Windows Firewall

[martymas]

if your win firewall has been disabled

here is a tip to fix the problem

i havent tried it but my grand son has and it works

marty

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/sharedaccess.htm

[trip1red]

yea get a routor thats a good firewall

[baker7]

yea get a routor thats a good firewall

My understanding is that the best way to protect your machine in modern times would include the installation of a good router, but it also involves interaction from the USER as well. A router is as good as the person who set it up to protect your network or PC. It is my belief that regardless of how careful you are about protecting your PC's, things can get by the best security senerio, and PC's can be infected with anything - sometimes without user knowledge.

A router, while being a good firewall isn't necessarily a good firewall without being properly configured. A Good Firewall setup this way may be that you have an outside IP address, that is connected to a router, that is connected to another router that has internal 10.*.*.* (Internal IP's) addresses. Your Best bet would be to protect the external router from the traffic you don't want inside your internal network, and funnel the traffic you do want through the connection from the outside router. This way, the unwanted traffic gets dumped before it reaches the internal network. Then, your second router could handle the traffic inside the network. This way, the outside router protects the network from inrusions from outside.

I use a Software Firewall - although Hardware Firewalls are great for protecting your machine, software firewalls are easy to configure and if configured properly, can protect your machine from most of the garbage. However, it also means that you have to be vigulent as to what you allow in and what you don't, and when you are online, you have to be careful where you are surfing and what you are downloading.

If you have Windows Firewall Enabled along with another Software firewall, you may run into problems with programs not being able to access the network in order to run. I have Panda IS 2007 running, and the Windows Firewall disabled, and have had good luck with it like this - Panda's Firewall does a pretty good job of protecting me, however, I do scan with AS/AV software frequently, and clean and clear the caches and all that good stuff, to keep my machine running well.

My point is that a firewall, no matter how good it is, is not the only way to protect yourself. You need to be knowledgeable about the AV/AS and other programs that you use on a daily basis, so that you can spot funny business before it makes your machine a victim of malware/spyware. Good people in the Malware forum research malware and spyware infections and can probably tell you that the best protection is KNOWLEGE

Brian

[Snakeyes1123]

Windows Firewall is awful and it doesn't catch anything. I perfer to download a free firewall. I personally like comodo firewall and Zone alarm firewall. They are both great and do the job well. Having a router as a firewall is very well as well.

[bozodog]

I have Windows firewall enabled, but my sweet brit has our router locked down. I always heard that a properly configured router would block almost anything was the best. I'm now a believer... Want my IP addy? Come and get us.

[MrBill]

Just remember, that a router and Windows Firewall are for incoming only. Doesn't prevent nasties from calling home if you have one on you PC like you sometimes get using P2P programs.

[rhema7]

Just remember, that a router and Windows Firewall are for incoming only. Doesn't prevent nasties from calling home if you have one on you PC like you sometimes get using P2P programs.

I would have to agree. I prefer a hardware and a software Firewall I feel the most secure that way.

Comodo and my properly configured Linksys and I am locked tight both directions.

Preston

Edited December 21, 2008 by rhema7

[rhema7]

Man I'm on a public computer all setup funky I did not realize I posted to an old post sorry.