Microsoft AntiSpyware disables the Windows XP firewall... (more in post).

[Stevan Veselinovic \(steve411 from expert zone cha]

The Microsoft AntiSpyware program (beta 1) disables the
Windows XP Firewall after removing a number of found
threats. Inclosed within this post is a link to the
screenshot that contains the spyware found. (which when
removing them the firewall process is dead, completely.
And not able to be fired back up again).
The process that is disabled is:
Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
Screen shot of found spyware:
http://steve.xblogfiles.com/bugReports/antiSpyware/theBug.
JPG
Link to the error when trying to fire up the service
again:
http://steve.xblogfiles.com/bugReports/antiSpyware/error.J
PG

Note:
A way to fix this is to:
1.) Remove the Microsoft AntiSpyware program.
2.) Fire up the system restore

 

[Liz]

I had the very same problem. I tried installing this
software on a fairly new machine and then started getting
the firewall setting. Using system restore didn't work,
probably because I didn't uninstall the program first. We
tried to do a reinstall of windows to get the ICS file
back but that didn't work. Thankfully the computer is
basically just used for the internet so we just did a
format on the hard drive and started over.