s0l1tud3 April 28, 2006 Share s0l1tud3 Member April 28, 2006 Currently, I'm using ZoneAlarm for my firewall. Should I turn it off while in game? or should I just leave it on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whudats April 28, 2006 Share whudats Member April 28, 2006 I've always left my firewalls on during play, including McAfee, Norton, Windows, etc. - basically whatever I have installed. I don't think I've had any issues, but maybe I have... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReverend(c) April 28, 2006 Share TheReverend(c) Member April 28, 2006 Could just prolly leave it on if it doesnt interfere with the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashad April 28, 2006 Share Rashad Member April 28, 2006 I have my Norton firewall on all the time. It never interferes with gaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovik April 28, 2006 Share Vovik Member April 28, 2006 i turn off all software firewalls (wait i don't turn em off they are never on). i'm thinking but not 100% positive that my router produces a firewall itself so.....anyway i never had problems. should i care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOFX April 28, 2006 Share NOFX Member April 28, 2006 (edited) exactly vovik. Your router is a firewall. Software firewalls are easy to get around anyway. A router and a software firewall is pointless... but I will say.... By Default all routers block incoming packets on all ports, but I think they are smart enough to realize if your application requires information to flow back in through port 9954, it will open that port.... or they could just have all high end port numbers used by applications open, im not sure... But if you need to SSH into your machine or running a webserver on designated ports, you have to manually open up that port on your router.. software firewalls.. should not be your main defense, they are easy to bring down, the only usefulness I can see from having one is... unlike a the router by default, it probably blocks all your outgoing packets and alerts you when you are trying to send something out.. my short answer is no you should not run your firewall, not because of its function, but because it is hogging your system resources. Edited April 28, 2006 by NOFX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shazz April 28, 2006 Share Shazz Member April 28, 2006 I agree with Nofx. If you have a router, it is a hard firewall. If you don't have a router and run a software firewall, they are easy to get by. Again, just like Nofx said...the only reason you want a software firewall is to see what is going out from your computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whudats April 28, 2006 Share whudats Member April 28, 2006 I agree with Nofx. If you have a router, it is a hard firewall. If you don't have a router and run a software firewall, they are easy to get by. Again, just like Nofx said...the only reason you want a software firewall is to see what is going out from your computer. Okay. I was aware of a firewall in the router, but not sure how strong it was. I actually just unhooked my router because, and yes, this game is old, my brother and I do direct TCP/IP connect games of AoE II. My IP was listing as that default router IP, and he couldn't connect to me nor I to him. Does anyone know a way around this? I'll hook up the router again and disable the software firewall. Thanks for the tip, fellas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goofus Maximus April 29, 2006 Share Goofus Maximus Member April 29, 2006 I've had ping-spike problems with Zone Alarm, but Windows Firewall is perfectly okay with all my games. I just don't feel safe without a firewall keeping those evil HAXXORS out of my computer. That's why I also learned how to password-protect the hidden "Guest" account in Windows XP Home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0l1tud3 April 29, 2006 Author Share s0l1tud3 Member April 29, 2006 Right on.. I guess I'll be leaving my FW on everytime then hehe.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zerodamage April 29, 2006 Share Guest zerodamage Guests April 29, 2006 A router and a software firewall is pointless... I wouldn't necessarily go that far. A hardware firewall (router) will not prevent programs from sending out. There is no outgoing control on a hardware firewall, only incoming. A small software firewall is perfect for preventing any rogue programs from sending out of your computer without your permission. I use Nvidia's firewall which is a part of the Nforce4 chipset. There is another I would recommend, the Tiny personal firewall, version 2.1.5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOFX May 1, 2006 Share NOFX Member May 1, 2006 right I did mention that below in my post. And now days with all the spyware and crap it maybe useful. However if your really wanting to configure firewalls, you should go ahead and configure your router firewall to disable sending of traffic, unless you open up the ports. But that would go beyond the average users knowledge and require more time. But I think that is the best way to lock down your network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobalt May 3, 2006 Share Cobalt Member May 3, 2006 The PC-Cillin antivirus I got came with a firewall so I just use that to monitor stuff and have never had a problem with it. NOFX is right about the functionality of software and hardware firewalls though. The worst hardware firewall is still going to be better then the best software firewall just because of the way they are designed. Also, the windows firewall built into sp2 only blocks like 3 ports so it isn't really protecting you if you think that is the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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