a firewall icon will always show at startup, until an incoming connection attempt is detected. Then the firewall icon will change.

So, once you are connected for a few minutes, check for incoming connections (you know where to find that info).

If no incoming connections are detected, something (like a firewall in the OS, router, ISP, etc.) is blocking incoming and the firewall indicator will remain bricked.

katracy--your problem sounds a little different. PM me and we can run a few tests.