Firewall

[MUfan1313]

i got wifi in my room on my new computer i wanted to know what firewalls and spy bots would be needed for good protection i also play a lot of games online like call of duty i don't want to turn it off every time i play it. can anyone help

[Gow616]

Always, always, always setup WPA/WPA2 security on the WiFi router.

From there you can use Windows Firewall (if Vista), Comodo Firewall or a couple of others.

Comodo: http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

Anti-spyware only deals with places you visit and content you download.

Usually if you set the Router to non-DMZ (aka have security enabled) and forward ports as needed you will be pretty secure.

http://portforward.com/ Site for Forwarding Ports.

Hardware firewall >>>>> Software Firewall.

[Dizzy]

I've used comodo as well and it's my favorite. Free too
It learns as you go.

[brahmasoccer09]

ZoneAlarm is a bit simpler and free. Also install Avast! which is pretty good for a freebie. Registration is rqd for Avast! to get past 30 days. Registration is free.
Avast!: http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-E...dlPid=10852750
ZoneAlarm Vista: http://www.download.com/ZoneAlarm-Wi...html?tag=lst-7
ZoneAlarm XP: http://www.download.com/ZoneAlarm-Fi...html?tag=lst-5

[Gow616]

Avast! and AVG are notorious for giving false positives on safe files and okays on unsafe files.

It is better to get the paid solution of Kaspersky or ESET NOD32.

[brahmasoccer09]

Originally Posted by Gow616

Avast! and AVG are notorious for giving false positives on safe files and okays on unsafe files.

It is better to get the paid solution of Kaspersky or ESET NOD32.

True. But if you are not protected by AV, Avast! and AVG are probably all you need if you stay off the shady websites with serial cracks and adult content.

[Phantom707]

From my experience, Avast! is bad.

I had gotten the professional version, *cough*, *cough*, and it forbade svchost.exe from running and firefox.exe. Needless to say, many things went wrong and I had to "reformat" my computer.

This, however, isn't about me. A nice list of firewall softwares is on this page. http://lifehacker.com/367775/your-fa...ewall-software

[logitech]

yeah i wouldn't suggest ZA (zone alarm) that one program has single handedly made me HATE software firewalls. seriously it will suck when it comes to torrenting files / running online games / visiting sites for pr0n (you were thinkin it i just said it =P) bottom line ZA needs to be tinkered with for an hr or two before it is even remotely usable IMO

[Man.]

Grab yourself Peer Guardian 2 as well its not a firewall or anti virus app but it blocks unwanted IP's.

[PoN]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

I've used comodo as well and it's my favorite. Free too
It learns as you go.

i never used that before but i had great experiences with Zone alarm.

The free version and the Pro version are great for protecting your computer, it helped me a whole lot.

[Phantom707]

I just remembered something. If you have a router that is giving you wifi, you should be able to use the router as a firewall for your computer.

There are some guides around the internet explaining how to do it, but because they vary from brand to brand, I will simply leave it at that.

[logitech]

as far as the peer guardian 2 application is concerened, if you plan to DL torrents and such, it is almost a necessity to have. also you can use ur router as a firewall if you know how. what kind of router do you have ? make/model?

[jackluo923]

I don't use firewall, antivirus, antispyware or any form of protection. I don't visit porn sites either and i know where to get my stuff. I have yet to come across a single virus on my computer for years.

This is how I keep my 7 year old POS computer flying for so long.

[Phantom707]

Originally Posted by jackluo923

I don't use firewall, antivirus, antispyware or any form of protection. I don't visit porn sites either and i know where to get my stuff. I have yet to come across a single virus on my computer for years.

This is how I keep my 7 year old POS computer flying for so long.

If you don't use antivirus or antispyware, how do you know that you don't have any viruses?

Anyways, I'll vouch for Kaspersky as an all in one security package. Configuring the firewall may be tough, but you only need to do that for more esoteric things, such as BitTorrent or home servers.

[jackluo923]

There's a thing called virus scanner which I initiate the scanning process on my dad's computer. I use my dad's computer to scan my computer through my LAN.

[logitech]

that's a pretty smart idea jack, but then again, i do visit those sites unlike you =P haha, but yeah i do keep my firewalls disabled. ran into a lot of problems with firewall issues when playing certain games and downloading ****