You should only run one software firewall on a computer. If you have a third-party firewall program such as Norton Internet Security, ZoneAlarm, or a similar program, you may want to disable the Windows Firewall and use the more powerful third-party program instead.
Many programs now market themselves as antivirus and Internet security programs. A program that is marketed as an Internet security program should include a firewall feature.
Follow these steps to set up a third-party firewall on your home network:
1. Open the Windows Firewall controls and select the Off radio button.
The Windows Firewall is likely to conflict with third-party firewall programs, thus preventing you from accessing the Internet.
2. Install the third-party firewall in accordance with the instructions provided by the program's publisher.
3. Open the firewall's control panel by double-clicking its icon in the Windows system tray.
4. In the security program's control panel, locate the firewall controls. Make sure that the firewall is enabled.
The firewall controls may be labeled Personal Firewall and may be within a subcategory of general network controls.
5. If the program offers security profiles, choose the profile that seems to best describe your network (see Figure 1).
6. Choose a profile and then click Edit.
These steps are for the Trend Micro security program shown in Figure 1, but most security programs should let you review and edit settings for the various security profiles that are available.
7. In the profile settings that appear, check the security level for the profile (see Figure 2).
8. Close the firewall program and save your settings.
Make sure that when you close the program, the program's icon is still in the Windows system tray. If the icon is present, the program is still running.
To update the firewall, right-click the firewall program's icon in the Windows system tray and choose Update Components. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install updates. Most firewall programs automatically check for updates on a regular basis; if it has been a couple of days since you saw an update being performed, perform a manual update.
