Best free firewall?

whiteboy

whiteboy

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What is the best free firewall? Please give me info to because i dont know what to look for in a firewall other than that it stops people from getting into my computer.
 
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A software firewall doesn't do much at all for you, IMO they get in the way more then they help. However, if you really want to go with one, if you're running win XP, upgrade to service pack 2 and use the built in firewall.. or buy Norton's firewall. I cannot recommend any of the free ones, they've all been nothing but crap in my experience.
 
ZA is, eh, alright.

What depends on "good firewall" in this case would probably be the fact on how you can handle firewalls, whether you be a newbie or a pro.

Tiny Personal Firewall and Outpost are pretty good alternatives if you're a "medium". ZA would be classified as an "easy" firewall, as well as Norton.
 
[quote name='Cornfedwb']A software firewall doesn't do much at all for you, IMO they get in the way more then they help. However, if you really want to go with one, if you're running win XP, upgrade to service pack 2 and use the built in firewall.. or buy Norton's firewall. I cannot recommend any of the free ones, they've all been nothing but crap in my experience.[/quote]
I thought all versions of Windows XP had the firewall.
 
For a cheap good free firewall ZA is actually pretty good.

The next step up would be to set up a cheap hardware firewall for $20-$30 through a router like Cappy suggested.
 
[quote name='whiteboy']What is the best free firewall? Please give me info to because i dont know what to look for in a firewall other than that it stops people from getting into my computer.[/quote]

1. Get a job (free, gives you money)
2. Get a decent Linksys NAT router. Approx $60.
 
[quote name='lord_ebonstone']Sygate.

Software firewalls can do quite a bit, actually, if they're any good. For god's sake don't rely on the shitty XP default...[/quote]

^Sygate one is pretty good. Been using it for about two weeks and it works wonders. I think it's a trial version, but i'm not sure if they actually make you pay for it once the trial time runs out.
 
It's still good to run a software firewall regardless. You got an extra layer of protection just in case someone finds an exploit (or uses the default Admin password with remote management enabled :roll: ) for your router if you don;t have updated firmware.


Software firewalls also keep programs in check when tryng to go OUT to the internet such as spyware, malware, & viruses
 
No, it's good to have both. The physical firewall will help prevent attacks from the outside and the software firewall will help prevent malware attacks from the inside.
 
[quote name='whiteboy']alright, i already have a lynksis router does that mean a software firewall wont really do any good?[/quote]

A software firewall may still be a good idea, because, with Zone Alarm at least, you can restrict outgoing access to the internet on a program by program basis, I believe. So if you get infected with a virus or trojan or somesuch, you can cut it off before it can do much harm outside of your box.
 
I use Sygate in conjuntion with my D-link D-624 router's hardware firewall. The advantage of using both a software and a hardware firewall on your router is that you can port forwar ports through the router..say for your p2p software :) And the software firewall helps filter out incoming connections that don't specifically go to that software.. Or if I have to pass all ports on through the router, then you have the software firewall. So you don't have to worry about being exposed....

GS
 
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