Can't enable firewall - help, please

Factual Questions
1

I have Window 7 Professional, version 6.1 (build 7601, Service Pack 1) , and Norton Security Suite version 21.7.0.11.

Last night I tried to apply the most recent Firefox update. I clicked on “restart Firefox to complete update”. FF closed, but didn’t restart. I decided to power down, then power back up.

After I powered up, I got the Windows Action Center notice that the firewall was off. From there I got to the screen to select which non-Windows firewall I wanted to enable. I selected Norton and clicked on “turn on”. There was no change. I tried to enable the Windows firewall, but that also didn’t change.

I then checked Firefox to see if it had updated. It hadn’t, but I went ahead and updated it, and this completed successfully.

I brought up the Norton screen and clicked on settings, but everything is grayed out and can’t be selected, including the “firewall”, with one exception: “configure identity protection”.

I was doing all this from my normal Windows account which is a user level account.

I signed on to my admin Windows account, and it said the firewall was enabled. In Norton, I clicked on “settings” then “firewall”.

This brings up a status window, showing the Norton firewall was on. It also has an option to “reset” the firewall. I did this, and now the firewall was off, and can’t be turned on. Neither can the Windows firewall be turned on, just like my user account.

I signed off the admin account.

I returned to my user account and downloaded and installed Malwarebytes. I ran the basic+rootkit scan, and it reported zero problems. I have Spybot, ran its scan, and it reported only low-level things like cookies. Adaware full scan: 0 problems. Norton full virus scan: zip.

I have tried “method 1” in the first answer on this page: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/cant-turn-on-windows-7-firewall/430ae342-e16d-4b49-a726-20510bd559c4

There was a problem: I saw no “Windows Event Controller” service. However, the “Base Filtering Engine” service is started.

I went on to the Device Manager and did find the “Windows Firewall Authorization Driver”. The driver is started. However, the Driver/startup type option is blank and can’t be modified from my user account. The blank may be due to the Norton firewall being configured to use instead of the Windows firewall.

I just signed back on to my admin account, and the firewall status there is “on” again.

There were 2 Windows updates that popped up on April 4, one recommended and one optional, and I installed both. At the moment there are 2 optional updates waiting, one of which is to install Skype (which I don’t use). The support documentation on those 4 updates doesn’t indicate any connection to my problem.

The next thing I’ll try will be to change my user account to admin status and see if I can get Norton to turn the firewall on. I will also recheck the info in “method 1” above. If I still can’t enable the firewall, I may try “method 2” on the above linked page.

Any other ideas?

2

IAN computer geek, but I would delete, or at least disable Norton. This computer came with a ‘free’ version installed and it took me quite some time to remove all traces of the damn thing. These problems are often caused by over-enthusiastic anti-virus programs.

3

Maybe use System Restore to go back before this all happened.

Do you have a router? Most of them, including WiFi routers, have a very good hardware firewall built in.

4

No, no router.

Well, color me confused and slightly embarrassed (but relieved). After I started the thread, I didn’t do any more investigation. Later I shut down my PC and went to bed.

When I turned the PC on today, the Norton firewall was back on and everything is back to normal. But thanks for your posts.