# Deleting Firewall rules

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-firewall-rules/488352
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 5, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-firewall-rules/488352 "2009-03-05T02:25:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Shai\_tan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Shai\_tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shai_tan)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-firewall-rules/488352/1 "2009-03-05T02:25:27Z")

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I recently started having trouble connecting to the internet. I found that turning off the firewall resolves the problem. This is obviously not a good solution.

I’m using Norton Personal firewall on Windows XP. The only change I’ve made recently was to remove Norton Antivirus and replace it with AVG. I don’t see how this would cause the firewall to block all internet access though. Also my daughter (3 1/2) has started playing with the mouse.

I’m guessing a “rule” was created, but I can’t decipher which of the “block” rules is the offending one. Is it okay to just delete all the rules? Norton periodically asks about programs attempting to access the internet. Won’t I just be able to recreate all the other presumably “good” rules as I am asked?