Just installed SystemWorks 2006, running Windows XP Home. Should I use Windows firewall or will that cause conflict with NSW??
Thanks in advance

Norton System Works includes NAV but I did not see anything about firewall protection in the key features posted on their web site. That is included in Norton Internet Suite or Norton Personal Firewall.

The XP firewall protects Windows XP against port scanning but there are limitations involved in using it.

1. The XP firewall is not a full featured firewall. Normal firewalls allow you to specifically control each TCP and UDP port but XP’s firewall does not provide you with this capability. Instead, it takes a point and click approach to enabling or disabling a few common ports.

2. The XP firewall does a good job of monitoring, examining and blocking inbound traffic but makes no attempt to filter or block outbound traffic like most 3rd-party personal firewalls. Thus, the XP firewall does not identify which programs attempt to initiate outbound network or Internet communications nor does it block the traffic when suspicious activity occurs.

This feature can be helpful in preventing many types of malware attacks that may attempt to open ports or communicate with outside servers without the user's knowledge or consent. It also means that if your system has been compromised, a hacker could use your machine as part of a distributed denial of service attack.

• Firewall FAQs
• Home PC Firewall Guide
• Understanding and Using Firewalls

Here is a list of free firewalls available for download:
Zone Alarm Free for Personal Use
older versions here.
Kerio Personal Firewall [available in a full and limited free edition].
Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.5 [last freeware version that was strictly a firewall and not bundled with extra features that hog resources and slow down your system performance].
Outpost Firewall Free
Jetico Personal Free
Sygate Personal Firewall Free 5.6

If you choose to use one of these firewalls, you should not use the Windows firewall, so you would need to disable it. Running multiple software firewalls on a single computer can cause conflicts that are hard to identify and troubleshoot. Only one of the firewalls can receive the packets over the network and process them. Sometimes you may even have a conflict that causes neither firewall to protect your connection. However, you can use a hardware firewall (your router) and a software firewall (Kerio or ZoneAlarm) in conjunction.

Thanks Quietman.. that was very helpful....
I have a CD with Norton Personal Firewall but I haven't installed it... do you recommend I use it or one of the other free ones you mentioned???
I've been reading so much bad stuff about Symantec that I'm reluctant to use any more of their products....

You will get varying opinions on what firewall to use just like with any anti-virus programs. Usually its a matter of personal preference. One of the biggest complaint I hear about Norton is that its a resource hog and slows down your system especially if on dial-up.

I suggest tha you experient with the various firewalls and see which one works best for you and best for your system.

First off, get rid of Norton. It is a bad thing to have on one's computer. Second, find a free antivirus program like AVG Free Edition and then use the ZoneAlarm Free Edititon Firewall. These two along with protection programs like Ad-Aware & Spybot will keep your computer clean of problems. Norton is not good enough to be trusted. Too many people can hack into the firewall.

--Bots

Norton Antivirus as a firewall its called Internet Worm Protections and its only inbound. like Windows Firewall but a lil more configurble and better.

Since u have NSW i would say u have to deactivate IWP in NSW first, then run Windows Firewall if u want.

.

U can try and hack me all you want.
1 thing u need to remeber is most ppl use a router now and days and that can stop a lot of stuff, but not all.
SO i would say that IWP is sufficent if u use a real router, or are on a lan with a bunch of routers and stuff
And people that get hacked easily, obviously have some sort of flaw in their software/hardware, cause they first off need to open up a connection pointing to their computer thru the router. so Hardware configuration is the main problem.
to many people open to much bleep in their routers or firewall.


Otherwise i would maybe consider getting extra firewall.
maybe NIS to reduce possible conflicts.

And its never good to tell somebody that the first thing they should do is to uninstall norton, or any other paid product, cause they get wayyyy better support on that then on a Free edition.
like AVG for example.

but to put it as a suggestion is Ok IMO.

And Ad-ware and Spybot is always good to have with any AV u use.

Saitzu/Roniez, thanks for letting us know about Norton's Internet Worm Protection. I for one was unaware that Norton's AV included this. For anyone interested, there is more info about it in the Technical Information portion of this Symantec article: Turning on or turning off Internet Worm Protection in Norton AntiVirus

It appears most of the larger AV companies are moving toward minimal firewall functionality--and even though Symantec calls this a firewall, other companies may call it an IDS (Intrusion Detection System). Personally, I find it a bit irritating that users are not forewarned of possible conflicts with firewalls that are already installed. I had a bad experience with Kaspersky's IDS when installing version 5.x for the first time.

So, NYRETIREE, my advice would be to follow Quitman7's good advice and disable both Windows firewall and Norton's Internet Worm Protection and install a more robust two-way firewall. Window's and Norton's appear to be about the same and rather weak to me. If you install Norton's firewall it won't be necessary to disable IWP.

If you have purchased this copy of NPF, it is better than no two way firewall. If not, it would be illegal to install it, and one of the problems with Norton products is there authentication process similar to Windows. With free firewalls out there why go thru that headache.

I'm not a fan of Norton, but I agree that it shouldn't be condemned just because it is Norton/Symantec. There should be reasons to consider it or not. As far as the firewall, what I have heard about it (and McAfee's, BTW) is that it will allow traffic if the user fails to make a decision.

As far as why I, personally, don't like Norton--the main gripe I see besides it being a resource hog, is that if you do ever want to remove it and try something else, it takes a crowbar and winch to get it off your system. Lately I've seen that even using Symantec's own removal tools don't always work very well. It's like once you've decided to use Norton, you're condemned to using only it if you want a smooth running system. If you want to change, you might as well reformat.

Other AV's, especially the commercial ones, are nearly as bad--most also have removal tools to uninstall. That's because a lot of the malware out nowdays attacks security programs and they have to protect themselves by digging just as deep into the system as does the malicious programs. IMO Norton just needs to work on theirs a little more.

The other reason I moved away from Norton (I ran 2003 for this PC's first year):

1. Norton only offers updates once a week unless there is a severe outbreak such as the bagles a few years ago. I don't know if they have changed this policy, but several AV's now update daily and I switched to Kaspersky because it will update its definitions hourly.

2. If you want to upgrade to the newest version of the program, you have to pay. That is common with commercial AV's, but the free ones and KAV allow upgrades for free. If you don't upgrade, support for your product will be discontinued after a few years.

3. Support: Norton is fine as long as you know how to find the relevant Knowledge Base articles. But if none of them fit your problem, you have to jump thru several hoops to get to contact info. Last I looked email support is free, phone support isn't. When I was looking to switch, the only AV companies that offered free phone support were Trend Micro and Kaspersky. So that is common and not that big a deal, especially considering most problems can be solved by reading documentation and it is a waste of time for big companies to have to answer simple questions in person. But I have found that support forums can be far more helpful in many cases than a company's own email support. Norton doesn't offer any. Even McAfee offers a support forum, as does KAV and most of the free AV's.

I don't mean to sound like a commercial for KAV, it has problems of its own, as do many of the software programs out there. And I know this querstion is about firewalls, but I'm looking at securing your PC in general and the companies you're dealing with. I also disagree with a blanket statement that one should get rid of Norton and install Zone Alarm. ZA often has similar problems being uninstalled and tends to release new version prematurely, before all the bugs and compatibility issues have been worked out--at least that is what I've heard.


Well, not everybody has routers and faulty software installed. I'm on dialup. But it is true that how much a person pays attention to their security and educates themselves as to how to use their software and, most importantly, security best practices, makes a big difference in how often if ever one gets infected.

For example, just refusing to open executable attachments from email will prevent a large numbers of infections. Just like educating yourself on how to use a firewall will help in your PC's security.

Actully IWP is a little more stronger then you think, casue it has both "common rules" and secondary rules.
Where you can set port / strain IP/HOST and what protocol
So i wouldnt say it that weak...
only sad thing is that its only inbound.
And the IWP will be disabled automaticly, or turned off if you install NPW Norton Personal Firewall.

Just wanted to get that out.