop-ups;
search results; webpages opening on their own)?

 

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear friends:

To keep track of things, it helps immensely if you include all of previous
message(s) in your replies to the newsgroup. Thank you.
OK

Please confirm:

1. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Security Center is reporting that the
firewall is disabled and you can't use the tool there to enable it; and...
Yes

2. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Windows Firewall reports that the
firewall is enabled.
Yes

Also please tell me if a Norton or McAfee application has ever been
installed on the machine (e.g., a free-trial version preinstalled when you
bought the machine)?

Never. I use WinXP Firewall only

Are you experiencing any other unusual or unwanted behavior (e.g., pop-ups;
search results; webpages opening on their own)?

None at all, and SpySweeper Antivirus and Antispyware says that all is
OK

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[PA Bear]

The most likely cause is a hijackware infection, despite what your
Spysweeper applications tell you.

Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by deceptive software
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827315

Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting your hijackthis log
to an appropriate forum.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine2.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis v2.0.2
(http://aumha.org/downloads/hijackthis.exe) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware with
assistance from an expert. **Post your log to
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, not here.**

If the procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting this
isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L.ORG http://66.39.69.143/