Hi shifty!

My subscription to Norton anti virus & firewall is up for renewal and I think it's time to change to NOD32. I have two desktop computers and a laptop at home that connect through a Linksys WRT54GS router to a DSL satellite, but the laptop also goes off to college with my daughter. All are running xp.

So...my real question is, do I need some type of software firewall on these three computers, just on the laptop or none at all.

Thanks for all your great help & advice!

Mike

I'm not shifty, and I'm not real experienced with networking, but I'll give you my opinion anyway... :)

I would run a firewall on all three. The laptop definitely needs one. I would run a firewall on the desktops to monitor outbound traffic. It will let you know if there is software on your computer that tries to connect to the outside without your knowledge. Sometimes you can spot viruses and things based on their attempts to access your internet connection from within your computer.

Slonaker

I agree, you need a software based firewall on each and every computer.
Checkout the free offering at www.zonelabs.com as an alternative :D

I do not recommend Zone Alarm (from Zone Labs) for inexperienced computer users or anyone unfamiliar with how to properly configure firewall software. It's a great solution for average to experienced users.

There is a far superior product out there for people of all experience levels and it's free if I remember right - Kerio Personal Firewall. It is very easy for an inexperienced or computer illiterate user to setup and it is very user friendly, offering easy to understand popups in the weeks to follow installation to have you decide what should or should not be able to access the internet (and give you an option of "just this time", "always yes" or "never" each time).

Download it here:

http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio-Download.cfm

Just fill out the info and you can get your own copy.