Cannot disable Windows Firewall

>> However, whenever I restart

Exactly what point after restart it is asking , even before you are giving your username and password to enter windows .

Are you sure it is asking MSN messenger or is it windows messenger. Does it give the exe file ?

Also there could be a clash with zonealarm. So try to go inside windows and go to start --> run ---> msconfig
and go to startup tab and disable all applications except anti-virus . Check after restarting now what happens

read this:

http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/62.htm

Tip of the Month: Disable SP2's Windows Security Center
Windows Security Center is a new SP2-delivered Control Panel that monitors your system for three security conditions: Up-to-date and running antivirus software, running software firewall, and whether Microsoft's Automatic Updates feature is turned on to its most aggressive setting. This simple tool is designed to alert you with system-tray icons and pop-up messages when any of those three security areas isn't up to snuff.

Windows Security Center (WSC) doesn't detect every antivirus program and software firewall, and only detects the most recent versions of most of them. So even though you might be fully protected, WSC may indicate that you're not. One solution is to upgrade to the latest version of your security programs, in most cases these upgrades are free, and some-including the update for Symantec's Norton AntiVirus-will come down automatically via the Internet when you run the company's update program. (In the case of Norton AntiVirus, Automatic LiveUpdate only updates antivirus definitions. You have to run LiveUpdate manually in order to check for program updates.)

For more experienced users who fully understand the security situation on their computers-and whose PCs are fully protected-there are two ways to get rid of Windows Security Center's potentially annoying warning messages. The first is to open the Windows Security Control Panel and click the "Change the way Security Center alerts me" hyperlink. Remove the checkmarks beside some or all of the alert options there.

But what if you just want this thing off from your system? Not using any system resources? There are two easy ways to accomplish that, both of which you can reverse if you ever change your mind.

1. If you're familiar with the Windows Command Prompt, open it (choose Start > Run > type: cmd > press Enter) type these two lines in succession:

sc stop wscsvc
sc config wscsvc start= demand

(Note: The space after the equals sign is required.)

To reverse these steps, use these two commands entered the same way:

sc start wscsvc
sc config wscsvc start= auto

2. The second method uses a graphical process. Choose Start > Run > type: services.msc > press Enter. That opens the Services box. On the right side, click any name in the Name column. Type S to scroll the list quickly. Look for the "Security Center" entry and double-click it to open its properties page.

Toward the bottom in the "Service status" area, click the Stop button. Just above that, open the "Startup type" dropdown menu and choose "Manual." Click OK and close the Services window.

To reverse the steps, click the Start button and choose Automatic from the dropdown menu.

Thank you both for all of the information.

If you download the last version of the ZONE Alarm Firewall (5.1.033) you can use it to disable the windows firewall: Select Firewall > Main, Click Advanced and then (in general settings) you must activate the option "disable windows firewall"

thanx