Windows Firewall Log

[cranheim]

I activated my Windows XP Firewall via the Control Panel. I wanted to view
the log to see if it blocked anything. When I displayed the help
information, it said this:
To view the security log file:

Open Windows Firewall.

On the Advanced tab, under Security Logging, click Settings.

Click Browse.

I do not have a "Browse" option to click on. Has anyone tried to do this? If
so, does it state in English what happened, or is it just some coded
information?

Charles Ranheim

 

[Nepatsfan]

In [email protected] cranheim
wrote:

I activated my Windows XP Firewall via the Control Panel. I
wanted to view the log to see if it blocked anything. When I
displayed the help information, it said this:
To view the security log file:

Open Windows Firewall.

On the Advanced tab, under Security Logging, click Settings.

Click Browse.

I do not have a "Browse" option to click on. Has anyone
tried to do this? If so, does it state in English what
happened, or is it just some coded information?

Charles Ranheim

Hit the Settings button.
See the location entered under "Log file options".
That's where you'll find it.
Mine's listed as C:\Windows\pfirewall.log
If you want an easy way to look at that file simply click on
that entry to highlight it, right click on it and select Copy
from the menu and go to Start -> Run and paste it into the Open
box. Click OK and the log should open in notepad.

If you're looking for useful information on how to interpret
the entries in the log go to Start -> Run and enter the
following in the Open box:

hh.exe netcfg.chm::/hnw_firewall_log_understanding.htm

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[cranheim]

Nepatsfan,
Thanks for your response. I guess there never was a "browse option". I
thought if there was, it would automatically display the log in English. I
did what you suggested and it did display the log data. There sure were a
lot of entries. I thought it would just log the times it rejected an
unauthorized incoming packet. It seems to record more than this.
Thanks for the information. You certainly have a lot of knowledge in this
area.. Charles Ranheim

 

[Nepatsfan]

The Browse button was present in the SP1 and SP2 Beta version
of the XP Firewall. I guess they just forgot to update the info
in Help and Support. If you're curious, take a look at these
articles:

Using the Firewall for Internet Connections in Windows XP
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/wxpmdfrw.html
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/img/gif_wxp/wxpmdm37.gif

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Beta
http://www.activewin.com/reviews/previews/xpsp2beta/
http://www.activewin.com/reviews/previews/xpsp2beta/firewall-log.gif

If you want to get a better look at the XP Firewall log, try
the utilities available here:

Windows XP Firewall Log Viewer
http://eskapism.se/software/?page=xplog

FireLogXP - XP firewall log viewer
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/firelogxp.html

For other options do a Google search for "XP firewall log
viewers".

Keep in mind that the XP firewall is a very basic program. It
doesn't monitor outbound connections. As you've seen, it does
not include a very user friendly log viewer. Most third party
firewalls will provide both of these features. If you want more
info, look into an alternative to the XP firewall.

Good luck

Nepatsfan