firewalls

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just a quick one from a newb. i have McAfee security centre on my pc, do i
need windows firewall & McAfee's or just one of them? if i only need one of
them which one is the best to use? sorry if sound dumb, just newbie...
many thanks, NiteOwl.
 
That's not a dumb question. If you're running XP with SP 2; your McAfee
software is compatible with SP 2; and your McAfee software includes a
firewall, McAfee's firewall automatically turns off Windows' firewall.
 
many thanks "Ted Zieglar", your reply was helpful. I've looked at my windows
firewall and it is still on. i may have done this myself by error, should i
turn this off and leave it all to McAfee?
Again thank you "Ted Zieglar".
 
If you're running under the circumstances I described, Windows Firewall
will turn itself off when it detects the presence of the McAfee
firewall. If your Windows Firewall is still turned on you have a
question for McAfee technical support.
 
NiteOwl said:
just a quick one from a newb. i have McAfee security centre on my pc, do i
need windows firewall & McAfee's or just one of them? if i only need one of
them which one is the best to use?
Click to expand...

It is recommended to use only one. A firewall is a heavy duty application that works on a low level, so having more than one often
leads to conflicts and problems ranging anywhere from simple connection difficulties, all the way up to hardcore crashes
(BlueScreensOfDeath). The same goes for anti-virus programs, although in that case it's more because of the performance hit. In
fact most experts recommend using only one of any "system application" like these.

The Windows firewall is a basic one which Microsoft added on later because of the outbreak of Windows attacks. It does a decent job
for most people but is not meant to be a full-fledged software firewall; it's mostly just a stop-gap. A commercial firewall will
have many more features, so the McAfee one will be far better. Of course, the McAfee firewall will also be more complicated, but
once you get used to it, the enhanced control, logging, and other abilities you get with it, will pay off.
 
NiteOwl said:
just a quick one from a newb. i have McAfee security centre on my pc, do i
need windows firewall & McAfee's or just one of them? if i only need one
of
them which one is the best to use? sorry if sound dumb, just newbie...
many thanks, NiteOwl.
Click to expand...
You only need one firewall. I use Zone Alarm.
Jim
 
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