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Securing Your PC
Install or turn on your Firewall

What is a firewall
How does a firewall work?
• Where do I get a firewall?
• Turn on Windows XP firewall
  • Service Pack 1 Instructions
  • Service Pack 2 Instructions 

What is a firewall?

A firewall is something that controls the type of communication other computers on the internet can have with your computer.  A firewall can be a piece of software installed on your computer, or it can be a physical piece of hardware that controls information being sent to and from your computer across the internet.

Using a firewall is imperative in making sure your computer is secure while connected to the internet.  If you do not use a firewall your chances of being hacked or infected by a worm increase considerably.

How does a firewall work?

When your computer is connected to the internet, your computer can “talk” or communicate with any other computer connected to the internet – regardless of where the two computers may be located.

When your computer communicates with other computers on the internet, it chooses a “port” to send and receive information on.  These ports remain open if you do not use a firewall to block or close them.   This may be a bit confusing, so I am going to use an analogy to make it easier to understand.

A computer connected to the internet is much like a skyscraper found in a big city.   It has a front entrance and many entrances to the offices inside.  

Before you can get to the office, you need to know the address.   This is just like the internet; every computer must know the address of another computer to be able to establish communication with it.

Some of the offices in the skyscraper contain very sensitive information, so they always have their entrance doors locked to prevent anyone from snooping around.  Only authorized individuals with passwords and keys can get inside.

The skyscraper is like your computer, and the entrances to the offices inside are like the ports in your computer.

A firewall closes and locks all the ports on your computer, much like a company locks the doors to the entrances to their offices when no one is there to control who is going in and out of them.

It only takes one port to gain access to sensitive information, so let’s LOCK YOUR PORTS WITH A FIREWALL!

Where do I get a firewall?

Unlike Windows XP, Windows 95, 98 ME, and 2000 do not include a built in firewall.  Regardless of what operating system you are using, I highly recommend purchasing a hardware firewall (also known as a "router").

If you are using Windows 95, 98, ME or 2000 and have a tight budget you can install a free software firewall.  Make sure you read the license agreement before installing free software as there may be stipulations that only make it possible to install the software non-business PC's.

Below are two free software firewall products.  I recommend purchasing a hardware firewall / router at you local electronics shop.

Zone Alarm Personal Firewall

http://www.zonelabs.com/

The free version of this software can be hard to locate on their website.  I do not include direct links to download the software mentioned in this book as companies frequently change the location of these downloads.

Sygate Personal Firewall

http://SMB.SYGATE.COM/SEDL

Sygate was recently purchased by Symantec, the company that owns Norton security products.  They have ensured this software will remain free at the time this book was published.

Windows XP Firewall

If you are using Windows XP you already have a firewall built in to the operating system.  You may still choose to install a software firewall, but XP users should consider using their built in firewall or a router - it could save you some headaches.

Turn on the Windows XP firewall

Determine the Service Pack you have installed before continuing.

To determining what Service Pack is installed

Depending on the version of Windows XP you are using, the steps to turn on the XP firewall are different.  To find out what version of windows you are using, click start > run > and type in "sysdm.cpl" without the quotes.  You will see a windows that pops up that contains your Service Pack information.  Once you know what Service Pack you have installed, click on the link and follow the directions to turn your firewall on.

I am using Service Pack 1

I am using Service Pack 2

Turn on your firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 1

Open the control panel

Make sure the control panel is in classic view as shown below.  If it is not in classic view, click the link highlighted in red to change the view to classic view.

Double click on the "Network Connections" icon

Right click on any one of the icons and choose properties.  You will need to follow this process for each icon found in this window.

In the connection properties windows, click the advanced tab, and check the box under Internet Connection Firewall, then click ok.  If it is already checked then this connection already has the firewall turned on.  Go back to step 4 and follow this process for any other connections you have.  You are done!

 Turn on your firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2

As mentioned earlier, I recommend using a hardware firewall regardless of having a software firewall.  To learn how to enable the Windows XP firewall, click the link below.

Turn on the Windows XP firewall