Menu:

Latest news:

PCs: The Missing Manual is now out!

Eight months in the making, this massive, 600-page book is the manual that should have come with your PC.
PCs: The Missing Manual

Read more...

Windows XP's firewall isn't turned on by default

This article explains how to turn on the Firewall and make sure it's still turned on.

How do I turn on Windows XP's firewall?

I cover Windows XP's Firewall in Windows XP For Dummies. But if you need to turn it on or make sure it's turned on, here's what to do:
  1. Open the Start menu, right-click on My Network Places, and choose Properties.
  2. Right-click on the connection you want to protect and choose Properties.
  3. Click the Advanced tab and click in the little box in the Internet Connection Firewall section.
That should do it.

But my Start menu doesn't have a My Network Places icon!

But what, asked several readers, if the Start menu doesn't have a "My Network Places" to right-click on?

Then follow these steps.
  1. Open the Control Panel from the Start menu.
  2. Click on Network and Internet Connections in the Control Panel.
    3. (Already see an icon named "Network Connections"? Then double-click it and move to step Four).
  3. Click on the Network Connections icon.
  4. Right-click the Internet connection you want to protect and choose Properties.
  5. Click the Advanced tab.
  6. Click in the little box in the Internet Connection Firewall section.
Also, how do you know which connection you want to protect? Here are the rules: Tip: If you see a 1394 Connection icon, don't place the firewall there. That's your computer's "FireWire" or "i.LINK" port, used mainly for connecting digital video cameras or older iPods.

There's another catch if you've set up your own computer network. If you're using Windows XP's Internet Connection Sharing feature to share a single Internet connection between all your networked computers, only activate XP's Firewall on the computer that physically connects to the Internet. You don't need it on the other computers.

If you're not satisfied with the one-way firewall in Windows XP, feel free to use a two-way firewall from a third party.

But how do I turn on the Firewall in America Online?

If you're using America Online to connect to the Internet, these instructions won't help at all. America Online installs its own connection settings that override the ones that come with Windows XP. And America Online's connection settings don't include a way to turn on Windows XP's built-in firewall.