Firewall need?

I am wondering if we need a firewall with XP? I read this on the Win Site:

Internet Connection Firewall
A firewall client that can protect small businesses from common Internet attacks. Small business owners will be able to securely connect their Windows XP Professional computers to the Internet.


So do we need to install our Norton Firewall too or is that overkill? Thanks.

The firewall that comes with XP (ICF) is really not very good at all. Among its faults is that it only blocks in one direction... inward bound data. That means that one of the primary uses of a firewall... to guard and alert about a potential virus or accidentally installed spyware trying to communicate with the outside world... won't happen. Turn it off and install a real firewall. Norton is good but there are others too some of which are free... Zonealarm & Kerio to name two.

www.kerio.com

www.zonelabs.com

(don't run two firewalls at once.. that will cause problems)

Thanks for the info. So is the XP firewall already configured when it was installed on the computer? I would prefer the Norton over the XP one I think. We already have the Norton until Jan 05.

The firewall is not turned on by default in XP. You can make certain by right-clicking your Internet connection (in Start>Network Connections), choose Properties and you'll find the setting for it in the Advanced tab.

Thanks for the info. I looked around last night and could not tell if it was connected or not. I will use the Norton.

If you are using DSL or Cable Modem, I would suggest a cheap Linksys (or other brand) of router to provide an even greater level of protection.

While it will not protect you from trojan horses or other viruses delivered by e-mail, it does shield you from viruses which rely on scanning to deliver a payload.

I would also suggest:

1. Getting a good virus scanner and keeping the definitions up to date.

2. Keep up with system updates to get the patches needed to protect yourself from the latest vunerabilities.

Anymore, one level of protection is not enough to keep yourself totally protected.

it looks like no one is going to tell you except me that there are a lot of free firewalls out there that are in my opinion a lot better than norton. sygate is a very good one. i wouldnt have any norton product on my pc. just my 2 cents worth