# MSN Messenter and Norton Personal Firewall

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn-messenter-and-norton-personal-firewall/172133>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 30, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn-messenter-and-norton-personal-firewall/172133 "2003-04-30T12:55:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ascrivey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@ascrivey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ascrivey)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn-messenter-and-norton-personal-firewall/172133/1 "2003-04-30T12:55:57Z")

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Hey, I need some help please. Is there any way I can run MSN Messenger and my firewall at the same time? We installed the firewall because some wierd sex stuff kept popping up and it’s taken care of it, but I can’t get Messenger to run without disabling the firewall. I’ve been through the help list in the firewall but it should not be named help apparently. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn-messenter-and-norton-personal-firewall/172133/2 "2003-04-30T13:15:39Z")

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Open the Norton Internet Security icon on your desktop.  
Click Personal Firewall—\> Internet Access Control—\> Add—\> Messenger—\> Permit All—\> General.

I hope that helps

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn-messenter-and-norton-personal-firewall/172133/3 "2003-04-30T13:42:36Z")

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If you were getting the wierd sex stuff through MSN Messenger and you let it thorugh the firewall wouldn’t you be back to square one?

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**Author:** ![ascrivey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@ascrivey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ascrivey)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn-messenter-and-norton-personal-firewall/172133/4 "2003-04-30T13:48:09Z")

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Thanks light strand. Worked like a charm. Wish the help files were so to the point.

Sailor, no I was getting wierd sex popups. They had nothing to do with messenger. Ad-aware didn’t seem to help so we installed a firewall. But I have to have messenger to talk to work while I’m on maternity leave.

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**Author:** ![mallocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@mallocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mallocks)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msn-messenter-and-norton-personal-firewall/172133/5 "2003-04-30T15:13:11Z")

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**ascrivey**. You could have disposed of the messages by disabling the Messanger service in windows (services.msc in run), it doesn’t affect MSN, although this probably isn’t much consolation now you’ve spent money on a firewall.