FAQ

Why doesn't Fort Firewall block any programs after installation?

Fort Firewall is in Auto-Learn mode after installation.

You need to change a Filter mode to Block, if not allowed. And review the automatically allowed applications in the Programs window.

This initial behavior is for when you install it on a remote computer, so that the connection is not automatically blocked.

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Why are all my programs blocked when I use Fort Firewall?

Make sure that you allowed a "DNSCache" service in the Programs window. (You have to make the "DNSCache" service trackable in the Programs: Services window, if the service was not alerted.)

You can check Blocked Connections in the Statistics window.

Or use System Informer program's "Firewall" tab to check blocked connections.

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Fort Firewall fails to install due to a missing DLL

Install the latest Visual C++ x86 redistributable packages.

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Limitations of the 32-bit version of Fort Firewall

• Dark Mode is not supported.

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Where does Fort Firewall store its settings?

For a recommended installation with "Windows Service":

• C:\ProgramData\Fort Firewall\
• C:\Users\[USER-NAME]\AppData\Local\Fort Firewall\

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What does the "Make trackable" button do in Services?

It modifies the selected Service's settings in the registry "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\<SERVICE-NAME>":

• changes the "Type" value to "16" (Own Process),
• adds "-s <SERVICE-NAME>" argument to "ImagePath" value,
• stores old "Type" & "ImagePath" values into "_Fort*" values.

For the new values to take effect, you must restart the services that have been changed or restart the computer.

(Some services already run with "-s <SERVICE-NAME>" argument by SvcHost.exe, so it's not necessary to make them explicitly traceable).

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What is a Windows Filtering Platform?

The Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) is a set of API and system services to create applications that can filter and modify TCP/IP packets, monitor or filter network connections, and enforce security policies on network traffic.

WFP is configured by installing providers of filter rules: WFP Architecture.

All firewalls (based on WFP) use a filter provider: the default Windows Firewall's provider or a custom one.

For example, WFC and Glasswire use Windows Firewall's default provider.
But SimpleWall and TinyWall use their own provider.

There is a Filter Arbitration mechanism to process multiple providers in WFP.

In addition, firewalls can use the standard WFP filtering mechanism or a custom mechanism using a custom kernel driver - Callout driver.

Therefore, some firewalls use their own drivers for flexible filtering.
For example, Fort Firewall, NetLimiter and Portmaster.