Protecting Your PC with the Windows Firewall

 

First of all you will need to Check if You Have The Windows XP Service pack 2 Installed.

The Windows Firewall only appears in the Windows XP and later versions of the operating system.

For the purposes of this article, we will be using Windows XP Service Pack 2 when we refer to the Windows XP firewall.

Service Pack 2 gave the Windows Firewall something of a face lift, grouping all of the security features into one

Window called the Security Center.

The name of the firewall also changed with Service Pack 2, it became the Windows Firewall where previously it had been referred to as the

Internet Connection Firewall or ICF.

If you are a Windows XP user you can identify if Service Pack 2 has been installed by following the steps below:

1. Click Start and right-click on My Computer. Left-click on Properties in the pop-out menu.

2. When the System Properties dialogue box appears click on the tab marked General.

3. Look at the information that appears under System. If Service Pack 2 is installed the words Service Pack 2 will appear here.

4. If the words Service Pack 2 aren’t listed, visit http://www.microsoft.comand click the Download button.

Users of Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista and Now Windows 7

enjoy increased protection with little effort from themselves,as the default setting for the firewall in newer versions of

Windows is ‘ON‘.

However, it pays to check that the firewall is active, especially if you have been installing or uninstalling

anti-virus software or third party firewalls.

Here’s how you can check that the firewall is protecting your system:

In Windows Vista, click Start> Control Panel>Security> Windows Firewall > Change Settings.

In Windows 7, click Start> Control Panel> System and Security> Windows Firewall >Check Firewall Status.

In Windows XP, click Start> Control Panel> Security Center > Windows Firewall.

When the Windows Firewall dialogue box appears

click on the button marked ON (recommended).

Click the button marked OK.

That’s it, your computer is now protected. On a simple level at least. Your firewall will now work quietly away in the

background, blocking any traffic that isn’t received by a direct request from your computer. However, if you find

yourself experiencing problems with certain programs, then you will have to manually configure the Windows firewall to

allow these programs access to the Internet.

To Manually Configure the Windows Firewall.

The Windows Firewall is very easy to configure, both in Windows XP and Windows Vista/7 and it’s quite simple to

create exceptions that will allow programs creating and generating unsolicited requests access to the Internet.

Follow the steps below to create an exception:

In Windows Vista, click Start > Control Panel > Security> Windows Firewall > Change Settings.

In Windows7, click Start > Control Panel >System & Security> Windows Firewall >Allow a program or feature through the windows firewall.

In Windows XP, click Start> Control Panel> Security Center > Windows Firewall.

Click the tab marked Exceptions and look at the list of programs it contains. To create an exception for a

program, click in the box next to its name.

If the name of the program does not appear in the box, then click the button marked Add Program.

Another box will appear that contains a list of all the programs installed on your Pc.

Highlight the program you wish to add to the list and click OK.

In the Exceptions tab, place a tick next to the program’s name and click the button marked OK.

If you are still experiencing problems with a valid program or application getting blocked by the firewall,

then you need to open the port manually. To open the port manually you need to know the port number that the

particular program uses and whether the program is using UDP or TCP protocol. To find out which port the program

uses and its protocol, contact the software manufacturer via their website or search the Microsoft Knowledge Base

at http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv= 1

How to manually open ports

In Windows Vista, click Start> Control Panel > Security> Windows Firewall > Change Settings.

(Make sure you are not viewing the Control Panel in Classic View).

In Windows7, click Start > Control Panel >System & Security> Windows Firewall >Advanced settings>inbound rules>new rule>ports>specific local ports>Allow the connection>next.

In Windows XP, click Start> Control Panel > Security Center > Windows Firewall.

Open the Control Panel from the Start Menu and switch to Classic View by clicking the link in the top left corner of the Window.

In Classic View locate and click the icon marked Windows Firewall.

Click the tab marked Exceptions then click the button marked Add a Port.

Type a simple name into the box marked Name.

Type the number of the port you wish to open into the box marked Port Number.

Choose either TCP or UDP and click the button marked OK.

Repeat this process for every port that you wish to open.

Most firewalls allow you to unblock programs via their security alerts and the Windows Firewall in XP/Vista/7 is no exception.

When the firewall detects Internet -based activity from a certain program, it will notify you and ask if you want to allow or deny this activity.