Use Firewall To Protect Your Computer

A firewall keeps the bad stuff out and the good stuff in, but sometimes it can keep programs you need from sending and receiving the data they need to function. In that case, the program is said to be blocked. Often you’ll see a pop-up window explaining this and prompting you to unblock the program or continue to block it. For instance, if Windows Firewall has blocked a program, it will show you a message reading, to help protect your computer, Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this program. The message has three buttons: Keep Blocking, Unblock, and Ask Me Later.

If you know and trust the program that’s trying to send or receive data, just click the Unblock button, and the problem is solved. The Windows Firewall only blocks incoming data. Only third-party firewalls, such as the firewall in Symantec’s Norton Internet Security 2007 or Internet Security Suite 2007, will block data from leaving your computer as well as invading it.