You can disable the windows firewall safely in the control panel. But is it safe to switch off the windows firewall service too? Should I do that?
Windows firewall can cause a lot of problems for connectivity. Its recommended you disable it if your having problems or already have a firewall installed since it has the ability to override whichever product you have installed. If you went into the control panel and disabled the windows firewall then nothing else is needed; It should be turned off.