A couple days ago, the tip of the day covered disabling the Windows firewall and installing a third party alternative. I should clarify one thing: the biggest problem with the firewall is the lack of control. It does block the communication ports successfully, but it offers no control over how applications access the net. So, basically, it severely lacks features and does not hold the hand of less experienced users. I recommended ZoneAlarm as an alternative, and I still stand by that. But, I should also mention that some users have reported problems with ZoneAlarm, including instabilities, excessive CPU uage, and other issues. I have used Zonealarm in the past with little hassle, except I did have one issue whereby my internet connection would simply not work unless I started up Zonealarm and turned it back off again. I think it had something to do with the vsmon.exe module, a component of Zonealarm, which runs automatically even if you choose not to start Zonealarm.

Some other free firewall alternatives are:
- Kerio Firewall. www.kerio.com
- Sygate. http://soho.sygate.com/default.htm
- Agnitum. http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost/