Windows Defender Firewall stuck on Stopping, Error code 0x800706d9 whenever I try to use recommended settings.

Question

This issue began when I updated my OS from Windows 10 to Windows 11 in October 2025. When I go to the firewall tab in control panel, it says, "Windows Defender Firewall is not using the recommended settings to protect your computer" and when I click "Use recommended settings," I get the 0x800706d9 error. Additionally, in an elevated command prompt, when I type "sc query mpssvc," I get back that it is in state 3, or STOP PENDING. This is reflected in services where Windows Defender Firewall is stuck on Stopping despite being set to Automatic in Services.

Some additional information:

• BFE is shown as RUNNING and AUTOMATIC in Services
• I have ran SFC and DISM multiple times after multiple restarts and despite the commands either saying that files were repaired or my system is healthy, the issue persists
• I have done two repair reinstallations, one from the Recovery tab under System in Windows Settings and one by downloading the ISO from the Microsoft website
• Windows Security Service is set to RUNNING but is on MANUAL and I am unable to change the Startup Type
• I am signed in to a personal Microsoft account
• I do not have any third-party antivirus or firewall software installed (I once had McAfee antivirus installed without realizing but I uninstalled it upon figuring out that it was on my device and checked thoroughly multiple times for any remnants still on my system).
• In the System tab in Event Viewer, shortly after my computer boots, a long list of Windows Defender Firewall errors appear (roughly 200) that all share the same information:
  • Source: Service Control Manager
  • Event ID: 7024
  • Level: Error
  • Description: The Windows Defender Firewall service terminated with the following service-specific error: The parameter is incorrect. I have been dealing with this issue for the better half of a year and it has devolved from a slight annoyance to a somewhat major issue. I would appreciate any guidance.

Answer 1

Hi,

You can fix the Windows Defender Firewall error 0x800706d9 by following the steps in the thread below.

Windows Firewall 0x800706d9 - Microsoft Q&A

(Please see the accepted answer in that thread. It has helped hundreds of users.)

Answer 2

Windows Defender Firewall and Windows Update both depend on the Windows Firewall service. Error 0x800706d9 indicates that a required service (such as Windows Firewall) is not running or not configured correctly. When the Windows Defender Firewall service is stuck in a “Stopping” state (STOP PENDING), attempts to apply recommended settings or use features that depend on it can fail with this error.

The documented guidance for this error is:

1. Confirm that required services are running and correctly configured:
   • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service (RpcSs)
   • RPC Endpoint Mapper (RpcEptMapper)
   • Windows Firewall service (Windows Defender Firewall / mpssvc)
   Use an elevated Command Prompt and run:

      sc query RpcSs
      sc query RpcEptMapper
      sc query mpssvc
   

   RpcSs and RpcEptMapper must not be stopped or disabled. If they are, set them back to their default configuration and start them.
2. Ensure Windows Defender Firewall is enabled and not disabled by policy:
   • Open services.msc and verify that Windows Defender Firewall is enabled. Stopping or disabling the service associated with Windows Firewall with Advanced Security is not supported.
   • If Group Policy or security configuration has disabled or altered the Windows Firewall service, revert those changes. Misconfigured or conflicting policies can cause unexpected behavior and errors.
3. Address Windows Update error 0x800706d9 when it appears together with firewall issues:
   • Error 0x800706d9 (EPT_S_NOT_REGISTERED) occurs when a required service that Windows Update depends on (including Windows Firewall) is stopped, disabled, or misconfigured.
   • Review WindowsUpdate.log or CBS.log for entries similar to:

          Agent -- WARNING: Failed to evaluate Installable rule, Owner = UpdateId, hr = 0x800706D9
     

   • After correcting the Windows Firewall and RPC-related services, retry the operation that was failing with 0x800706d9.
4. If Windows Firewall configuration is corrupted or disabled via registry or policy, restore it:
   • The error can be caused by corrupted Windows Firewall registry configuration or by Group Policy/security settings that disabled required services.
   • Remove or correct such policies and restore default firewall configuration so that the Windows Firewall service can start normally.

If the Windows Defender Firewall service remains stuck in STOP PENDING after verifying RPC services and removing conflicting policies, and the registry configuration is suspected to be corrupted, an in-place repair or reset that restores default firewall configuration may be required, as the service must be running and healthy for both firewall and update operations to work correctly.

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References:

• Windows Update issues troubleshooting
• Troubleshoot Windows Update error 0x800706D9
• Automatically fix Windows security issues