Windows Firewalls.What's That..?

There are also some built-in firewall features in recent versions of Windows. In particular, Windows XP Service Pack 2 (XP SP2) has replaced the rather basic Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) with a more advanced one now just called Windows Firewall.
The XP SP2 Windows Firewall is a stateful host firewall that provides protection for computers against incoming traffic. Note that it DOES NOT provide outbound filtering, unlike many of the firewalls in the list above. You can configure it to allow a particular application, or specific ports.

• Understanding Windows Firewall
• Manually Configuring Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2
• Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 875357 - Troubleshooting Windows Firewall settings in Windows XP Service Pack 2
• Troubleshooting Windows Firewall in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Word document)
• PC World Security Tip: Opening ports in the Windows Firewall for broken applications
• PC World Security Tip: Opening Ports in XP Service Pack 2

Information about firewalls in previous versions of Windows.

• Security Features of Internet Connection Sharing (Q241570) (Win 98SE and Win ME)
• HOW TO: Configure TCP/IP Filtering in Windows 2000 (Q309798)
• IP Security Filtering on Windows 2000. NOTE: Terminology is incorrect. IPSec normally refers to an IP security standard for IPv4 and IPv6.
• HOW TO: Enable the Internet Connection Firewall Feature in Windows XP (Q283673)
• How to Open Ports in the Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall has a list of ports followed by instructions

In addition to the free built-in firewall software listed, Microsoft now offers the two-way OneCare Live Firewall.

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