How to Disable Firewall Alerts When Security Center Does Not Recognize Installed Software Firewall
Published: August 4, 2004
If you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) your Windows Firewall should be automatically enabled. Windows Security Center will tell you the status of the firewall and display an alert if it stops working. However, you don't have to use Windows Firewall—you can install and run any firewall that you choose. Security Center may still be able to tell you the status of that firewall and may also display an alert if it stops working.
There are some firewalls that Windows will not find, such as a hardware firewall or certain types of software firewalls. If your computer is using a hardware firewall, you should not disable Windows Firewall. If you install and run another firewall, you should turn off Windows Firewall. If you use another software firewall that Windows doesn't recognize, you may want to disable the Security Center firewall alerts.
Note You should only disable these alerts if you are sure that your computer is protected by a firewall. The following procedure assumes that you have already turned off Windows Firewall and that you have received an alert telling you that you do not have a firewall installed. If you have not received an alert, then Security Center is detecting an installed and enabled firewall and will not display the Recommendations dialog box in step 4.
To specify that you're using a firewall that Windows does not find
1. | Click Start and then click Control Panel. |
2. | Double-click Security Center. (You can also access the Security Center by clicking on an alert sent by the Security Center. For example, if you receive an alert telling you that your antivirus software is out of date, when you click that alert, the Security Center will open.) |
3. | In the Security Center, under Firewall, click Recommendations. (The Recommendations button is not available when your Firewall setting is marked ON.) |
4. | In the Recommendations dialog box, select the I have a firewall solution that I'll monitor myself check box, and then click OK. |
When you use this procedure, the Security Center displays your Firewall setting as Unknown, and does not send you alerts.
Note If your computer is part of a domain (a group of computers on a network), your security settings are typically managed by your network administrator. In this case, the Security Center does not display your security status or send alerts.
