New to AVG - do I adjust XP Firewall?

[Terry Pinnell]

Finally uninstalled NAV yesterday (when it annoyed me one time too
many by telling me my subscription code from last renewal March 2005
was invalid). Installed AVG Free.

But I'm confused about the firewall and would appreciate some advice
please. I gather AVG has its own firewall, even though I have the XP
Home Firewall switched on? In the Help, I read that I am apparently
supposed to "Define Exceptions: Switch to the Exceptions tab with the
list of applications that are blocked to access to the Internet. You
need to allow access to Internet for all AVG Anti-Virus applications."

However, that seems to be written for XP *SP2* users, because the SP1
Firewall settings does not include provision for those exceptions.

Any help would be much appreciated please.

 

[Eric Parker]

Finally uninstalled NAV yesterday (when it annoyed me one time too
many by telling me my subscription code from last renewal March 2005
was invalid). Installed AVG Free.

But I'm confused about the firewall and would appreciate some advice
please. I gather AVG has its own firewall, even though I have the XP
Home Firewall switched on? In the Help, I read that I am apparently
supposed to "Define Exceptions: Switch to the Exceptions tab with the
list of applications that are blocked to access to the Internet. You
need to allow access to Internet for all AVG Anti-Virus applications."

However, that seems to be written for XP *SP2* users, because the SP1
Firewall settings does not include provision for those exceptions.

Any help would be much appreciated please.

I wouldn't rely on the XP firewall.
I'd install Zone Alarm or similar.
There's a free version which is adequate.

Eric

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Finally uninstalled NAV yesterday (when it annoyed me one time too
many by telling me my subscription code from last renewal March 2005
was invalid). Installed AVG Free.

But I'm confused about the firewall and would appreciate some advice
please. I gather AVG has its own firewall, even though I have the XP
Home Firewall switched on? In the Help, I read that I am apparently
supposed to "Define Exceptions: Switch to the Exceptions tab with the
list of applications that are blocked to access to the Internet. You
need to allow access to Internet for all AVG Anti-Virus applications."

However, that seems to be written for XP *SP2* users, because the SP1
Firewall settings does not include provision for those exceptions.

Any help would be much appreciated please.

Just learned elsewhere that AVG Free doesn't have a Firewall!
Apparently the Help PDF I was studying is the same for the Free and
the Pro versions.

But, assuming I might eventually pay out for the full version, I'd
still like to know if/how I'm supposed to make these 'exceptions' in
XP SP1 please.

 

[optikl]

Finally uninstalled NAV yesterday (when it annoyed me one time too
many by telling me my subscription code from last renewal March 2005
was invalid). Installed AVG Free.

But I'm confused about the firewall and would appreciate some advice
please. I gather AVG has its own firewall, even though I have the XP
Home Firewall switched on? In the Help, I read that I am apparently
supposed to "Define Exceptions: Switch to the Exceptions tab with the
list of applications that are blocked to access to the Internet. You
need to allow access to Internet for all AVG Anti-Virus applications."

However, that seems to be written for XP *SP2* users, because the SP1
Firewall settings does not include provision for those exceptions.

Any help would be much appreciated please.

I'd find it hard to believe you would *have* to authorize exceptions in
order for the AVG utility to function properly. The exceptions just keep
services from accepting incoming packets unless those packets are in
response to a request from the originating computer. Any AV utility that
functions otherwise is one I'd have a tough time finding a reason to
install.

 

[optikl]

Just learned elsewhere that AVG Free doesn't have a Firewall!
Apparently the Help PDF I was studying is the same for the Free and
the Pro versions.

But, assuming I might eventually pay out for the full version, I'd
still like to know if/how I'm supposed to make these 'exceptions' in
XP SP1 please.

*If* AVG Professional has it's own firewall, then you would just need to
disable the XP firewall, assuming you even wanted to run the AVG version
in its place.

 

[Terry Pinnell]

I'd find it hard to believe you would *have* to authorize exceptions in
order for the AVG utility to function properly. The exceptions just keep
services from accepting incoming packets unless those packets are in
response to a request from the originating computer. Any AV utility that
functions otherwise is one I'd have a tough time finding a reason to
install.

Well, I'm a bit out of my technical depth here, but what you say makes
sense to me. However, the AVG documentation seemed to imply you might
have to do so.

Note that I was wrong about AVG (Free or Pro) having its own firewall.
Sorry for the red herring. The section I was reading was about
ensuring AVG itself worked properly with any of 3 existing firewalls
(XP, ZA, and another).

As I have XP running, and AVG Free seems to be working fine (day 2), I
assume all is well and I don't need to make any 'exceptions'. Just as
well, as I still believe none are possible under SP1.

 

[optikl]

As I have XP running, and AVG Free seems to be working fine (day 2), I
assume all is well and I don't need to make any 'exceptions'. Just as
well, as I still believe none are possible under SP1.

Even if you had XP SP2, you wouldn't want to add any exceptions to the
XP firewall, unless you were operating behind a router and for some
explainable reason a program or service wouldn't work, otherwise.