Firewall

If your using Xp with Service Pack 2 here is the workaround, it may also work if your using Sp1:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=870890

Hi Lballew,

I’ve been using Zonealarm at http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp?lid=zadb_zadown long since before broadbrand connect was the norm.

Zonealarm is a still very good firewall, but it suffers from creeping featuritis. My new favorite, free, firewall is the Sygate Personal Firewall at http://soho.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm It’s very powerful and has proved reliable on my system.

Which raises an important point. Anti-virus and firewall programs are very invasive. They have to be to get the job done. The programs I’ve recommended above are good and reliable, but as with any system level software they can cause problems on your machine. And since they’re free you can’t expect any support from the vendor. I’ve had good results with these programs, but your mileage may vary.

That’s why for most people I don’t recommend a software firewall. An Internet router at http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/router like the Linksys Etherfast at http://www.linksys.com/Products/product.asp?grid=34&scid=29&prid=561 provides most of the protection of a software firewall without the relibility issues. If you’re using DSL a broadband router has the added advantage of replacing the software PPPoE at http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/PPPoE dialer - which is convenient and can also improve reliability. Broadband routers are cheap, as little as $50.

I am not in agreement with the prior post.  I have been running broadband since 1999.  I have always used AV software but never bothered with a firewall.  Since 2001 I have had a router, but that is because I added a second PC.  There is no reason to assume that AV software is or should impact performance.  AV software is only used to insure that sometime added to you PC is clean.  The checks when you either download something, mount an external file, or in some cases send mail out as Norton does.  Other than that the AV sits quietly waiting for on one those events to happen.  Note I find full system scans about useless except those done immediately after a virus definition update.    

If you are AOL user by any chance, the Windows firewall will not work! But you could download firewall for AOL for Broadband free and it works for modem users too.

Whatever you use, you can check your firewall to see if it works at:

http://hackerwatch.org/probe 

AOL does not detect firewall that I am using but I know it works because I tested it. 

 

Thank you for all of your help.