Do I need a Firewall?

[Bud Light]

What I need is something that will stop my modem from sending bytes. (You know where it says bytes recieved and bytes sent*dial up connection)Mine is sending to many bytes. I currently have Internet security pro and I know windows xp pro comes with a firewall which is now running. What exactly does a firewall do? Will help me and if not what kind a program do I need?

[EzyStvy]

Need to scan for viruses etc first...


"(fīr´wâl) (n.) A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria."

[HAL9000]

Scan for virii http://housecall.antivirus.com , then get yourself AdAware, Spybot, and Microsoft Antispy... do updates on each and scan for spyware.

For dialup connections, the XP firewall is most likely sufficient.

[Urban Earth]

How do you know that it is sending too many bytes? How many is too many?

AJ

[raftero]

like urban earth i don't know how many is too many, my modem sends and recieves different amounts at different times right now it is showing sent 735,692 and rcvd. 1,309,157 i have AVG, adaware, spybot, and zone alarm firewall. have had no problems with viri or spyware. i am using xp but turned off their firewall. also run several reg. cleaners.

[doctorgonzo]

Originally Posted by Urban Earth How do you know that it is sending too many bytes? How many is too many? AJ

It's not the amount that matters, it's the content. One packet with all your password data is all it takes to seriously inconvenience your life. I never pay attention to how many bytes are going out. I pay attention to when it happens, or where they are going.

[TwoRails]

If you are concerned, as I am, as to what is leaving your computer, then yes, get a better firewall. Zone Alarm is still free and one of the better ones. Version 5.x is still a little buggy from what I hear, but version 4.x is excellent and is what I run.

[raftero]

two rails i have the latest zone alarm 5.5 i think and it works just fine i think they have worked out the bugs.

[TwoRails]

Good news, raftero! I hadn't realized they're up to 5.5 now. Seems like it's time to update. (I just checked and I'm still on 4.0 on this box... )

Thanks for the tip