By default, Windows Firewall is enabled for all network connections on
your PC; you can turn it off or on in the main Windows Firewall page in
Control Panel. To turn it on or off for a specific network connection, open
the Windows Firewall Settings window, choose the Advanced tab, and
remove the checkmarks next to the connections you don??™t want to protect.
Poke holes in the firewall
On a day-to-day basis, the Windows Firewall creates new rules on the fly as
it needs them. When it detects that a program it hasn??™t seen before wants to
open a port, it??™ll ask your permission. Whether you choose to grant or deny
the request, Windows Firewall makes a new rule, and that rule remains in
effect indefinitely, or until you change it.
But there are times when the firewall blocks connections without asking,
mostly because of its default settings. If you suspect that Windows Firewall is
preventing an application from working, open the Windows Firewall window
in Control Panel, click the Turn Windows Firewall on or off link on the left,
select Off (Figure 7-30), and click OK. If the program starts working, then
Windows Firewall is the culprit; otherwise, the problem lies elsewhere.
If it turns out that Windows Firewall is to blame, all you need to do is create
a new rule to permit your application to do what it needs to do.
420 | Chapter 7: Networking and Internet
Don??™t head to the Windows Firewall window in Control
Panel; that tool is extremely limited, in that it only lets you
create simple exceptions (rules) that either give a single application
free reign, or open a port that any application can use
(never both at the same time).
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