Question Unable to turn on firewall

[Mercian]

I bought a pre owned PC with windows 11 (which I really dislike) and the former owner has disabled the firewall and I cannot restart it getting a message that the adminsitrator has blocked it from turning back on. I have looked online and tried the fixes including downlaod registry files and entering commands using the run feature. It is a priority to turn it back on. Can someone please help.
Thanks.

 

[Colif]

I would clean install windows just to make it all yours and not have any settings left over from previous owner

doanload media creation tool - 2nd link here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows11

use it to make an installer on USB

Follow this, instructions mostly the same for win 11 - https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/windows-10-clean-install-tutorial.3170366/

 

[USAFRet]

I bought a pre owned PC with windows 11 (which I really dislike) and the former owner has disabled the firewall and I cannot restart it getting a message that the adminsitrator has blocked it from turning back on. I have looked online and tried the fixes including downlaod registry files and entering commands using the run feature. It is a priority to turn it back on. Can someone please help.
Thanks.

Full wipe and reinstall of the OS.

This is the standard procedure for ANY used system.

Not just a 'reset', full wipe and reinstall.

 

[Mercian]

I would clean install windows just to make it all yours and not have any settings left over from previous owner

doanload media creation tool - 2nd link here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows11

use it to make an installer on USB

Follow this, instructions mostly the same for win 11 - https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/windows-10-clean-install-tutorial.3170366/

Thanks. Is there any simpler way as I have had trouble doing a fresh install before and have spent about 20 hours re downloading my game library. I have tried to connect my old (which is actually brand new) SSD with windows 10 installed and use the current drive as a secondary but it puts me into asus bios and where both drives are registerd but I am unable to select either as boot

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks. Is there any simpler way as I have had trouble doing a fresh install before and have spent about 20 hours re downloading my game library. I have tried to connect my old (which is actually brand new) SSD with windows 10 installed and use the current drive as a secondary but it puts me into asus bios and where both drives are registerd but I am unable to select either as boot

No, there isn't an easier way.

A clean install does several things.

1. It validates the OS license.
2. It removes any weirdness like you're seeing with the firewall. What else has he done in there?
3. It also wipes out the trace of any and all previous users. You have no idea what the previous users have in that system. And sometimes, you really really really do not want to know.

 

[USAFRet]

I have tried to connect my old (which is actually brand new) SSD with windows 10 installed and use the current drive as a secondary but it puts me into asus bios and where both drives are registerd but I am unable to select either as boot

That is also unlikely to work.

Taking a drive with an OS and putting it in a whole different system often/usually fails.
Windows is not as modular as we'd all like.

 

[Mercian]

That is also unlikely to work.

Taking a drive with an OS and putting it in a whole different system often/usually fails.
Windows is not as modular as we'd all like.

Thanks. I will do a clean install. Is the anyway to wipe the other drive bearing in mind the pc will not boot with it connected as it stands?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks. I will do a clean install. Is the anyway to wipe the other drive?

Get it up and running on its original drive first.

Then worry about that other drive.

 

[Colif]

Taking a drive with an OS and putting it in a whole different system often/usually fails.
Windows is not as modular as we'd all like.

it digs its heals into its home (PC) and really doesn't like change it isn't expecting. Sounds like me.