Windows Firewall acts as the first layer of defense against malware, so it is recommended to always keep it ‘ON’ unless you are using third-party firewall software. If for some unknown reason you find that your Windows Firewall does not start automatically on startup, here are a few troubleshooting steps you may want to try.
Windows Firewall service does not start
The error messages you may receive are:
Windows Firewall is not the default firewall Cannot start Windows Firewall Windows could not start Windows Firewall
If the Windows Firewall fails to start, other errors you may see on your Windows system are:
The Windows Firewall service terminated with service-specific error 87 (0x57) Error 0x80004015: The class is configured to run as a different security ID than the caller. The Windows Firewall service terminated with service-specific error 6801 (0x1A91). Event ID: 7024 – Windows Firewall service terminated with service-specific error 5 (0x5) Windows was unable to start the Base Filtering Engine service on Local Computer. Error 5: Access is denied. Windows could not start the IPsec Policy Broker service on Local Computer. Error 1068: Dependency service or group failed to start. Windows could not start Network Location Awareness on Local Computer. “net start mpssvc” in cmd.exe returns system error 1297.
We recommend that you try the following troubleshooting:
Scan for malware Run SFC and DISM Check Firewall Services status Check Firewall related Driver status Run Group Policy Result Tool Run Windows Firewall Troubleshooter Reset Windows Firewall settings.
1]Scan for malware
First, scan your machine for malware using good antivirus software. If you have installed a 3rd party firewall or a Security Pack, that could be the cause of the problem. Often times, third-party security software can disable Windows Firewall and even prevent it from starting.
2]Run SFC and DISM
Run System File Checker or sfc /scannow. You may also want to Run DISM and see if that helps.
3]Check Firewall Services status
Next, type services.msc in Start Windows Search and press Enter to open Services. Here make sure the Windows Firewall Service is started and set to Automatic. You can do this by clicking the Start button. Also, make sure that the Remote Procedure Call Service and the Base Filtering Engine Service are started and set to Automatic.
4]Check the Driver status on Firewall
Now you should also make sure that the Windows Firewall Authorization Driver (mdsdrv.sys) is working properly.
To do this, type devmgmt.msc in the search bar and press enter to open Device Manager. Check Show Hidden Devices in Views tab and also show Devices by Connection.
Locate the Windows Firewall Authorization Driver in the list and double-click on it to open the Properties box. Click on the Driver tab and make sure the process is started and the startup type is Demand. Click OK.
Restart. Hopefully, your Windows Firewall should be working fine now.
5]Run the Group Policy Result Tool
If it doesn’t help, run the Group Policy Result Tool to check if there is a Firewall policy blocking it. Open an elevated command prompt window, type gpresult -z and hit Enter. Check under Set of Resulting Policies for Computer, specifically under Security Options.
6]Run the Windows Firewall Troubleshooter
Run the Windows Firewall Troubleshooter and see if it helps you. This ATS from Microsoft will help you repair and fix Windows Firewall problems automatically. See if it’s available for your Windows or if it’s built-in.
7]Reset Windows Firewall settings
Reset Windows Firewall settings to defaults and see if that helps.
In the meantime, if you need to get away from the main topic and have easy access to the panels below, you can type the Run commands below and hit Enter.
Firewall Settings: Firewall Settings Firewall Control Panel: FirewallControlPanel Windows Firewall with Advanced Security: wf.msc
If your Windows cannot start Windows Firewall on Local Computer, you may want to see this post. See this post if you get Windows Firewall blocking some features of this application message.
TIP: You may also be interested in How to Configure Windows Firewall.