One of the security features included with Windows XP that you have more than likely heard about is Internet Connection Firewall or ICF. It is a built in firewall component that is designed to protect your computer from unsolicited traffic. So if your computer is connected to the Internet, it is recommended that you enable it. If you are running Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, this component will now be enabled by default.

You may want to take this one step further and monitor the type of traffic that is being discarded by your firewall. This can be done by enabling security logging using the steps outlined below.

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double click the Network Connections applet.
3. Right click your local area connection that is connected to the Internet and select Properties.
4. Select the Advanced tab.
5. Click the Settings button.
6. Select the Security Logging tab.
7. Place a check beside Log dropped packets.
8. Click OK.

Once you enable security logging, information is written to the pfirewall.log file that is stored in the Windows directory.