Re: xp firewall and what it should do.

From: Lee (l_menningen_at_msn.com)
Date: 06/16/03 

Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 02:51:46 -0700

Excellent post!

>-----Original Message-----
>"gus" <> wrote in message
>> I have windows xp firewall enabled but continue to be
>> bombarded with incoming unwanted messages.How may I
stop
>> this? Is there additional configuration I must do or is
>> the answer to get a better firewall? Help please. GUS
>
>You say you are getting bombarded by messages?
>
>Internet popups (meaning they are in Internet Explorer
or Netscape or
>whatever browser you use to surf the web) cannot be
stopped with a normal
>firewall. Look into "Popup Stoppers". To see one of
these (likely more) -
>surf to:
>
>http://www.howto-createpopups.com/
>
>And see one of the most annoying products I have EVER
seen. Multiple popups
>and popunders may apper while you are here and when you
close the window
>even. Annoying, isn't it? That is an Internet Web
PopUp.. Just a miniature
>browser window with pure crap floating in it you did not
ask to see.
>
>
>Messenger Service popups can be stopped by normal
firewalls. To see what
>one of these looks like, do the following:
>
>Open a command prompt.. Start -> Run and type in "CMD"
and click OK.
>In the newly opened command prompt, type the following:
>
> net send 127.0.0.1 I hate Messenger Service Popups
>
>Press ENTER and wait. It should popup in the middle of
the screen.
>Click OK on this also annoying popup and close the
Command Prompt window as
>well.
>
>If you have the first, I have no particular software
recomendation, perhaps
>someone else on these groups might - but if you do a
search for popup
>stopper or popup killer - I assure you a dozen or more
products will come
>up. Read about them and choose carefully.
>
>If you have the second, the normal Windows ICF
configuration can fix this.
>Click on Start -> Help & Support and look up "enable
ICF" and you will find
>the following:
>
>To enable or disable Internet Connection Firewall
>
>Open Network Connections
>Click the Dial-up, LAN or High-Speed Internet connection
that you want to
>protect, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change
settings of this
>connection.
>On the Advanced tab, under Internet Connection Firewall,
select one of the
>following:
>To enable Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), select the
Protect my computer
>and network by limiting or preventing access to this
computer from the
>Internet check box.
>To disable Internet Connection Firewall, clear the
Protect my computer and
>network by limiting or preventing access to this
computer from the Internet
>check box.
>
>Notes
>
>To open Network Connections, click Start, point to
Settings, click Control
>Panel, and then double-click Network Connections.
>
>You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of
the Administrators
>group in order to complete this procedure. If your
computer is connected to
>a network, network policy settings may also prevent you
from completing this
>procedure.
>
>If you clear the Protect my computer and network by
limiting or preventing
>access to this computer from the Internet check box, the
firewall on your
>computer is disabled, and your network is vulnerable to
intrusions.
>
>You should not enable Internet Connection Firewall on
virtual private
>networking (VPN) connections or on client computers
because ICF will
>interfere with file and printer sharing.
>ICF cannot be enabled on the private connections of the
Internet Connection
>Sharing host computer.
>
>With this enabled, you SHOULD NOT be getting Messenger
Service popups unless
>something is wrong with the default configuration or
they are coming from
>your OWN computer.. The latter *is* a possibility.
>
>If you are (even if you are not) still getting Messenger
Service popups,
>then do the following:
>
>1. Go to http://tinyurl.com/ee44
>2. On the right side, under "Download From", click on
the link (one of
>them.)
>3. Your download should start in a minute.. You can
read the instructions
>on the page if it does not.
>4. Select to SAVE this file and I suggest for ease - you
save it to your
>desktop. (Click on the desktop icon on the lefter you
select "Save" and
>then click on the "Save" button in the bottom right of
this window.)
>5. Once the download is complete - close ALL windows
until all you see is
>your start bar and desktop and icons there.
>6. Locate the file AAW6.EXE on your desktop (it may just
be AAW6 on your
>desktop) and double click on it.
>7. Click "NEXT"
>8. Click "NEXT"
>9. Click "NEXT"
>10. Click "NEXT" (there's a pattern here. hah)
>11. Click "Finish"
>12. Find the AAW6.EXE (it may just be AAW6 on your
desktop) and click on it
>ONCE and then hold down your SHIFT key and press your
DELETE (DEL) key.
>When it asks if you are sure, click "Yes".
>13. Now - find the "Ad-aware 6.0" icon on your desktop -
should look like a
>hand with a red circle/slash over it and a number 6.
Double click on this
>icon.
>14. Once it loads, in the bottom right of the window you
will see a "Start"
>buttonand right above that the words "Check for updates
now". Click on
>those words.
>15. Click on "Connect"
>16. If it tells you there is a New Reference File
Available, just Click OK
>then Click on Finish.
>If it tells you No updated components available, just
click OK then Click on
>Finish.
>17. Now click that Start button.
>18. Click on "Next"
>19. Wait for it to finish scanning your system.... This
could take 60
>seconds or it could take 20 or more minutes.
>20. When it is done, click on "Next"
>21. Make sure all items found are checked for removal
then click "Next"
>22. It will warn you how many objects are about to be
removed.. Click "OK".
>23. Once removed, close AdAware.
>
>
>Do you have an Antivirus software? Is it updated with
the latest AntiVirus
>definitions? If you answered "No" to either (or "I
don't Know") then you
>need to get one. Either go buy a commercial product
(McAfee,
>Norton/Symantec AntiVirus, etc) or grab a free AntiVirus
software off the
>web. Some choices of a free AntiVirus software to
install on your system:
>
>AVG 6.0 - http://tinyurl.com/eod
>avast! 4 - http://tinyurl.com/ct9p
>AntiVir - http://www.free-av.com/
>
>Download one of your choice (if you do not already have
one) and install it.
>Keep it updated. Personally I think Norton (Symantec)
AntiVirus is well
>worth the purchase.
>
>Also - if you feel you still need more firewall
protection, choose one of
>the free options of that as well:
>
>http://www.free-firewall.org/
>
>Choose one from that site. The difference between those
and the ICF windows
>has? Well, those likely block (protect yourself) from
OUTGOING traffic as
>well as INCOMING and they likely have a lot more
options. Will they protect
>you from Popups anymore than the ICF? Yes and No. Some
come with pop-Up
>killers as well, but it's not the Firewall doing the
blocking - it is the
>Popup killer built into the firewall program...
>
>
>.
>