Re: What is the trick to get Windows XP firewall to stay on (after a reboot)?

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: Triffid (triffid_at_nebula.net)
Date: 01/03/05 

Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 03:15:11 -0500

Leythos wrote:

> In article <14ke0pacyykpq$.euq6xdx0gdz0.dlg@40tude.net>,
> A.Crugnola@oracle.us.com says...
>
>>The windows xp firewall can't even start up upon reboot.
>
>
> Being a troll, and you really appear to not even hide the fact that you
> are, doesn't mean you are posting correct info.
>
> The Windows XP SP2 Firewall does indeed startup enabled and blocking by
> default - I have several hundred machines running it to prove that it
> does.

I recently switched my home systems from NT4 SP6a to XP Pro SP2
(slipstreamed), and the firewall is indeed enabled by default.

However, I see no evidence of it blocking anything - it will
occasionally pop up and say "To help protect your computer, Windows
Firewall has blocked some features of this program", but it lies.

For example, if I initiate an active mode FTP session from the command
line, then type 'ls' after logging in to the FTP server, Windows
Firewall will pop up and claim to have blocked "File Transfer Program"
(presumably triggered by the inbound data connection from the server),
yet the directory listing I requested is received anyway, i.e the
so-called firewall lied to me about blocking the inbound data
connection. Meanwhile the FTP server delivers the requested data
followed by a message suggesting I consider using passive mode - but of
course XP's FTP client doesn't support passive mode!

A "firewall" that lies is much worse than no firewall at all.

I've seen no evidence the XP SP2 "firewall" provides any value,
therefore IMHO it should be disabled.

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