How To Change Firewall Settings On Windows Xp

Table of Contents

Introduction
How to enable or disable the Windows Firewall in XP
How to manage exceptions to the Windows Firewall
Conclusion

Introduction

Windows XP comes with a built-in firewall called Windows Firewall. For people who do not want to spend the money on a commercial software firewall, this firewall volition be more enough to protect your computer. By default, Windows Firewall disables all incoming traffic to your computer, including ICMP traffic, which consists of pings. Just like all other firewall's you can specify which services/ports you would like to have open then that other computers can connect to yours. This will allow you to open up ports for services like spider web servers, mail servers, game servers, etc. Windows Firewall comes configured with basic services that y'all can enable to be opened, and you too have the ability to add other rules for incoming traffic that are not already configured. If you lot would like, you also take the ability to enable incoming ICMP traffic, so that you can ping and traceroute to your calculator.

How to Enable od Disable the Windows Firewall in XP

Annotation: In order to enable the Windows Firewall you must exist logged in every bit an Ambassador.

Click on the Kickoff button and then click on Run.

In the Open field, type command and press OK.

This will launch the control panel. If y'all run across a option like to Figure 1, click on Switch to Archetype View option which is indicated by the cherry-red arrow in the effigy below.

Effigy 1: Control Panel in Category View

After clicking on archetype view y'all should now run across a screen that looks like Figure 2. You will then want to double click on Windows Firewall as shown in the prototype beneath.

Figure two. Control Panel in Classic Mode

After double clicking on Windows Firewall icon, you volition be presented with the Windows Firewall control console that allows you to configure the settings for the firewall.

Figure three. Windows Firewall

To enable the firewall, simply brand sure the On (recommended) option is selected. If you wish to disable the firewall, merely select the Off (not recommended) pick. You lot will also detect that there is a checkbox labeled Don't allow exceptions. If this option is checked then any rules, or exceptions, that you create to let outside traffic to accomplish your computer volition be disabled. Exceptions will exist explained in more detail in the following section.

How to manage exceptions to the Windows Firewall

When the Windows Firewall is enabled information technology will not allow any remote figurer connect to yours. There are situations, though, that y'all may wish to allow a remote computer connect to yours such every bit if yous are running a web server, sharing files or printers on your reckoner, using certain P2P programs, or running other services that require remote connections to work. To allow these types of connections we demand to enable them equally exceptions in the Windows Firewall. For those of you who are familiar with configuring hardware firewalls, this is similar to port forwarding.

To manage your exceptions you need to open the Windows Firewall every bit described in the previous section. Once the Windows Firewall command panel is open you should click on the Exceptions tab. This will alter the screen to 1 that looks like to the one below.

Figure 4. Windows Firewall Exceptions Screen

In this screen you can select predefined services that you would like to enable and so that remote computers can access them. If y'all do not plan on allowing whatever remote computer to access yours, please make sure at that place are no options checked.

When adding exceptions you have 2 means of doing it. The outset method is to add a plan that y'all would similar remote computers to access by clicking on the Add Programme... button. Doing this will tell Windows Firewall to allow remote connections to whatever ports that the plan uses. The 2nd, and safer, option is to instead only add specific TCP/UDP ports that you require to be continued to by using the Add together Port push button.

When y'all click on the Add Port button a new dialog box volition open up that allows you lot to configure the necessary information for the exception as shown below.

Figure 5. Add a Port

In the Add a Port dialog box, y'all should give a descriptive championship to the exception and and so enter the port that needs to be opened. Y'all should then select TCP or UDP depending on what blazon of port it is. If you need to open a port for both TCP and UDP, you will need to create ii separate exceptions where one is for UDP and the other is for TCP. If you are not sure what port should exist opened to permit your applications to work, y'all should check the documentation that came with your program.

As an example, let's create an exception that allows your computer to act as a spider web server that tin can be reached by other computers. The default configuration for a web server is for it to mind for connections on TCP port 80. To exercise this we would create an exception every bit shown below:

Figure 6. Creating an exception for the http protocol

Equally you lot can see in the image above, nosotros have created an exception called Www that allows TCP port 80, which is the port for a web server, to be connected to by remote computers. Once you press the OK button, the exception will be added and automatically checked as shown in the epitome beneath.

Figure 7. The WWW Exception enabled in Windows Firewall

Every bit you lot can see the new WWW exception has been created and automatically enabled by Windows Firewall. You tin then press the OK button to leave the Windows Firewall control panel.

One thing to think is that when working with exceptions, if you have the Don't let exceptions checkbox checked in the General settings tab of the Windows Firewall, all of your exceptions volition be disabled until you uncheck that box.

Conclusion

Every bit you tin see, you have a fairly powerful firewall at your disposal for absolutely free. There are some shortcomings, such equally non monitoring outbound connections, just it will do the job of securing your computer from hackers on the Internet. If you have any questions on how to use the Windows XP Firewall, please ask us in the AntiVirus, Firewall and Privacy Products and Protection Methods forum.

Revision Information:

01/12/eleven: Updated the tutorial to use the nearly relevant information and images.