Can't Enable Firewall

I've recently purchased Bitdefender 2009 total security and it's working great. But, I only have one problem that I cannot fix. It always has a critical warning alert on the top, and it's starting to get on my nerves. When I click fix this issue located below the critical warning sign, I get to the "Fix all issues"page. I see "Firewall is disabled"in red letters. I click the fix button, but nothing at all happens. I checked my windows firewall and it said that it was enabled. Can somebody please tell me how to enable the bitdefender firewall? Thanks

David

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alexcrist

Hello David,

What operating system do you use?

Also, change the BitDefender interface to Advanced mode and go to the Firewall section. What does it say there?

Cris.

kidmulso

Hello David,

What operating system do you use?

Also, change the BitDefender interface to Advanced mode and go to the Firewall section. What does it say there?

Cris.

Hello Chris,

I am on a windows xp professional 2003 operating system. I changed the BitDefender to advanced mode, but I cannot spot the firewall section on the left hand side. I only see general, antivirus, privacy control, vulnerability, encryption, game/laptop mode, network, update, and registration. Sorry for the inconvenience.

alexcrist

Well, that can't be right. If those are all the modules that you see, you are missing many modules, including Firewall, antispam, Parental Control, Backup, Tuneup.

The modules that you say you see are available in BitDefender Antivirus 2009. the other two variants (Internet Security and Total Security) have other modules besides the ones you see. But if you had installed BitDefender Antivirus (and not BitDefender Total Security, as you said you did), then you shouldn't get an alert about the Firewall not being enabled. So it just doesn't add up...

Where did you get the installation kit from? Could you post a screenshot of the product? Also, please post the full version and build number of your BitDefender product (you can find in under the Registration tab).

Cris.

mjm0868

I am having the same issue with the Firewall not being able to be enabled. I just purchased and installed BD IS 2009. It loaded fine on my Vista laptop, but I cannot enable the Firewall on my XP Home machine. I have tried loading and unloading it. Another concern is that when I installed it, I got a warning that said the program did not pass the compatibility test with Win XP. I cannot upload the screen shots.

alexcrist

Hello mjm0868,

To attach screenshots, please convert the images to JPG (not BMP). You can do this with any image editor application, even with the standard Paint from Windows XP (just select Save as and select JPEG from Filetype).

As for the alert you received when installing, those alerts are nothing to worry about. The only thing you have to do is to click Continue anyway (and DON'T click Stop Installation). If you alreay clicked Stop installation, please follow the steps provided HERE to reinstall the firewall driver.

Cris.

jitterbug

Hello Chris,

I am on a windows xp professional 2003 operating system. I changed the BitDefender to advanced mode, but I cannot spot the firewall section on the left hand side. I only see general, antivirus, privacy control, vulnerability, encryption, game/laptop mode, network, update, and registration. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I am having the same problem as Cris. I am using Win XP and BD2009 on the problem machine and have other machines with the same configuration with no such problem.

When I try to fix the problem my self in BD's advanced view I get an error message and cannot make any changes at all in the firewall tabbed window.

Another strange thing which may or may not be related is that I like to see the Scan Activity bar. I the setting it is checked to be activated, but the bar appears on my screen and there is nothing displayed in the File Zone graph and a big red X in the Net Zone graph.

Larry

alexcrist

Hello Larry,

First of all, I'm Cris and I'm not having any problems with the firewall. You must have confused the names of the posters.

Second, follow the steps presented here: http://kb.bitdefender.com/KB391-en--Firewa...vity-issue.html (I already posted this link in my previous post in this topic). If you still have problems, post here.

Third, the Scan Activity Bar issue has been fixed a long time ago. Please post the full version and build number of BitDefender (you can find it in the Registration tab).

Cris.

vinny88

I have just installed a trial version of Bitdefender Internet Security 2009 and i have the same issue with the Firewall not starting. Trying to start it via the advanced view, i get the message "Can't communicate with the BitDefender Virus Shield service".

My computer is running Windows XP Professional with Service pack 2.

I notice there are a couple of threads on this issue with different approaches on how to fix this issue. Is there a proper way forward to resolve this problem?

alexcrist

Did you try the link I posted?

jitterbug

Wow! I tried that link and the BitDefender just blew up.

I ran that "Step A" ****** and then my BitDefender became nonregistered. I could not do any thing else with the BitDefender as described in the document you posted the link for. I looked at my PC again and found that I had BitDefender 2008 and 2009 under my start button. I had assumed that I could upgrade BitDefender over a previous install, which is pretty commmon now days. I was not told by BitDefender not to do otherwise. So I completely uninstalled both versions of BitDefender. Downloaded BD 2009 and installed and registered. Now everything works on that PC. The firewalls is okay and the scaning activity graph works on that PC.

You weren't trying to get back at me for confusing you with Dave, right Cris? <img class= " />

I still have a PC with the firewall working but no scaning activity graph working. I have attached a view of the version and build. Let's see what you can do with this Cris? :rolleyes:

Regards,

Larry

alexcrist

Hello Larry,

I had assumed that I could upgrade BitDefender over a previous install, which is pretty commmon now days. I was not told by BitDefender not to do otherwise.

Well, on this forum we always advised the users to use the BitDefender Uninstall Tool when installing another version of the product. The same thing has been advised by the official members of this forum when BitDefender 2009 BETA was first released. The reason for this is because the architecture between version can change very much, and so there might appear problems if you don't fully remove a previous version before installing a newer one.

However, I don't know why this advice wasn't written in clear in the main installation kit.

You weren't trying to get back at me for confusing you with Dave, right Cris? " />

Of course not. It's very easy to confuse users in a topic where multiple users post in the same time. I've done it a few times myself.

However, when you say something like "I have the same problem as X", and X has no problems, then... you produce confusion because nobody knows what you're talking about. I didn't mean any disrespect, I just wanted to point out the confusion.

As for "your BD blowing up", that might as well be the result of 2 versions installed at the same time. I hope you realize that BitDefender wouldn't publish an article that breaks up their own product.

Everytime I suggested that article, it worked. I've used it myself a couple of times, when my father accidentaly removed the firewall driver.

I still have a PC with the firewall working but no scaning activity graph working. I have attached a view of the version and build. Let's see what you can do with this Cris?

Do you mean that the Scan Activity Bar is not showing at all, or that it is visible, but doesn't display any activity in the File Zone?

Please make a scanning test to se if the scanning engine is working. Go to http://eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm, scroll down to the bottom of the page and try to download the Anti-Malware test files. BitDefender should react instantly and block the access to those files.

The Anti-Malware Test Files provided by EICAR are not real malware. They are just a standard test, a simple executable file, which is detected by all antivirus engines, by convention. It's used not to test the efficency if a scanning engine, but to test if the protection os enabled or disabled. If you have doubts about this test, please read the whole article on www.eicar.org, and you could also make a Google search about this test.

Also, on that computer, did you also install BD 2009 over BD 2008? If you did, I suggest that you use the Uninstall Tool (which will remove both versions) and reinstall BD 2009. It should prevent any other future problems.

Cris.

threeriders

I have the same problem. Can't enable BD firewall. Error message ..can't communicate with BD virus shield service. I use BD Technical support but counld resolve the problem. When using the Uninstall Tool, it fails when trying to delete main BD registry files. On tryng to reinstall Internet Security 2009, the same problem results..can't enable the firewall. Need some help?

Les

alexcrist

Hello Les,

What Operating System do you have? Did you try the steps presents in the Knowledge Base link (which I posted above)?

Cris.

vinny88

Did you try the link I posted?

I tried the steps in the KB article you posted and i still cant start the Firewall - i get the same error message as before!!!

Do i try to re-install the whole software??

Is there some diagnostic program that can determine what is causing this problem?

alexcrist

I tried the steps in the KB article you posted and i still cant start the Firewall - i get the same error message as before!!!

Please read THIS article and follow the steps through Step 4, without making any changes. Just check what setting you have there for unsigned drivers, and post back here.

Cris.

vinny88

Please read THIS article and follow the steps through Step 4, without making any changes. Just check what setting you have there for unsigned drivers, and post back here.

Cris.

I followed those steps and I already have the driver Signing option as Warn.

So i have nothing else to report here! I dont have any messages for unsigned drivers.

BTW - what is the Virus shield service. How can i check if its running.

alexcrist

I followed those steps and I already have the driver Signing option as Warn.

So i have nothing else to report here! I dont have any messages for unsigned drivers.

BTW - what is the Virus shield service. How can i check if its running.

If you can use the BD Security Center, then the Virus Shield service is working. You can also check in TaskManager (look for the vsserv.exe process).

Please check the Network Connection Properties and the Device Manager for the BitDefender Firewall NDIS Filter Driver (in Device Manager, you have to select the option View -> Show hidden devices), as shown in the attached screenshot.

Post if the filter is present (you could attach a screenshot similar to mine, to see exactly).

Cris.

vinny88

I dont have that one - see attached.

alexcrist

Well, there you go... mystery solved: the firewall driver is not installed, so it simply can't function correctly.

Normally, if you followed the steps exactly as they were described in the above article (about Firewall problems), the driver should have been installed. That article actually describes how you can manually uninstall and reinstall the driver.

But the steps have to be followed exactly as written there, including all required reboots. Otherwise it won't work.

If you followed the steps correctly and the driver is still not installed, then there might be something blocking the driver installation. Questions: Do you have any 3rd party security software? Like maybe a HIPS software, of anything that could prevent software installation?

You could just try to uninstall BitDefender, re-download the installation kit from the site and reinstall it (reboot after uninstall, and after reinstall). But there's no guarantee that whatever blocked the driver installation before won't just block it again.

Cris.

vinny88

Well, there you go... mystery solved: the firewall driver is not installed, so it simply can't function correctly.

Great, the driver isn't installed, so the error message is something about communication with the virus shield.

Normally, if you followed the steps exactly as they were described in the above article (about Firewall problems), the driver should have been installed. That article actually describes how you can manually uninstall and reinstall the driver.

But the steps have to be followed exactly as written there, including all required reboots. Otherwise it won't work.

As i said before, i have followed the steps exactly.

If you followed the steps correctly and the driver is still not installed, then there might be something blocking the driver installation. Questions: Do you have any 3rd party security software? Like maybe a HIPS software, of anything that could prevent software installation?

You could just try to uninstall BitDefender, re-download the installation kit from the site and reinstall it (reboot after uninstall, and after reinstall). But there's no guarantee that whatever blocked the driver installation before won't just block it again.

Cris.

I'm going to try the un-install and then full install one more time. Thank god i have the trial version!

vinny88

I've un-installed BitDefender, rebooted, Installed BitDefender, rebooted and still NO firewall. Same error message as before.

Time to cut my losses, and look for another product.

fabiowilly

reboot in safe mode

start->run->ncpa.cpl

Uninstall from the properties of your NIC the BitDefender NDIS Filter driver SERVICE

Install it again (Install->select Service)

Browse C:\Program files\Common files\BitDefender\BitDefender Firewall

select netsf.inf

install it and reboot.

It should fix Ur problem

alexcrist

I've done some testings of my own.

Apparently, somewhere along the way, BitDefender changed the architecture of the Firewall. Even if the firewall driver appears to be located at C:\Program files\Common files\BitDefender\BitDefender Firewall, actually it's located in the standard drivers folder of Windows. The driver stored in the BitDefender Firewall folder is basically useless, and it's not even updated anymore.

As a result, the steps described on the Knowledge Base article (which I posted above) are completely useless for BitDefneder 2009. At least, this is what I noticed...

I tested it multiple times, on a VirtualPC machine, with WinXP SP2, BitDefender Internet Security 2009 trial (latest build).

So I apologize to everyone who followed my advice and tried those steps. That article was very much valid for BitDefender 2008...

I'll report this problem to TechSupport.

Cris.