Choosing the Best Windows XP Firewall - Deciding Factors and Alternative Firewalls
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Now that we have enough information about the default Windows Firewall, we will try to decide which factors are crucial in the selection of appropriate firewalls which may (or may not) replace Windows Firewall.
One of the most important is cost. Since Windows Firewall comes at no additional charge, you should consider using a free firewall as well. There are a lot of free firewalls compatible with Windows XP (which I will cover later). Note that when you use a third-party firewall, you need to disable the Windows Firewall. This is advised by Microsoft.
The second most important factor is the ability to block outgoing connections. Since the Windows XP Firewall does not have the full ability to block outgoing Trojan connections, a replacement firewall should do this job.
The third deciding factor is the usability of the firewall; this is where most third party firewalls fail the test (even the award-winning ones). They are simply DIFFICULT to use. Blocking both incoming and outgoing connections can be nice, but not even the best firewall can decide which connections to allow.
Aside from the Windows XP firewall, I use Comodo Firewall. Unfortunately, it introduces some serious problems with my existing setup. Aside from the complexity and difficulty of configuring the firewall, it displays annoying pop-ups. The worst thing is that you can accidentally block clean connections.
Windows XP normally allows outbound connections initiated by svhost processes, and shutting it down means a failure to your normal Windows XP operation. I've tried even setting Comodo Firewall normal (non-aggressive mode), but it still won’t work for me.
Fixing issues with Comodo Firewall is beyond the ability of an average computer user wanting more network security. An alternative solution is necessary to provide more security without adding complexities.
Of course, a third-party Firewall like Comodo is great for advanced users that know what they are blocking; I do not recommend it for beginners or even average users. Experimenting with a third-party firewall can make Windows XP completely unusable. I've even tried experimenting a bit, but I find the computer freezes and I cannot connect to the Internet.
Two other factors you should consider when choosing a firewall are full compatibility with Windows XP (or whichever version of the operating system you are using) and full compatibility with the software you have installed on your system.
Full Compatibility with Windows XP: Third-party firewalls, when installed, when installed, can introduce some serious incompatibility issues with Windows XP that require the user to make drastic changes to either the firewall software or the operating system. An ideally compatible firewall should run without interfering with all of the required or normal Windows processes.
Full Compatibility with the Software Installed: Aside from being compatible with Windows XP, it is also very important that the third-party firewall is also compatible with the existing software installed in the computer. For example, if the computer has an anti-virus program installed, the firewall should not be in conflict with its normal operations.
Next: What is the Best Firewall for Everybody? >>
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