ESS4 Firewall shuts down

How can I fix the problem ref the firewall for ESS4 shutting down during either reboot process or when I initially turn on the computer?

Under the protection status page, the firewall name with green checkmark does not appear, and then when I go to the setup/firewall, no firewall info is shown (except being told to reboot due to firewall problem). If I go to the firewall setup page and tap the drop down box a few times or change it around from interactive to automatic, the firewall starts to work.

Problem is, is that I have to do this each and every time I either reboot or turn on the computer. This problem with the firewall is beginning to wear me out.

Thanks for any assistance.

I have a Dell 3.5 with home xp.

 

Kaspersky and NIS 2010, both fully uninstalled.