fire wall / adware

i have no fire wall , should i use the one that comes with 
Win XP or download Zone Alarm.....thanks!

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 07:18:10 -0700, "BSS"




Switch on the XP one immediately.........
Then run an online AV scan as it is almost certain that you have
viruses on your machine.
Zonealarm free is better than the XP built in firewall in as much as
it will inform you of any programs trying to access the internet, but
the XP one will do just as good a job of stopping nasties from getting
into your machine, the choice is yours. But please do a virus scan as
soon as possible since your machine may well be one of those that is
broadcasting nasties.

Taff..........




www.sounds-pa.com    |   www.thecomputerworkshop.com

Greetings --

    Well, WinXP's built-in ICF is certainly better than nothing, but
it's no substitute for a real firewall.

   WinXP's built-in firewall is _adequate_ at stopping incoming
attacks, and hiding your ports from probes.  It doesn't give you any
alarms, or any other kind of indication, to tell you that it is
working, though.  Nor is it very easily configurable.  What WinXP also
does not do, is protect you from any Trojans or spyware that you (or
someone else using your computer) might download and install
inadvertently.  It doesn't monitor out-going traffic at all, other
than to check for IP-spoofing, much less block (or at even ask you
about) the bad or the questionable out-going signals.  It assumes that
any application you have on your hard drive is there because you want
it there, and therefore has your "permission" to access the Internet.
Further, because the ICF is a "stateful" firewall, it will also assume
that any incoming traffic that's a direct response to a Trojan's or
spyware's out-going signal is also authorized.

    ZoneAlarm, Kerio, or Sygate are all much better than WinXP's
built-in firewall, and are much more easily configured, and there are
free versions of each readily available.  Even the commercially
available Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall is superior by far,
although it does take a heavier toll of system performance then do
ZoneAlarm or Sygate.

   To enable/disable the built-in firewall, Start > Network
Connections > Right-click the connection > Properties > Advanced >
Protect my computer.....

HOW TO Enable or Disable Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP
 http://www.**--****.com/ ;en-us;Q283673

    If you're using AOL, MSN, NetZero, or another on-line content
providing service that doesn't trust its customers to control their
own computers and insists upon the installation of a proprietary
connectoid, you'll either need to find a 3rd party firewall that is
compatible with them, or switch to a real ISP that is compatible with
the real Internet.


Bruce Chambers
-- 
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