In Computer science as “Firewall” we mean a software program or a hardware network security device that controls the network traffic. In other words, a “Firewall” prevents external attackers to access our computers and our network and keeps us more secure.
Windows Firewall is a software security program designed and offered by Microsoft in its latest Operating Systems. Windows Firewall feature is enabled by default after Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is installed and it helps Windows users to control the network traffic from/to their computers. For that reason, many malware programs (viruses) may compromise the Firewall settings to make your computer insecure from external attacks or to block your network connectivity.
In this tutorial, I will guide you on how to restore the Windows Firewall settings to their defaults.
How to Reset Windows Firewall settings.
How to restore default Windows 7, 8 Firewall Settings.
1. Open Control Panel.
Windows 7: Co to Start > Control Panel.
Windows 8: Right-click at the screen’s bottom-left corner and from the pop-up menu, choose "Control Panel”.
2. In Control Panel, choose “System and Security”.
3. In “System and Security” options, select “Windows Firewall”.
4a. Press the “Restore defaults” option from the left pane.
4b. Select “Yes” at User Account Control window.
4c. Press once more the “Restore defaults” button when asked and at the confirmation prompt, click “Yes”.
How to restore default Windows Vista Firewall Settings.
1. Co to Start > Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click to open “Security Center”.
3. At “Windows Security Center” window, select “Windows Firewall” from the left pane.
4a. At “Windows Firewall” status window, choose to open “Change settings”.
4b. Select “Continue” at User Account Control window.
5. At Windows Firewall Settings, select the “Advanced” tab.
6. Finally, press the “Restore Defaults” button and then press “OK”.
How to restore default Windows XP Firewall Settings.
1. Go to Start > Control Panel
2. From Control Panel items, double click to open “Security Center”.
3. At Windows Security Center options under “Manage security settings for” section, open “Windows Firewall”.
4. At Windows Firewall settings, select the “Advanced” tab.
5. Under the “Default Settings” section, press the “Restore Defaults” button.
6. Press “OK” when you finish and you ‘re done!