Computer help: do i really need firewall?
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by Oracle_360 - 7/11/06 3:38 PM In reply to: Oracle by comicfanIt was a typo, but thanks for the tip.
your problems may stem from something deeper..
by tamachan3 - 6/30/06 4:22 AM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineI agree with comicfan, it seems to me like its likely that the source of your problems isn't your firewall but something else. For the majority of people firewalls arent a problem, and ZoneAlarm from my experience is the best software firewall available at the moment (pro version). So, before you go blaming this and that and throwing temper tantrums, look into the problem a bit more and see if its not a problem with your OS or hardware or something. That said, I know how frustrating it is for you to lose lots of data as its happened to me before, and I really hope you get the problem sorted out.
tama
PS A word of advice, you should look into ways of backing up your data so if something else happens in the future you wont lose everything.
Use Protowall
by lindtdale - 6/30/06 5:02 AM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineProtowall is a good free, firewall with numerous capabilites. Used in conjunction with BlackList Manager, you can efficiently filter out all the nasties out there. While it is on the higher technical end as far as learning and usage, there are many locations to get help, mostly UK forums, but I haven't had a problem yet with it.
i'm so sorry for getting angry
by sectornine - 6/30/06 5:29 AM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectorninefirst i would like to say sorry and apologize for getting all stressed up and upset because of my carelessness, i would like to say sorry for getting upset and mad at evryone, i'm deeply sorry.
well, i thnk i've solved the problem though, this is basically what i've come up with base on what happened in the past few days:
weeks ago, my friend sent me a file via msn, i download it and scanned it with my norton antivirus, it was clean, however when i turn my system back on a week later , i noticed that the desktop is taking way too long to load, when it does load, the firewall instantly blocks my voip modem driver, perventing it from trying to access the internet, norton antivirus then reports that it can no longer be able to function at all because it's system files are damage.
i panicked and format my hardrive, then reinstall windows.
On this weeks' wendesday, i began setting everything up once again, i install norton antivirus and firewall, then i talked to my friend on msn and got him into sending me the file again, i scanned the file with norton, again norton reports it's clean.
i shut down my system, everything was fine.
but this afternoon, when i turn my system back on again, i noticed the strange problem which i thought was long gone has returned, the desktop takes forever to load, and after it's done loading, the firewall locks up my internet connections, the antivirus stop functioning, my mind went blank and i again format my hardrive and reinstall everything from the start.
right now i've just finished setting everything up again, and i wondered maybe perhaps the file my friend gave me might have been the cause for all these mayham, the file he sent me was a rar file, i haven't even opened it yet, but for now i'm not asking him to sent it to me anymore, at least until i've figure out whatever it was that was messing with my system.
i've asked in a tech forum and someone there suggested that my hardrive could actually be failing, and that it wasn't the fault of any virus. upon hearing this i bega to worried, i wondered if what he said is actually true and that my hardive is failing and will no loner be able to store any data, i hope it's not true, but then again i don't really know as i don't have any software that would allow me to checked the physical condiction of my hardrive.
right now i'm testing my system by restarting it over and over again, checking to see if the hardrive could boot my desktop, so far so good, it appears that most of you are right, it's not the firewall's fault, it's my system, perhaps it's my already failing hardrive, or the hidden virus in my friend's file, i guess time will tell and answer my question of what cause this mess in the first place, i guess i just have to wait and see.
if you guys don't mind, please feel free to post a suggestion as to what i should do next, i really appreciate all your help, especially the moderators, you guys still offer your advice dispite the fact that i kept on getting upset and gets mad at everyone.
so thank you, to all those who have helped me, and again i apologize for getting upset, thanks for helping me in my time of need, thank you.
testing your hard drive
by Mark69 - 6/30/06 8:04 AM In reply to: i'm so sorry for getting angry by sectornineHi Again, once again if you know the make of your hard drive you can go too there site and download a test hard drive and reformat drive file , copy it too floppy if you have a floppy drive, or cd and it will test your drive for you on boot up, Good Luck !
Angry..
by comicfan - 6/30/06 12:14 PM In reply to: i'm so sorry for getting angry by sectornineNo need for apologies as i'm sure everyone gets upset, but I simply felt if you didn't calm down and give decent info, how could anyone help? I am not judge or jury and far from perfect myself but was simply making a point that if you use mostly exclamations it's hard to give a helping hand. Computers and software would make the pope swear i'm sure but having to sit and rationalize is the key. Hard to do , yes, my son told me to make my own dictionary on swearing at the pc.
As far as my opinion goes, you seem to have many from a lot here and can't read each one so all I will say is this, you need some major clean up on your computer and some programs to help keep it running better.
Use disk defragmenter XP, get Ccleaner, spywareblaster, ad aware, run chkdsk at boot, perhaps just keep windows firewall for now until things are cleared up, make sure you have antivirus, and while there are many programs out there (free) these are some suggetions. If you keep it cleaned up, make sure there is no spyware, viruses, then it may at times, simply need a fresh OS install if bad enough. It is possible it's a hard drive issue,could be your NIC card as well, could be internet connection issue, or some other hardware. Whittle it down by doing all the cleaning first and go from there.
Paul
Yes you do
by Themisive - 6/30/06 5:40 AM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineUnless you want to let in pests galore.
If you have a router, odds are it will have a firewall, otherwise get a good Internet Security antivirus suite that includes a software firewall. The good thing about these is that when you upgrade the pattern file for the antivirus, it upgrades the firewall as well!
Whatever you do two products to stay away from, one you know of - Norton, the other is Symantec
Firewall is essential!!
by Mike_Tao
- 6/30/06 10:30 AM
In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornine
It sounds like you may be having computer problems and thats why Norton Antivirus is "fowling" things up. I test product and use then in different environments. Norton firewall is a great utility. But I also will tell you that you could just get away with the windows firewall. Zone alarm is a good substitute as well. The pro version is what you want to get, though.
Firewall
by Ralphdb - 6/30/06 12:24 PM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineI have used Zonealarm for years. and find it to work great. Purchased it for a year then went back to the Free Version. While playing Games (Quake 4) I always disable everything in the task Bar. and Hit the internet LOCK that way nothing is running in the back ground to use your Cpu power. and you will not be interupted. When the Zonealarm warnings pop up for connecting to the internet or other know things you can click not to show again and your amount of popup warnings will be greatly reduced.. I would not run without the FireWall If you do, any P2P or even visit chat rooms you can pick up a lot of trash..
Do I need a firewall? (Norton)
by CrisBurgess - 6/30/06 3:33 PM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineBoy, your question really hit home to my experiences, so I just had to reply.
I also used to be a Norton addict. I started using Norton Utilities in 1985. Norton products used to be great (Norton Utilities and then Norton Internet Security). But the they changed them, especially Internet Security so it wouldn't protect me the way I wanted.
That's when I did some hard looking around and found Zone Alarm. It really is great at protecting your PC.
After using it for a while the pop-ups are darn infrequent now.
I highly recommend it.
And unless you plan on completely re-installing your PC every year (or two if you're really lucky), you have to have an Internet Firewall.
Zone Alarm protects you from everything.
If you use a dial-up modem to connect to the Internet through a large provider you might squeek by without a firewall (or at least with Windows' Firewall), for awhile. But as soon as you use a Cable Modem or DSL, everyone everywhere you go now has your permanent internet address and can address your computer directly with attempts to get into your computer.
If you use Norton Internet Security now, just look at the log of events it has tracked and not told you about because it denied service to the connection attempt. You won't be able to see more then a couple hours worth because just that much will be a HUGE file.
So, yes a firewall is absolutely necessary. And use Zone Alarm. It has been choosen as the best, and in my opinion, thery're right.
CGB
Don't bother with software, Use a hardware firewall!
by awwall - 6/30/06 6:23 PM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineHey, dude, I stopped using my Telus firewall, and never re-installed Lavasoft Personal Firewall when I got my Alphasheild hardware firewall. That software is buggy and invasive. Alphashield is a great little unit that has a simple connect/disconnect button setup. You can also download a free configuration program for it to open specific ports or ranges. I do that for BitTorrent. When I use the "Sheilds Up" test at GRC.com, I pass with a 100% true stealth rating! I also play online games, and do not see any lag!
Check it out:
http://www.alphashield.com/
Alternatively, you could get yerself a router. They have a built in firewall. You also get the option to later network another computer.
Hardware firewalls only protect you in one direction
by bonbon53 - 7/1/06 10:48 AM In reply to: Don't bother with software, Use a hardware firewall! by awwallHardware firewalls only protect you from incoming intrusions. Software firewalls also protect you from spyware or viruses that are already installed on your system and attempting to access either the Internet or your local network's trusted zone without your knowledge or consent.
I will concede that if you exercise complete control over your system, are very judicious in terms of the Web sites that you visit and the software that you download and install over the Internet, and are certain that your system is free of adware and spyware, you may not need a software firewall. This describes my own situation. Nevertheless, I continue to run the free version of ZoneAlarm just to be safe. I depend on my computers to earn my living and I absolutely cannot afford a breach in their security.
Here's one example of ZoneAlarm's usefulness. There has been a lot of discussion and controversy lately over the Windows Genuine Advantage Notification tool. Many people consider it to be a form of spyware, but if you fail to download and install it, you may have difficulty with Windows Automatic Update. Therefore I did download and install it, but I also configured ZoneAlarm to prevent it from accessing the Internet.
Aa computer consultant and troubleshooter, I have used the free version of ZoneAlarm on my own systems for years and installed it on dozens of my clients' systems. I have never run into a problem with it and I am not aware of any that my clients may have had.
The original poster described a problem that they have had with Norton's firewall. I have encountered this problem with Norton's firewall on at least one other system. It may be related to the way that Windows was installed originally, particularly if the computer manufacturer cloned a copy of an existing setup instead of installing Windows from the copy that they provided with the computer. In this case, it may be advisable to reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows from scratch.
Hardware firewall
by AlbertW - 7/3/06 8:31 AM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineMake sure you have a hardware firewall. That's all you really "need" as long as you use common sense on your computer and don't run/install a bunch of stuff that is questionable. Also, use Firefox instead of IE and keep your computer updated with critical updates. I've been doing this for years on multiple computers (I'm a software programmer). I recently tried Kerio to check it out but I had to reboot my computer several times after installing it because it froze at different places. Eventually it booted back up completely. That was not a good sign! I will probably end up not using it as I haven't really seen much value too it but I have seen the trouble and annoyances it causes. Kerio is suppose to be one of the best, too.
firewall are you kidding !ABSOLUTELY!
by TCALLDAY - 7/5/06 8:40 AM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineI have had similar experience in the past with good old Norton sucking the life out of my computer. I've been using a neat little firewall by a company called Sygate for 3 years now. I'm ok at pc repair and diagnosis so i don't know iof its just me but i love Sygate it must work because Symantic(Norton) bought them out and shut them down. The old if you can't beat them kill philosophy I suppose. I'm also not a big fan of Comrad Bill Gates(microsoft) and his I will crush Philosophy on the American software industry I find microsoft's unstable OS's 95-XP to require a little assistance to remain somewhat honest.
GET A FIREWALL. Find one that allows you to determine specifically when and what program is allowed to use the internet connection. If you don't know what the program is deny it access to the internet until you can determine you need it to. You might try to find an old free copy of Sygate still working great for me.
Not sure if you..
by comicfan - 7/11/06 10:04 PM In reply to: do i really need firewall? by sectornineare still watching this, but I left ZA behind as I am sick of it to be honest, yes I said it, lol. Anyway, try Comodo firewall, been using it and it works great, full version, no problems, free, excellent firewall, even tells you what something is without needing to pay for it.
Paul
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