Can a software firewall be configured so that it doesn"t take effect

Is there a way to have a software firewall take effect only for a
particular logon id on a windows xp computer? From my experience,
once a software firewall (e.g., zone alarm) is installed, it seems to
be in effect for all user ids associated with the PC. Is it perhaps
possible to have the firewall "on" only for the user id from which it
was installed? Or, can one somewhat make it so the firewall is not
"on" for a specific user id?