My computer is a laptop with Windows XP. I’m up to date with the Windows Updates, however I’m having trouble checking to see if the firewall it came with needs to be enabled or not. I’ve tried several times, but I keep hitting the same snag.
If you can advise me where the problem is, I’d appreciate it very much.
Here’s a link so you can follow along with the steps I go through:
When I get to step number 3 where I select the network connection that I want to enable to firewall for, I choose Dial-Up (not LAN or High-Speed Internet) because I currently use a modem and I use AOL. But the words that appear on my screen under Dial Up are:
AOL
Disconnected
Conexant 56 ACLink Modem
So when I right-click to get to Properties, nothing happens. I don’t get the Properties window that will show me an Advanced tab to click. I don’t know why it says “Disconnected” under AOL because even when I’m online I try to do this and it still says “Disconnected”.
Sorry I have no idea what you’re doing wrong as I’ve never known someone to have this kind of problem. It’s not the answer that you want I know but I could suggest getting another firewall.
Zonealarm and Tint Personal are both powerful and free firewalls that are easy to set up and very effective.
Could you take a screenshot of your Network Connections windows while connected please and send it on?
Thanks, **Ponster. I’ll see about getting Zonealarm.
I’ve never taken a screenshot of my Network Connections window before. Do you mean with a digital camera? Or does Windows have a way to do take a screenshot and send it? I don’t have a digital camera. Oh, well. Thanks for getting back to me.
I’ll just agreee that you should install Zone Alarm and disable the XP firewall. I have no idea how effective the XP firewall is (although I’ve read it’s not very good), but ZA is great and will make your computer invisible on the internet.
The only reason your AOL connection is showing as disconnected is because it is at that time. Sorry to sound curt, but if it says disconnected, then it is disconnected.
Try this:
Do you have more than one connection to the internet? If so, the other one is probably showing as connected. All of your connections are shown listed under the Network Connections. That other one is probably also showing as the default connection (with a black check mark next to it). If so, that is the one that you have to run the Firewall Wizard on. This situation is not that weird. I have more than one friend who pays one ISP for the connection speed, but still has a subscription to AOL for all of their “features”. I know. I know. It doesn’t make sense to me either.
You may have a network card installed on your computer, and the configurations may be switched. Although, if that were the case, I would doubt that you would be able to connect to the Internet in the first place.
Get your screen to the Network Connections window, and then hit the Print Screen button in the upper right corner of your keyboard. You have just “copied” your screen in a snapshot. But you have to then open up some application (Paint, Word, etc.) and paste it. Feel free to email that to me and I’ll take a look at it.
Thanks, Chicago Faucet. I’ll try your suggestions this evening when I get home.
I have only AOL as my Internet connection, nothing else currently. That’s why it boggles my mind when it says “Disconnected” in the Networks Connection window even when I’m online.
Thanks, rsa. I’ll keep your suggestion in mind, too. Although currently I cannot enable and/or disable the XP firewall at this time due to the snag I described. But when I get home tonight I’ll have time to work on it.
another thing you might want to try is double click the online icon on your system tray when you’re online and click properties/advanced. that way if it’s available you won’t miss it.
Cool! I just learned how to “copy” that screen in a snapshot! Thanks, Chicago Faucet! Uh, your e-mail isn’t available here, but Ponster’s is, so I’ll e-mail the screenshot to Ponster.
