recommended firewall

[buncatsmom]

What firewall would you recommend be used with the paid version of MalwareBytes? Is one necessary?Thank you.

[buncatsmom]

I meant a recommended firewall, in addition to Windows standared for XP. -JM

[whatmeworry?]

I meant a recommended firewall, in addition to Windows standared for XP. -JM

I'll leave it to others to recommend a firewall. I just want to say that you should use only one firewall, not one "in addition" to the one that comes with Windows XP. If you decide upon a different firewall, you should be sure to turn off the built-in one. (BTW, most people agree that that one is pretty lame. It's probably better than nothing at all, but it doesn't really offer the protection that a good firewall does. If I recall correctly, it doesn't monitor any outgoing traffic.)

[joe53]

MBAM is not a substitute for a firewall, so yes, you need one.

If your PC is behind a hardware firewall, such as is typically included in a NAT enabled router, I would suggest that Windows' integrated firewall is all most users need.

If you are concerned about outbound protection (which Windows FW does not have) you can check out the leaktest ratings at matousec.com to see which test the best: http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive...roducts-ratings

I use the Comodo product but would not recommend it for the average user, for many reasons.

A more user-friendly choice would be the Online Armor Personal Firewall, which is available in both paid and free versions.

(the paid version scores better).

[Guest remixed]

Sound advice from joe53, i'm not sure about Online Armor being user friendly though, unless you enjoy clicking every time your Pc twitches. My recommendation is PC Tools Firewall Plus. It strikes the right balance between interaction and intrusiveness (and it's FREE).

http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=10497

[exile360]

I saw no mention of it so I would also like to drop this in: Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is not an anti-virus and is not designed to replace one, it's designed to work alongside one, in realtime. In addition to a firewall (if you desire one) you need to use an anti-virus program. There are a few good free ones like Avira and Avast! and if you would like a paid one with more features (and arguably better protection) you could go with Kaspersky or NOD32.