Firewall that is just a firewall

avotius

Estimable
Oct 10, 2014
3
0
4,510
Hello,

I am trying to find a software firewall that I can use on a Win 7 machine that is JUST a firewall.

If you dont know what I mean, Zone Alarm used to be just a firewall asking you about incoming and outgoing traffic, then after some update a while back it turned into something that was also monitoring my computer's internal activity as well and asked about every damn thing I did. Uninstall.

So I tried Comodo. Impossible! Just opening a PDF requires more than a dozen "ALLOW" clicks and it never remembers anything I tell it to.

I want a firewall that is just dealing with the incoming and outgoing traffic, not some hybrid software that informs me with a nonstop cascade of popups that my word document is trying to modify something in somewhere that will never shut up.

Any help please?
 

thor220

Distinguished
Dec 15, 2009
252
0
19,010
start -> control panel (make sure you switch it to icon view)(top right corner)

near the bottom should be windows firewall, click it.

On the left hand side there will be a vertical list. Near the bottom of that, click Advanced settings. This brings up a new window with inbound out outbound rules.

This lets you block or allow connections coming to you and going from you.
 

thor220

Distinguished
Dec 15, 2009
252
0
19,010


I wouldn't call it useless. It's just very basic. The one thing a firewall does, block Ports and IP addresses, it has down. Most modern routers can prevent port scans and other tricks. Unless you're doing something you shouldn't, it should be more than enough.

I would rather not want to run another piece of software in the background, like the firewall you mentioned. I keep my software stack as simple as possible. If I ever make enough enemies that a basic firewall is no longer enough, I would just go a buy a hardware one. Much more effective.