Earlier quoted context omitted.
'Windows doesn't bypass 3rd party firewalls.' Sorry WarOnPrivacy, Windows does bypass 3rd-party firewalls and has done so since at least XP onwards (however, I am uncertain if this was the case with Windows 2000). Microsoft has programmed into Windows dozens of addresses that 'dial home' to Microsoft's servers. As you will be aware, many of these addresses change with the various versions of Windows. Normal program s…
None of what you've posted has anything to do with firewalls, 3rd party or otherwise. Similarly, bypassing the Hosts file is strictly a DNS resolution issue and - again - has nothing to do with firewalls. Please feel free to post info about actual firewalls, info that isn't about DNS/Hosts.
2. The 'dial-home' mentioned bypasses Windows's firewall.
3. External monitoring has shown that it does bypass firewalls (however, I cannot say whether that's all of them). So does security software such as LoJack (but that's somewhat unusual).
4. This includes ones with kernel drivers.
5. As the code is written to be invisible to other processes, firewall writers would either have to reverse engineer MS's code to stop it or know certain proprietary details about it. I doubt if any legit/reputable developer would risk using info gained from RE (certainty not to stop it functioning as MS intended). Nevertheless, some MS parteners know about it for obvious reasons.
6. From various news reports several weeks ago, it seems that XP's source code has leaked. That means if you are keen enough you can find the 'offending' code and verify the matter for yourself one way or the other (at least as far as XP goes). If you don't, then sooner or later l'm sure others will do so.
If I and others who share this understanding are way off beam, which I doubt having seen evidence, then please let us all know about it in a HN post.