Configuring Vista’s Firewall Part I

After enabling the Windows Firewall, you may need to configure it for your computing environment. For example, you may need to allow additional programs to communicate through the firewall.

There are two interfaces for configuring the firewall settings. One is used for configuring basic settings and the other for more advanced settings.

Why did Microsoft separate the basic and advanced firewall configuration tasks into two completely different interfaces? Perhaps the motivation was to keep less tech savvy users from inadvertently making advanced changes that could disrupt their connectivity and/or put them at risk. In any event, looking at the firewall’s basic interface, it looks almost identical to the Windows XP Service Pack 2 firewall. However, there are minor differences, such as the renaming of the Edit button on the Exceptions tab to Properties.

To access the basic firewall settings, open the Control Panel, click the Security option, click Windows Firewall and click on the Change Settings link. The Windows Firewall Settings window will appear with three tabs: General, Exceptions and Advanced.

General Tab
There are three possible settings; On (recommended), Block all incoming connections, and Off (not recommended). The on and off selections are pretty self-explanatory, but the “Block all incoming connections” option is very handy if you need to login to an unsecured network. With this option selected, you will be completely protected.

• There are currently no coupons for this store, but we are adding new ones throughout the day. Please check back later or try a new search at http://coupons.lockergnome.com