Can't configure Windows Firewall on laptop after setting up networ

Hello,

I'm new to setting up a home network, & just successfully set up a wireless
network with wireless broadband (USB modem), last week after invaluable help
from an MVP on this site.

I can't modify the Widows Firewall settings on my 1-yr old Dell laptop
(running Media Edition 2005 SP2, all updates current). It connects to the
network via a wireless adapter. My husband's desktop PC also connecting via a
wireless adapter runs XP Home SP2, & I can modify his Windows Firewall
settings.

On the PC wired to the router, the USB modem under Dial-up in Network
Connections shows as connected, shared and firewalled since I enabled ICS.
This PC runs XP Pro, & all updates are current (I can modify the Windows
Firewall on this PC also).

On the laptop when I double-click the Windows Firewall, there is a blue
"highlighted" area towards the top of the General Tab which reads "For your
security, some settings are controlled by Group Policy.

When I open the Windows Firewall, the on/off options on the General Tab are
not accessible. The 2nd tab (Exceptions) has the following 2 sentences:
Windows Firewall is turned off. Your Network Administrator is using a Group
policy to control these settings. The Advanced Tab however does say that the
Windows Firewall is enabled for the wireless network connection.

I don't know what Group Policy is or why the laptop & my husband's desktop
PC ended up with different Windows Firewall settings when they were both
connected wirelessly to the network within a day or so of each other.

I thought the following article was close to the problem,
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870890/en-us as we did use AOL dial-up before
the wireless broadband, & on my laptop I can't use the AOL dial-up
properties, however when I type firewall.cpl in run, the Windows Firewall
opens with the same inaccessible information as when I go through Control
Panel, and it does not make sense that my husband's PC is not experiencing
the same problem since we're both on SP2 & used AOL dial-up.

I actually think this article comes the closest to describing the problem,
except I'm not running a windows Small Business Server 2003-based network
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/872769/en-us

Any suggestions?
Thanks

"Justpast40" wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'm new to setting up a home network, & just successfully set up a wireless
> network with wireless broadband (USB modem), last week after invaluable help
> from an MVP on this site.
>
> I can't modify the Widows Firewall settings on my 1-yr old Dell laptop
> (running Media Edition 2005 SP2, all updates current). It connects to the
> network via a wireless adapter. My husband's desktop PC also connecting via a
> wireless adapter runs XP Home SP2, & I can modify his Windows Firewall
> settings.
>
> On the PC wired to the router, the USB modem under Dial-up in Network
> Connections shows as connected, shared and firewalled since I enabled ICS.
> This PC runs XP Pro, & all updates are current (I can modify the Windows
> Firewall on this PC also).
>
> On the laptop when I double-click the Windows Firewall, there is a blue
> "highlighted" area towards the top of the General Tab which reads "For your
> security, some settings are controlled by Group Policy.
>
> When I open the Windows Firewall, the on/off options on the General Tab are
> not accessible. The 2nd tab (Exceptions) has the following 2 sentences:
> Windows Firewall is turned off. Your Network Administrator is using a Group
> policy to control these settings. The Advanced Tab however does say that the
> Windows Firewall is enabled for the wireless network connection.
>
> I don't know what Group Policy is or why the laptop & my husband's desktop
> PC ended up with different Windows Firewall settings when they were both
> connected wirelessly to the network within a day or so of each other.
>
> I thought the following article was close to the problem,
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870890/en-us as we did use AOL dial-up before
> the wireless broadband, & on my laptop I can't use the AOL dial-up
> properties, however when I type firewall.cpl in run, the Windows Firewall
> opens with the same inaccessible information as when I go through Control
> Panel, and it does not make sense that my husband's PC is not experiencing
> the same problem since we're both on SP2 & used AOL dial-up.
>
> I actually think this article comes the closest to describing the problem,
> except I'm not running a windows Small Business Server 2003-based network
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/872769/en-us
>
> Any suggestions?
> Thanks
>


OK, got it fixed. Still don’t know what caused it, but after doing a lot
more reading, I found the following article, & tried Method #1.

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/resetfwpol.htm

My virus software is always up to date, & no other computers were effected.