[TheZee]

Here's the skinny;
Suddenly, my Apple Firewall that has been running fine is now "Not Available." When I go to the Sharing preference pane and then to the Firewall tab, I get a message window which tells me that I have another firewall app running and that I must disable this other firewall app before the Apple firewall can be enabled. The location in the Apple firewall window where you can choose to turn the firewall on or off now says that the "firewall is unavailable." Can anyone enlighten me on where I should check on my HD to help me resolve this issue? I can't put my finger on it. Never had an issue with this before. I do run another firewall called "FireWalk" in addition to the Apple installed firewall. However, I have been running it forever with no problem or uncompatibility issues. If anyone can share any kowledge and/or advice which may assist me in resolving this I would be eternally grateful. Thanks.
Peace,

[bborofka]

...I get a message window which tells me that I have another firewall app running and that I must disable this other firewall app before the Apple firewall can be enabled...

...I do run another firewall called "FireWalk" in addition to the Apple installed firewall...

Umm, why are you running 2 firewalls?

[TheZee]

Good question. I initially thought that my "FireWalk" firewall would overlap and fill any gaps in effectiveness that the Apple firewall might have. I know, I know, paranoid psycho right ??? Well, I later gained the knowledge that my thinking was a bit off but since I everything was running smooth then I simply never uninstalled the "FireWalk" firewall and have had it ever since. For about a year now. I am starting to kinda freak out because whenever i go into the sharing preference pane now and then choose the firewall tab, I get this notification that the firewall is unavailable. As if it does not exist anymore. So this means that I am left vulnerable right ??? I use DSL so I am always connected. Do you think I may have to reinstall the Apple Firewall ??? Is that even possible ??? Thanks for any and all assistance.
Peace,

[Big Mac]

Don't fret over this issue. Even if you did not have any firewall running at all, Mac OS X is inherently secure. There is no reason to run more than one software firewall. So disable the third party software you installed and you should be able to turn on the built-in firewall.

[TheZee]

Thanks so much for the calming words my Mac Brother. You know what concerns me is that I did disable the third party firewall, I click on the Apple Firewall tab in the "Sharing" preference pane and it still says that the firewall is "unavailable." What the hell does that mean ? The "firewall off" button is present but what's wierd is that it is grey in color so it is not allowing me to turn it on even if I wanted to. Crazy sheeeought huh ? I have been trying to retrace my steps to see if I did anything, downloaded anything out of the ordinary. I did recently download and run a preference pane called "sunshield" that is supposed to add more control over the Apple installed firewall. Now I decided that I did not want to use it so I used its uninstaller and got rid of it. Do you think that when I ran the uninstaller it freakishly disposed of the Apple Firewall too ? I did a search in my HD using the word firewall. The Apple Firewall did not show up in the search results. What does that mean ? Any and all guidance is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Peace,

[larkost]

Firewalk and the Apple panel both configure the same firewall system that came from the *nix routing/network system. Apple's control panel looks to see if anyone else had modified the files, and if so disables itself (rather than having the two step on each others toes). You just need to delete the files it writes, and it will be available again.

[TheZee]

Larkost,
Thanks so much for you input my Mac Compadre. One question: what files do you mean when you say, "delete the files that it writes?" Sorry for being clueless. I haven't followed your lead because I am not sure what files, exactly, to delete. Thank you for your help with this. It's F 'ing awesome that the Mac family is just that, a family who looks out for one another and supports one another.
Peace,