[DocHamm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxATOLxX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Use a hardware firewall like a router.

A router (traffic cop) is not a hardware firewall (immigration check point), even if it has NAT. One hardware firewall is the Cicso PIX firewall.

 

[883dave]

Try Secunia.com

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greydragon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Definitely install Comodo Firewall, because Windows XP default firewall is useless. Comodo is one of the best firewall out there, and it's also freeware. Spybot Search & Destroy is another great freeware spyware/adware scanner.

all firewalls are pretty useless when you have a router. If you are behind a router the windows firewall is more then enough to protect you. A router is more then sufficient for a home user a "true" hardware firewall is an unnecessary and expensive for a house hold.

 

[floydenheimer]

Out of all the free AV apps, Avira has the best detection rate, followed by Avast, then AVG in 3rd. I put Avira on all my friends and family's computers along with SpywareBlaster, Spybot S&D, and Ad-Aware. I don't have to deal with spyware or virus issues much at all. Using the immunization from spywareblaster and spybot seem to really help.

 

[DocHamm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderman /img/forum/go_quote.gif ..all firewalls are pretty useless when you have a router. If you are behind a router the windows firewall is more then enough to protect you. A router is more then sufficient for a home user a "true" hardware firewall is an unnecessary and expensive for a house hold.

Incorrect. A router is like opening or closing all the vents in your home. They let whatever thru if they are open. A firewall is like putting a cop at your vent to check to see if the incoming has permission to enter, like a customs agent. Yes, the Windows firewall will suffice. Yes, a hardware firewall is more expensive, but a used PIX can be had on eBay for $100-$200 which isn't bad, especially considering what we spend on our PCs and audio gear. Although a software firewall is cheaper, it is still efficient and recommended. For folks with one or two home computers it is more cost effective to have a software firewall with or without a router. A router is really only necessary if you have multiple machines from one connection source.

Too many people, even technical people, make the mistake assuming a router is a firewall, but it is not. That is why there are so many software firewalls. Trust me, I hear this day in and day out as this is what my husband does for a living for years now. I hear too many stories about businesses who fail to take it seriously and wind up in the papers because thier info was stolen and now their cutomer's info is all over the internet and in the wrong hands.

 

[troymadison]

I don't use any. No problems :/

 

[Bizzel]

While I said common sense, I think it's worth adding that at work I built a hardware firewall and proxy that scans all http traffic for viruses on the fly (IPcop + copfilter). All free and very effective. Anyone that has a little linux experience could set one up on an old PC in an hour or so.

 

[Asr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by uzziah /img/forum/go_quote.gif i've got an issue and since i started this thread: when i play youtube videos, they only play for 10 seconds or though and then stop, i don't know what it is, but this has happened before it's a pretty fresh install of xp pro; my only drivers are my emu0404 audio drivers, omega ATI drivers, intalled flash in firefox..... ......also on the right side of the screen instead of seeing other vids, all i get is some ugly html text or somethin, do i need java or somthin?

Yes, you do need Java, lots of sites use it. Also you might see HTML instead of Web content due to NoScript, if that's enabled. You'll need to enable scripts on a per-site basis, right-click the icon in the status bar.

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Common Sense 1.0

It's amazing how many people are still using version 0.5.

 

[d-cee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderman /img/forum/go_quote.gif all firewalls are pretty useless when you have a router. If you are behind a router the windows firewall is more then enough to protect you. A router is more then sufficient for a home user a "true" hardware firewall is an unnecessary and expensive for a house hold.

that's not true, routers and the windows XP firewall only block inbound uninitiated INbound connections

all OUTbound connections go through untouched you need a good firewall to manage outbound traffic

 

[Bizzel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d-cee /img/forum/go_quote.gif that's not true, routers and the windows XP firewall only block inbound uninitiated INbound connections all OUTbound connections go through untouched you need a good firewall to manage outbound traffic

I disagree. If you have hostile outbound traffic from your machine, you've already lost.

 

[Dzjudz]

Not if you have a proper firewall.

 

[d-cee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree. If you have hostile outbound traffic from your machine, you've already lost.

doesn't have to be malware

some free and paid software likes to phone home for whatever reason

i would rather have the option to allow disallow than to think i am secure enough that i don't need to monitor outbound traffic

you may also be unlucky enough to contract malware that's in the wild and not detected by your antivirus signatures etc. etc. so it is always good to see what's initiating outbound connections

he that thinks he is standing will fall

 

[Omega]

I built some machines, a couple years ago, that had continued file corruption and web traffic problems. Kept having the problems, despite pruning down everything else that was installed, and knowing that the same software was ok on other machines. Eventually I figured out that it was the nvidia firewall, it's junk. A proper software firewall, properly configured even uses less CPU overhead than the supposed nvidia "hardware" solution. Bah.

If you're using a motherboard with an nvidia chipset, see if you can configure the on-board firewall to be "always off."

 

[d.phens]

Ubuntu Linux set up to dual boot with Windows. Ubuntu for the internet, Windows for some programs. First of all, reinstall your ...dows.