windows firewall vital?

mtb211

mtb211

Active Member
Hi everyone, I need to make some port exceptions on someones computer because windows firewall is a pain in the ass, on my pc windows firewall is turned off, is it really needed? can i just leave it off?
 
It's mainly a preference. You can leave it off but you'd be substantially more vulnerable to infections that way. I recommend leaving it on for safety reasons. Even if you're a 'safe downloader' you're still at risk. You're better off leaving it on, or you can get another 3rd party Firewall like ZoneAlarm.
 
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we had to change ports on microsoft outlook, now everytime people log in they get that certificate error so im trying to find an easy way around this
 
ive always had mine off, since the day i built my pc. and all my other previous pcs had it off, and i have never had a virus
 
ganzey said:
ive always had mine off, since the day i built my pc. and all my other previous pcs had it off, and i have never had a virus
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Well like I said before, it's a preference. It's safer to have it on to keep the bad packets out. And AV's don't always catch everything on your computer (Not saying that turning on Windows Firewall will prevent every bad packet out), so just because Malwarebytes didn't catch a virus, doesn't mean AVG, Avast or Avira won't.

ZoneAlarm is a good 3rd Party Firewall. You can also get an AV + Firewall if you don't want to use Windows Firewall.
Comodo Internet Security is a good (free) one as well. Here's a list of free Firewalls: http://www.iopus.com/guides/free-firewall.htm
 
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aviation_man said:
Well like I said before, it's a preference. It's safer to have it on to keep the bad packets out. And AV's don't always catch everything on your computer (Not saying that turning on Windows Firewall will prevent every bad packet out), so just because Malwarebytes didn't catch a virus, doesn't mean AVG, Avast or Avira won't.

Like I said, ZoneAlarm is a good 3rd Party Firewall. You can also get an AV + Firewall if you don't want to use Windows Firewall.
Comodo Internet Security is a good (free) one as well. Here's a list of free Firewalls: http://www.iopus.com/guides/free-firewall.htm
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i never use any protection except adaware every month or so. all those programs do is slow down ur pc. as long as you dont download massive amounts of p*rn, or visit shady websites, you wont get a virus.
 
Having Windows Firewall on is like having sex with a women with aids with a condom. Sure you FEEL safe but your not.

Just get a free firewall such as Comodo and a free anti-virus like AVG. Long as you don't go to sites you KNOW are shady it will prevent 99% of the crap on your PC.

I have not had a single virus/trojan/worm in over 5 years using this.


ganzey said:
i never use any protection except adaware every month or so. all those programs do is slow down ur pc. as long as you dont download massive amounts of p*rn, or visit shady websites, you wont get a virus.
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I always love reading this...never know if you have nothing installed ^-^ Also with the way computers are today those programs hardly slow it down at all anymore.
 
My question is "What does a firewall have to do with preventing virus attacks?"
It seems this whole post does little to address the original problem. The only sensible post was the first response.
 
ganzey said:
i never use any protection except adaware every month or so. all those programs do is slow down ur pc. as long as you dont download massive amounts of p*rn, or visit shady websites, you wont get a virus.
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Not entirely true. I scan my computer with Malwarebytes, Avast and SuperAntiVirus(Just for the scanner part) once a week. I also have ZoneAlarm. I sometimes come up with something that's a little harmful, but nothing 'fatal'. It uses up about 10% more of RAM, but I have 4Gb, So I have more than enough to spare. As for slowing it down, none of them do.
I once got a virus from downloading freeware on a 'trusted' and 'non-shady' site once. Had to reformat (That's WITH an AV). <- And I'm careful with the sites I go to and the things I download. You might have a malware and not know it. Tracking cookies/adware is common as well. Those things aren't harmful enough for you to notice, but they run offline, so you don't know if you're infected or not.

Twist86 said:
Just get a free firewall such as Comodo and a free anti-virus like AVG. Long as you don't go to sites you KNOW are shady it will prevent 99% of the crap on your PC.

I have not had a single virus/trojan/worm in over 5 years using this.
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I agree.
Comodo is ranked number one, AVG is good as well. And like I said before, not all AV's will pick up anything/everything.

terii said:
My question is "What does a firewall have to do with preventing virus attacks?"
It seems this whole post does little to address the original problem. The only sensible post was the first response.
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A firewall examines all traffic routed between the two networks to see if it meets certain criteria. If it does, it is routed between the networks, otherwise it is stopped. A firewall filters both inbound and outbound traffic. It can also manage public access to private networked resources such as host applications. It can be used to log all attempts to enter the private network and trigger alarms when hostile or unauthorized entry is attempted. Firewalls can filter packets based on their source and destination addresses and port numbers. This is known as address filtering. Firewalls can also filter specific types of network traffic. This is also known as protocol filtering because the decision to forward or reject traffic is dependant upon the protocol used, for example HTTP, ftp or telnet. Firewalls can also filter traffic by packet attribute or state. So it doesn't necessarily prevent virus attacks, but it can most certainly try to prevent them by filtering out the bad packets. It can also help prevent hacker attacks/phishing attacks.
 
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lol thanks guys, if windows firewall does anything, i havent really noticed.. Im using third party right now :)
 
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