Symptoms
On a computer that is running Windows Vista, the Windows Security Center warns you that the Windows Firewall is turned off. When you click Turn on now in the Windows Security Center to turn on the Windows Firewall, you receive the following error message:
Security Center can't turn on Windows Firewall.
In the Services console, you notice that the Windows Firewall service is not running even if the service is configured to start automatically. When you manually start the Windows Firewall service, you receive the following error message:
Windows could not start the Windows Firewall on Local Computer. For more information, review the System Event Log. If this is a non-Microsoft service, contact the service vendor, and refer to service-specific error code 5.
Note To open the Services console, Click
Start 
Cause
This problem can occur if the account that is used to start the Windows Firewall service does not have permissions to access the related registry entries.
Resolution
Diagnose and fix the problem automatically
To fix the problem automatically, click the Fix-It image below. If a security notification appears, click Run.
Microsoft Fix it 9810866
More Information
For more information about Windows Firewall for Windows 7, click: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/windows-firewall
To learn more about Windows Firewall for Windows Vista, visit: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Understanding-Windows-Firewall-settings
