Configuring the Windows Firewall

A firewall is a program that's designed not only to prevent unauthorized and malicious access to your computer over the Internet, but also to prevent unauthorized communications from your computer to the Internetfor example, those that can be made by a spyware program. In other words, a firewall is your defense against hackers, viruses, Trojan horses, worms, and all the other horrors out there in cyberspace. Unfortunately, a firewall can also block legitimate traffic, so you might need to tweak your settings a bit.

Configure the Firewall

Click the Start button, choose Control Panel from the Start menu, click Security, and, under Windows Firewall, click Turn Windows Firewall On Or Off to display the Windows Firewall Settings dialog box.

On the General tab, verify that the Firewall option is set to On (Recommended). If you're using a public network, select the Block All Incoming Connections check box to increase your security.

On the Exceptions tab, select those programs to which you want to grant full access to your network and/or the Internet through the firewall, and clear the check boxes for any programs whose access you want to prevent through the firewall.

If the check box for displaying a notice when a program is blocked isn't selected, select it.

Click OK.

Tip

The first time a program is blocked, a notification appears. You can select the option to allow the program, to always block the program, or to block it this time but to ask you the next time the program is blocked.