A firewall should be installed given the rise in numbers of computer hackers, spammers and viruses around the Internet. Defense from malicious data harming your computer is provided by a firewall. Without one, your computer is prone to a dangerous attack that can wipe out your data or steal personal information that can negatively impact you.
The type of firewall required for your computer should be ascertained since there is a wide variety of firewall available including those from major corporations such as Microsoft. If you already have a computer that came installed with the Microsoft XP or Vista operating system, then chances are that your firewall is already set up and ready to be used.
You must check that it is turned on and working properly. If you do not have one of these later operating systems, then you need to purchase your own software. Owners of Microsoft XP may still want to purchase separate firewall software as the XP version doesn't get great reviews.
The most popular products available are Norton, AVG and McAfee and you can either visit a store that sells computer software or download a firewall product through the Internet. Even from the leading companies, there are plenty of low cost versions available, with prices varying according to the sophistication of the software.
You need to take a few things into consideration prior to installing your firewall. These programs can block certain functions that you need, so you must configure it to allow those, such as file and printing sharing. Settings can be configured during installation or at a later date using the documentation provided.
Firewalls tend to stop you from going to certain parts of the Internet as well. It is important that you are familiar with how you connect because this can happen if you use a local area network or a router. Secured networks in particular are difficult to access when you have installed a firewall in place. If you work from home or connect to a company computer, you need to coordinate with the IT department in your company before installing a firewall since they may have specific instructions concerning how to configure its settings so you are still able to connect to them.
The type of firewall required for your computer should be ascertained since there is a wide variety of firewall available including those from major corporations such as Microsoft. If you already have a computer that came installed with the Microsoft XP or Vista operating system, then chances are that your firewall is already set up and ready to be used.
You must check that it is turned on and working properly. If you do not have one of these later operating systems, then you need to purchase your own software. Owners of Microsoft XP may still want to purchase separate firewall software as the XP version doesn't get great reviews.
The most popular products available are Norton, AVG and McAfee and you can either visit a store that sells computer software or download a firewall product through the Internet. Even from the leading companies, there are plenty of low cost versions available, with prices varying according to the sophistication of the software.
You need to take a few things into consideration prior to installing your firewall. These programs can block certain functions that you need, so you must configure it to allow those, such as file and printing sharing. Settings can be configured during installation or at a later date using the documentation provided.
Firewalls tend to stop you from going to certain parts of the Internet as well. It is important that you are familiar with how you connect because this can happen if you use a local area network or a router. Secured networks in particular are difficult to access when you have installed a firewall in place. If you work from home or connect to a company computer, you need to coordinate with the IT department in your company before installing a firewall since they may have specific instructions concerning how to configure its settings so you are still able to connect to them.
About the Author:
You can check out: Computer Internet Technology plus Best Internet Computer for more accurate information.
