Firewalls

[palefrost]

How exactly do firewalls protect your pc? Does the router hardware protect you for external uses or internal usage?

[brian]

The Firewall is basically a "wall" between your PC and a network - usually the internet. This means you can more easily control what has access to go through the wall, and unauthorised traffic gets blocked flat. That's my simplest way of explaining Firewalls as I understand them in computing terms.

[Darksat]

A firewall checks the applications on your PC connecting to the net and only lets specific apps connect.
EG a firewall will let firefox.exe connect, but not virus.exe
Your also better getting a statefull firewall like sygate if you can.

[cesc]

Check this out...it should explain everything... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall

[Calypso]

It's funny, though, whenever I can't get onto the internet and call for tech support, the first thing the tech does is tell me to disable my firewall. Apparently some firewalls are a little too vigilant and won't let you connect even when you want to.

[tater03]

I have had that happen to me but for some reason now my firewall will ask me if I want to allow this application. I didn't change anything on this not sure why it started doing this.

[cassiem0221]

I have firefox installed on my computer.. How can I check the firewall settings for it? I can't seem to find anything on firewalls on here but at the bottom there is a firewall icon that pops up when I try to access certain sites.

[Calypso]

Originally Posted by tater03

I have had that happen to me but for some reason now my firewall will ask me if I want to allow this application. I didn't change anything on this not sure why it started doing this.

My firewalls do this, too, occasionally, question a site I've been to at least a hundred times before. Sometimes I think my computer is possessed.