Last week I decided to go OTT and bought a personal firewall. Three times this week someone's tried to connect with my PC. THREE TIMES

I don't know whether to be mad, shocked or just worried about how many times it's happened before.

Hi 9th, a few months ago when there was lots of problems going on in the chat room, mine used to flash at me all the evening. The detector that is!!

I keep nothing on my PC apart from the basic programmes, all personal stuff is saved to CD for this very reason, the other night the firewall log showed over 30 attempts to connect and ports were scaned 5 times,all blocked by the firewall. Got it set not to show the pop up box just keep the log so I can check at the end, which gives the IP address so if, as often happens, you get the same one trying all evening you can check up what it is. Ingrid

After reading a recent thread on this board, I went out and bought the Nortons Firewall.
Since installing it I too have been shocked at the number of times I have been alerted to computers trying to connect with mine.
So far I have had the dreaded Black Oriface (several times), numerous other Trojan Horses, someone has attempted to scan my system and that's just a few of the alerts the Firewall has blocked which I can remember!!!
Thank you 'Champdogs' and all you posters - what would I do without you?!

I thought most of the connections to PC's which firewalls block are harmless and not malicious?

You're right Lara - most apparent attacks to your PC are harmless ones - often from your ISP checking you are online so they can measure their server activity etc etc. It can be frightening though when you first witness it.

Pam n the boys

I think you are probably right Lara but better to be safe than sorry Most of the *attacks* on mine are actually BT who are my ISP and I don't pay much attention. Occasionally I'll get someone trying to get in to my netbios but not often despite there being about 30 *attacks* a day when I'm online. I tend not to worry about it - afterall that's why I have a firewall

Goodness me! PC World here I come:D
Anita

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, not PC World. In my experience PC World are about as useful as a waterproof teabag.

Have a look in your local Thomson directory for a small independent computer shop - they'll be a little bit more expensive but will sell you what you need not what they think you need.

Fiona
x x x

I agree with Fiona stay away from PC World they are hopeless so much that if I ever do have to shop there I seem to end up telling them what hardware/software does what.

Karen

Anita, if you want a good free firewall go to http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost
and download the free version, I used to have Zone Alarm but found it made the internet run very slow and caused conflict problems in my system,tried this one and it's great, it even zip files suspect e-mails so you can have then analysed and you either get them back saying they are safe to open or told that they had a virus. Ingrid

Hi Ingrid

Have been on to that site & downloaded the firewall.
What do I do now? Or does it do it all automatically?

PC Illiterate Nicky :D

Nicky. I'll get my PC expert partner to give you some advise when he gets in, I think it's easy to set up, must be cos even I can deal use it. Ingrid

OK are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin! Unzip the Outpost download from where ever you put it. Load the programme as instructed. When it is done you will have to reboot your PC.
You should have a little icon in your system tray (circle with a question mark) bottom right hand side.
When you connect to the internet for the first time boxes will appear asking you whether you want to allow certain programmes access. These will include any browser you use (Internet Explorer 5,5.5,or 6 dependant on what you use) Outlook or Outlook Express and any chat or messenger service you use. They will ask you whether you want to grant access with the options of allow once, allow, or creat rules using ....(whatever). For the regular ones you use like the ones mentioned already click on the box to allow.If it comes up for no apparant reason use the option do not allow.
On the site there is a link to download a quick start user manual, I would recommend you download it and have a read. (it's not as complicated as all that) you will find it at http://www.agnitum.com/support/
download the Quick start NOT the User Manual
I hope this is helpful. You can check to make sure your security is working at
https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Do the two tests Shields and ports and if Outpost is working OK you should be in stealth mode

Dave (Ingrids PC fixer)

Hi Ingrid & Dave
Thank you both very much :D
Have now got it up & running. I'm so glad I checked out this post or I'd never have found out about Firewall's at all.
Thanx again.
Nicky

Nicky, when you've been on line for a while click that blue circle thing with the '?' in it and then loo at the attack detection it'sa amaxing how many connection requestrs there are, but what I find more worrying is the port scans, usually get a couple of those in an evening. Ingrid

INGRID ...
what are you doing with a strange man in your box :D

That would be telling Leigh, but yeah he is a bit strange Ingrid

Hi Ingrid
Feel a lot safer now. Have booked my PC in for a service too.
Nicky

Ingrid help! Please. I have been to the site you suggested (excellent BTW) but they say they don't guarantee that it will work with Windows XP:( Would you know does this mean it just won't work, or will stuff everything up?
Anita

Hi Anita, ummm I haven't got a clue but I'll make some enquiries for, I still run Windows 98 SE, being one of the 'if it ain't broke don't mend it' brigade, and a bit of a technophobe when it comes to new programmes, took me ages to get use to this version. Ingrid

It works fine on Windows 2000.

Fiona
x x x

Hee hee I have my answer:D Asked the IT bloke at work (well he was asking me stuff so thought it was only fair!) Aparrently it's to do with my 'ports' and the company just aren't 100% sure they have everything covered in their firewall so they are doing the deccent thing an letting people know, and has recommended I do a google search to include XP, so there you go. Actually after talking to him I am definately going to get one:D

Oh and we only got XP coz that's what it came with:D
Anita

Made some enquiries Anita and it seems that Windows XP has it's own firewall already in the programme, but advise is that it's not very good and you should turn it off before you install another one. I have friends who keep trying to make me update the windows programme I run everytime they bring out a newer version, have heard that XP is very good & virtually crash free, is that right. Ingrid

Hi Ingrid
Well now you've confused me!! So I already have one, mmmmmmm and as for how to turn it of well.....

Windows XP though, well I can only base this on what I have heard about previous windows updates in the past via work and other people (this is our first home computer). Touch wood (please don't let this ruin it) I have never had any of the problems I've heard of with other upgrades, in fact I've been waiting to have to get patch-up's and stuff but it's been great:) The only thing I would say is you know the cheaper CD ROMs you can get with things on for kids, educational type programmes etc, or freebies, they sadly don't work on XP. Oh and great firewalls from the internet:D

Things are just presented differently and the menu paths are a bit different, but no I can't complain.
Anita

Thank you ladies - yeah pretty much had the same problem with PC World when we bought this computer;) I shall shop 'local' and look at that web available one too.
Thanks
Anita:)

I bought mine off the net. $29. But it's by the same people who do my AV software, so it's all compatible.

I write down all the ISP numbers and it's hardly ever the same person.

I paid out for the original Zone Alarm Firewall I had and then it just sent the PC crazy, I couldn't load programmes, conect to the web and screen kept freezing, I then read that this does sometimes happen. Wish I'd known before I never even gave the Firewall a thought to causing the problems. Ingrid

Ingrid,

I have always used Zonealarm but over the last few weeks it has been a pain screen freeze up's mouse cursor jumping and not going where I want it to go.
Me thinks Zonealarm is going to go.

Karen

9thM, You can't go by the IP number, this changes every time you log on (unless of course you have a permanent connection) so just because the numbers are different this does not mean to say the person is different.

Regards, John

Ah. Thanks for that. I am just a hedgehog on the superhighway of life. Waiting for the 18 wheel truck.

Still. It's better than being a hedgehog on Uist :D

John, went and got that programme you said about last night, makes interesting reading, thanks for the advice. Ingrid

PC world are fine if you know what you are doing and what you want. Some of their prices are good - but expect no knowledge at all from the underqualified staff. You wouldn't believe what I heard them telling someone about networking!!! But if you do know what you want then do go there especially if the price is right.

Pam n the boys

Hi Ingrid

Have you had any additional spam email since downloading the firewall you mentioned? I find that every time I visit a software site I seem to get bombarded by junk mail

Christine

Hi Christine, had it installed for sometime now. but no we didn't get any junk generated from that site, most of mine comes via my previous ISP which was BT over a year ago but I still keep the e-mail addy running, this was downloaded via a different server. Ingrid

ROFLOL

Once rang PC world to ask them if they had any heatsinks and they asked me what type of software that was!

The heatsink is the fan on the chip to stop it overheating ROFLOL (for those who do not know esp. the PC world people in dublin)

theresa