Windows XP Firewall, how to set up and is it sufficient???

[MiniThug]

Just loaded Windows XP and noticed that there is a firewall program included. Is the protection provided by this program good or should I download ZoneAlarm like I have used in the past? If the XP version is good enough, how do I go about settting it up or is it automatically done?

Thanks

 

[Ameesh]

IPSec!

 

[FoBoT]

you check a box in your dial up connection setup

its better than nothing (what most windows dial up users use)

but not as good as a seperate device/box

if you are on dial up, use it and let us know if you ever get owned

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

According to all the tests it sux compared to ZoneAlarm.

I'd not risk it if I were you.

 

[dawks]

Its just as good as zonealarm for blocking incomming traffic.. its not quite as smart as zonealarm however.. IE, When a person connects to an IRC server, port 113 needs to be open.. So with XP, you have to have it open all the time, or close it when ever its not in use.. which is kind of a pain for me.. But zonealarm will open it when its needed for legitmate things, like IRC servers, and close it when its not required..

WinXP Personal firewall does not block out-going traffic, so if you were to install something, or something that was installed along with another program without you knowing, that program could send out info from your computer, or your computer could be used in DDoS attacks..

XP Firewall is sufficient, but I would recommend Zonealarm in hopes of cutting down on DDoS attacks

 

[yakko]

<< I would recommend Zonealarm in hopes of cutting down on DDoS attacks >>

I would recommend learning how to use a computer to prevent DDoS attacks.

 

[shurato]

<<

<< I would recommend Zonealarm in hopes of cutting down on DDoS attacks >>

I would recommend learning how to use a computer to prevent DDoS attacks. >>



Was that really called for? I don't think the majority of computer users are such experts as you. Not that I use zonealarm myself.

 

[Ryan]

Take it to the OPERATING SYSTEMS forum!

 

[yakko]

<< Was that really called for? >>

Nope.

 

[StattlichPassat]

I've heard it's decent, but use ZoneAlarm instead.

 

[BillGates]

It's junk - I work in tech support and I can't tell you how many times we've had people calling to say they can't browse or get email (out of the blue one day) and we do tons of troubleshooting, only to realize that they have the firewall turned on. Turn it off, reconnect, no problems. Why XP firewall blocks its OWN programs (IE, OE) from accessing the internet is beyond me. That thing needs some work.

 

[Adul]

use zonealarm.

 

[XZeroII]

I was having trouble with my computer randomly blue screening and rebooting in Windows XP. I looked at everything from RAM to mobo and such. It turned out that ZoneAlarm was crashing my computer. The tests I've seen show that for the average user WinXP's firewall will do just fine. It stops almost all kiddie hackers and if you think that a smart hacker would be interested in looking at your harddrive, you are messed up because there are much better places to hack than you. No offence intended, but it's true. How many people here have actually had their computer hacked into and messed up. Not some stupid ping, but an actualy hack? I bet there is maybe one person that this has happened to at home. Trust me, WinXP is just fine.