How to troubleshoot the Windows Live OneCare firewall Service

This article describes and troubleshoots a problem where the Microsoft Windows Live OneCare firewall Service does not start.

Note When the Windows Live OneCare firewall Service does not start, Windows Live OneCare displays a red At Risk status icon in the notification area. If you double-click the red icon to open the Windows Live OneCare main window, you are notified that the computer is at risk because the Windows Live OneCare firewall service cannot be started.

To troubleshoot this problem, use one or more of the following methods:

Method 1: Restart the Windows Live OneCare firewall service

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
2. In the list of services in the details pane, double-click Microsoft Protection Service, and then make sure that the Startup typeis set to Automatic.
3. If the Windows Live OneCare firewall service is not started, click Start. If the Start command is unavailable, click Stop, and then click Start to restart the Windows Live OneCare firewall service.
   
   Note If you receive an error message that states that the Windows Live OneCare firewall service cannot start because dependent services are not started, make sure that the following Windows services are started. To do this, repeat the following steps for each of these Windows services:
   • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
   • Windows Management Instrumentation
   1. In the list of services in the details pane, double-click the Windows service, and then make sure that the Startup typeis set to Automatic.
   2. If the Windows service is not started, click Start. If the Start command is unavailable, click Stop, and then click Start to restart the Windows service.
   After you have made sure that all these Windows services are started, start the Windows OneCare firewall service.
4. If this does not resolve the issue, go to the next method.

Method 2: Remove third-party antivirus programs and third-party firewall programs on the computer

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK.
2. In the Currently installed programs list, click any third-party antivirus program or third-party firewall program, and then click Remove.
3. If this does not resolve the issue, go to the next method.

Method 3: Stop and then restart firewall-related services and drivers

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
   Net stop MSFWSVC
   Net stop MSFWDRV
   Net stop MSFWHLPR
   Net start MSFWHLPR
   Net start MSFWDRV
   Net start MSFWSVC
3. If this does not resolve the issue, go to the next method.

Method 4: Verify the PATH environment Variable

1. Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl , and then click OK.
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Environment Variables.
3. In the System variables list, make sure that PATH appears.
   1. If PATH appears in the list, go to step b.
      If PATH does not appear in the list, follow these steps:
      1. Click New.
      2. In the Variable name box, type PATH .
      3. In the Variable value box, type %SystemRoot%\System32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem , and then click OK.
   2. Click PATH, and then click Edit.
   3. Make sure that the text in the Variable value box contains the following text: %SystemRoot%\System32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem
      If this text does not appear in the Variable value box, follow these steps:
      1. Under Variable value, click end of the current PATH environment variable.
      2. Type a semicolon, type the following PATH environment variable, and then click OK: %SystemRoot%\System32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem
         
         Note You must use a semicolon (;) to separate the old PATH environment variable and the new PATH environment variable.
4. Click OK to close the Environment Variables dialog box, click OK to close the System Properties dialog box, and then restart the computer.

Method 5: Reinstall MSXML

1. Visit the following Web site to download MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 (Microsoft XML Core Services):
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3144b72b-b4f2-46da-b4b6-c5d7485f2b42&DisplayLang=en (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3144b72b-b4f2-46da-b4b6-c5d7485f2b42&DisplayLang=en)
   Note Save the file to your computer.
2. Visit the following Web site to download Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) 3.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5):
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4a3ad088-a893-4f0b-a932-5e024e74519f&DisplayLang=en (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4a3ad088-a893-4f0b-a932-5e024e74519f&DisplayLang=en)
   Note Save the file to your computer.
3. Use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel to uninstall MSXML 4.0 SP2 Parser and SDK.
4. Restart your computer. Run the MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 2 file that you downloaded. The file name is Msxml.msi.
5. Run the Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) 3.0 Service Pack 5 (SP5)" file that you downloaded. The file name is Msxml3.msi.
6. Restart your computer.

Method 6: Restart the computer by using a clean boot procedure

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. In the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
3. Click the Services tab, and then click to select Hide All Microsoft Services.
4. Click to clear the check boxes for all services except for the following Windows Live OneCare services:
   • MSMPSVC
   • Microsoft Protection Service
   • Windows Live OneCare
5. Click OK, and then click Yes to restart the computer.
6. Determine whether you are still experiencing the issue described in this article, and then use one of the following procedures:
   • If you are no longer experiencing this issue, the issue may be caused by a third-party program or a third-party service that conflicts with Windows Live OneCare. To identify the program or service that is causing this issue, follow these steps:
     1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
     2. Click the Services tab, click to select Hide All Microsoft Services, and then click to select half the services that are not Windows Live OneCare services. Make a note of the services that you select.
     3. Restart the computer.
     4. If the issue is resolved, click to select the other half of the services that are not Windows Live OneCare services.
     5. Restart the computer.
     6. When you have identified which half triggers this issue, click to select half of that half, and then restart the computer again.
     7. Continue in this manner until the conflicting program or service is identified. After you disable the conflicting program or service, you can re-enable the other programs and services.
   • If you are still experiencing this issue, restore the computer to the regular startup setting. To do this, follow these steps:
     1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
     2. Click the General tab, and then click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services.
     3. Click OK, and then click Restart.