If you’ve disabled Windows XP Professional’s built-in
Firewall because you’re using a hardware firewall on your network, you’re
probably sick of seeing a balloon pop-up display from the taskbar’s
notification area reminding you that your computer might be at risk.
Fortunately, you can disable the Windows Firewall nag in four simple steps.

Here’s how:

  1. When
    you see the balloon pop-up, click the balloon or the red shield icon in
    the system notification area of the taskbar.
  2. When
    the Windows Security Center opens, click the Recommendations button in the
    Firewall section.
  3. In the
    Recommendations dialog box, select the I Have A
    Firewall Solution That I’ll Monitor Myself check box and click OK.
  4. When
    you return to the Windows Security Center, you’ll see that the Firewall
    section is now marked as Not Monitored and you can close the window.

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