You receive a warning in the notification area of the task bar telling you that the Windows Firewall is turned off. The warning is displayed as a Windows security alert in Windows XP and in Windows Vista, and as an Action Center message in Windows 7.

Security alert in Windows XP	Security alert in Windows Vista	Action Center message in Windows 7

In Windows XP or in Windows Vista, you double-click the security alert to open the Windows Security Center. The Windows Security Center warns you that the Windows Firewall is turned off. In Windows 7, you click the Action Center message, and then click Open Action Center. The Action Center warns you that Windows Firewall is turned off.

For more information on this issue, including potential causes, workarounds, and resolutions, see: Microsoft KB Article KB2288085.

Microsoft has a way to automatically fix this problem, click the "Fix It" image to go to the Knowledge Base page that contains the download.