Hi Jessi, My thoughts and observations on firewalls. A hardware firewall (your router) is considered to be more effective than a software firewall as far as 'incoming' traffic is concerned. Additionally, using a software firewall will also provide you with control of 'outgoing' traffic (anything on your computer that attempts to access the Internet... programs, spyware, etc.). I have also heard much about (and witnessed) problems caused by Norton. It's not advisable to run more than one software firewall because of possible conflicts between them. Therefore, I suggest you disable Windows XP firewall (if enabled), use ZoneAlarm free edition, and continue using the router. That should provide all the protection you need. Sven Swanson, Sr. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jessi Arcand-Taylor" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2003 4:51 PM Subject: [PCSOFT] One Last Question Concerning Personal Firewalls First Of all, I'd like to thank all those who were so generous and kind with their help on my question "Do I Need A Personal Firewall?" I have ONE LAST question and that should be the end of it and I won't bother you on this subject again (I hope!). I have a firewall that came with Norton SW 2003. However, I have NOT YET activated it.. My question is how complicated is it to use and how effective is it? Several people who have used the FW that came with N SW 2002 said they had all kinds of problems navigating the Internet and ended up un-installing it and using the free version of ZA. They say ZA it is simple to use and they are having no problems with it. Also, can ZA or Norton FW be used in conjunction with Windows FW? If not, several of you gave me thorough instructions on disabling the XP FW, so if I need to disable it I shouldn't have any problems. I was also told I don't need the XP FW with my Linskys router. Thanks again for all the help you've given me. Jessi Arcand-Taylor From the Desk of Jessi Arcand-Taylor Curious about the people moderating your messages? Visit our staff web site: http://freepctech.com/staff.shtml