Windows Firewall

[Black Viper]

Discussion of the Windows Firewall Service located in Windows Vista SP1.

Windows Firewall
Service Information: http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/Services/Windows_Firewall.htm

[alberthk]

Thanks for the job, it does help a lot

If i have install a 3rd party firewall ex: Norton Internet Security, do I need to keep the setting in Automatic or I can safely disable it?

[Black Viper]

If i have install a 3rd party firewall ex: Norton Internet Security, do I need to keep the setting in Automatic or I can safely disable it?

I would recommend to disable it if you are already running a software firewall as they have been known to conflict with each other.

[couttsj]

The best firewall of all is a hardware firewall. Firewalls that run in software can be defeated using social engineering. A NAT router is a relatively inexpensive addition that inherently acts as a firewall as long as it is used properly. It has only one job to do (routing) and runs on firmware rather than software. You can improve on the job it does by modifying the filter sets, but even if you don't it still does an excellent job. My NAT router is made by Zyxel and is now on it's third computer.

J.A. Coutts

[Black Viper]

Yup, any firewall that works on the system you are trying to protect is a bad thing.
In that respect, I highly suggest that you use an external/hardware/firewall/gateway to secure your network.
This is also assuming that you do not have family (spouse/children/etc) that it would be best to have a firewall "on the inside" also.