Firewall questions.

[sdfsaasdf]

I have tried to use firewalls before, but because I dont know what I am doing on the computer, they are always a big hassle, especially when I want to play games and look on the internet. Do you basically have to turn them off when you do these activities?

Is it really important to get a firewall just for run of the mill computer? I understand why a business might want one.

[mjc]

No!

Yes!

(longer/better explaination to follow)

[shanmuga]

"Hackers comb the Internet looking for vulnerable computers, in some cases trying to steal credit-card numbers and personal information. Home firewall software such as… ZoneAlarm can fend off these attacks"
Adam Cohen, of Time.com

Why do I need a fire wall?

Hackers use Trojan Horses, worms, and spyware to control your PC and access your private information disguises as you.
Without a firewall, your computer is operating under an "open door" policy. Bank account information. Passwords. Credit card numbers. Documents and photos that you don't want to share with the world. They are all available to anyone with bad intentions and basic computer skills. Hackers can get in, take what they want, and even leave open a "back door" so they can turn your computer into a "zombie" and use it to attack other computers.Every minute that your computer is connected to the Internet, either through a dial-up (modem) connection or through a broadband (DSL or cable) service, it is at risk.

Its nothing personal!!

The people who want to break into your computer don't care who you are or where you live. They may be "script kiddies" using malicious code they find on the Internet to wreak havoc on others' computers, or they may be computer criminals with cutting edge technology to sniff out unprotected computers anywhere in the world and exploit their vulnerabilities. An attack can come at any hour of the day or night.

goddessmumz

So as mjc rightly pointed out its a

NO!

YES!

Anyone who connects so much as a single computer to the Internet via modem should have personal firewall software. Many dial-up Internet users believe that anonymity will protect them. They feel that no malicious intruder would be motivated to break into their computer. Dial up users who have been victims of malicious attacks and who have lost entire days of work, perhaps having to reinstall their operating system, know that this is not true. Irresponsible pranksters can use automated robots to scan random IP addresses and attack whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I hope this covers your basic concern about the need for constant running of the firewall software.

[sdfsaasdf]

Ok thanks for the info, I will try a free version, that is good enough for my jalopy computer?

[shanmuga]

Should be enough. I would recommend,

Zone Alarm (http://www.zonelabs.com)

Kerios (http://www.kerio.com/kpf_home.html) .

[PrntRhd]

Even Micro$soft is recommending everyone running a firewall as displayed on Windows Update site after the Blaster worm episode.