Installing a firewall on home network

If her computer is "Networked", does that mean that she's behind a NAT router of some type? If so, then the Windows firewall is all that she needs for a firewall. None of the firewalls you install, where she can manage it, will save her from herself.

Enable Windows firewall, remove exceptions in Windows Firewall. Disable File/Printer sharing. Change her account to a LIMITED account (make sure there is still an Administrator level account), install and ensure that a quality AV software is installed, install FireFox and Thunderbird and don't let her use IE/Outlook Express.....

She uses a wireless router. I don't know if it's secure or not, I didn't set it up. Her computer is the main computer. I don't know if she wants me to install the firewall to the main computer or another one (there's three desktop computers and one laptop). I'm fairly certain the Windows Firewall is disabled by AOL. At least once a year for the past few years she's had problems with spyware and viruses. She's been using Norton Internet Security but has decided to get rid of it as it slows the computer down. That's why she needs to find another software firewall.

Then you should make sure that WPA is enabled, that it has a strong key, that it's not setup with the default password for the admin page, that it's not using the default subnet....

What does that mean - that computer acting as the file repository for the other computers?

AOL does insert a BUNCH of holes in it, but it does ot disable it, unless the user does it.

So, does she use the "main" computer to store files for the other computers or are they all stand-alone computers?

The wireless router already blocks inbound unsolicited connections to her computers, so you only have to worry about what you connect to, or what your computer connects to that you don't know about.

Most NAT devices have logging ability - many work with WallWatcher logging utility - look for it, Linksys units work very nicely with it - it will show all traffic types in/out of the router.

Then don't try implementing a firewall or any other network-related security concept. You can only fail, if not making it worse.

It seems like you're not actually thinking in that context. Those aren't firewalls and neither security products.

I'm fairly

I believe you have to manually disable it in Control Panel / Security Center. AOL'S Security Center suggests that action upon recognizing Windows Firewall is also on.

sFirewall is also on.

I'd like to know if it's better to disable AOL's Firewall and use Windows Firewall.

WindowsFirewall is also on.

As long as you don't completely remove this AOL crap, it won't make any difference.

dowsFirewall is also on.

I agree that AOL is best avoided, and we will be moving away from it. Just want to know for now if you recommend disabling AOL's Firewall and enabling Windows Firewall, rather than the other way around. Both say not to be running more than one Firewall. Thanks.

The problem is that you simply cannot disable the AOL firewall. Even when it's "disabled", the packet filtering driver will still interfere with the traffic, randomly break network functionality and opening security holes.

That's awful programming. I've got a friend who has a PC where AOL was (at least partially) installed. He's not using AOL thank god but the box is awfully slow, even for a Windows machine... let me guess, uninstalling AOL leaves behind the packet filter driver? People should be taken out at dawn and shot for writing malware like this :).

Just like almost any other "personal firewall" crap.

Or it modified some TCP/IP performance options. Not much better either.

Why? The irony in the claims of what the software is supposed to achieve couldn't be any more obvious.