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Firewall not turning on in Windows 10

I had McAfee on my computer but uninstalled it.  Was able to get windows defender turned on and updated however the firewall will not turn on at all.  I get the below error and looking at a system log means nothing to me.  

Hi Troy,

Thank you for sharing your concern in Microsoft Community.

 
As per the query you have uninstalled your Anti-virus and unable to turn on Windows defender.
 
We suggest you to refer the below suggestion by Rajesh Govind on  Nov-25-2013, let us know if this fixes the issue.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect_defender-protect_start/windows-defender-in-windows-81-will-not-turn-on/d979e0b3-0291-49b4-8533-790209a7197b

A firewall is software or hardware that helps prevent hackers and some types of malware from getting to your PC through a network or the Internet. It does this by checking the info that’s coming from the Internet or a network and then either blocking it or allowing it to pass through to your PC.
A firewall isn't the same thing as an antivirus or antimalware app. Firewalls help protect against worms and hackers, antivirus apps help protect against viruses, and antimalware apps help protect against malware. You need all three. You can use Windows Defender, the antivirus and antimalware software that's included with Windows, or you can use another antivirus and antimalware app.

You only need one firewall app on your PC (in addition to the firewall that's probably built into your network router). Having more than one firewall app on your PC can cause conflicts and problems.

Windows Firewall comes with Windows and is turned on by default.
 
If you have an expired trial version of MacAfee, you may remove or uninstall this using the removal tool and restart the computer to check if this helps. It is not good to have multiple security software installed on the computer as there might be software conflict which will affect the overall performance of the computer.
 
Also, ensure that windows firewall service is automatic and running.

 
keep us posted with the status of the issue, we are here to assist you.
Akheel Ahmed P

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Hi TroyLac,

If Windows Firewall service registry keys or its Permissions are incorrect, error 1168 shows up. First, lets check if the service registry keys/values are intact.

Right-click Start, click Command Prompt. Type :

reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MpsSvc /s

Copy the output and post here.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ramesh, Windows Shell MVP 2003-2012.
If this post resolves your issue, pls mark it as an Answer.

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Windows Defender runs fine.  It is only the windows Firewall that will not start.    

When I click on to manually start windows Firewall, that is when the error occurs as posted in my original post using the processes that  you posted to me.

Also as stated previously, the trial version of McAfee was uninstalled already.  That is when I turned on Windows Defender but could not get Windows Firewall to start.

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Hi Troy,
 
 
Thank you for replying us back in Microsoft Community.
 
- Have you tried the above suggestion by Ramesh Srinivasan on Mar-03-2016 above ?

If yes, let us know the status of the issue and if not keep us posted.

Also, Run a virus scanner and check : 

Virus is known to cause these issues. Scan your computer from Microsoft Safety Scanner, which helps to get rid of virus, spyware, and malicious software. provide steps/links/disclaimers.

Safety scanner : 

The Microsoft Safety Scanner is a free downloadable security tool that provides on-demand scanning and helps remove virus, spyware, and other malicious software. It works with your existing antivirus software.
http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx


Note :
1) The Microsoft Safety Scanner expires 10 days after being downloaded. To rerun a scan with the latest anti-malware definitions, download and run the Microsoft Safety Scanner again.

2) If you run the virus scan the program that is infected with virus will get deleted. So you have to reinstall the program. Also if the files and folders are affected with virus then they might even get deleted.

Let us know if this helps, we are here to assist you.

 

Thank you.
Akheel Ahmed P

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Nothing detected with the safety scanner.  

I did not post the info that Ramesh Srinivasan asked for on Mar 3, 2016.  I don't have a strong understanding of what I would be posting, so was not sure if it was safe to post the info he asked for.  

So as of today, I still do not have a working firewall.

In the systems event log it says "element not found" for the firewall.  See attached screen shot.

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After not waiting for a long time for any response, I solved the issue by restoring my pc back to original factory settings.  Uninstalled McAfee first.  Then upgraded back to windows 10.   Everything is working now, unfortunately the response time by Microsoft to assist was way to long to be helpful to anyone.

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Last updated October 21, 2022 Views 2,495 Applies to: