pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

How to Turn on Firewall in Windows 7

Keeping your computer secure is important if connected to the Internet. One of the best forms of protection you can implement is a firewall. If you already have a firewall device between you and your modem, then you are in good shape. However, if you have a computer directly connected to a network then you will want to use a firewall of some sort. Or, if you are using your computer on public wireless, then you will need to use a software firewall.

Some anti-virus software includes a bundled firewall. And, you can buy software firewalls to install separately on your computer. However, if you have Windows 7, then you have a firewall already included. This article will show you how to turn on the firewall to protect your network.

The first thing you will want to do is to go into the Control Panel in your computer. You can get to this in numerous ways, but the easiest is to click on the Start Button and then click on Control Panel

Click on the System and Security section in the Control Panel

Cli

Click on the Windows Firewall section on the next screen

On the next screen, you will see the firewall status for each network found on your computer. You can see entries for Public, Home and Work networks. Whenever your computer connects to a new network, it will ask you to categorize the type of network. This allows you to group the networks for different security levels. As you see in the example below, the firewall is turned off in each network. To turn on the firewall, click on the link on the left that says “Turn Windows Firewall on or off”

 

You can click the radio buttons for each network to turn the Widows Firewall on. Also, the default is to notify you each time Windows Firewall blocks a new program. This is important because if you do not want the program to be blocked by the firewall, you will be given an opportunity to allow it through the firewall. If this box is not checked then the firewall will make some assumptions about what it blocks. You will then run into cases where programs may not work due to being blocked. If you run into that scenario, you will have to go into advanced settings and specify what programs are to be unblocked

 

Once you have set the firewall to be on for each connection, you just click on the OK button and that is it. It’s pretty simple.

Remember that turning on firewalls can sometimes cause issues with certain programs running. Sometimes ease of use is sacrificed when making a computer more secure. But, with some tweaking in the advanced settings, you can have a secure computer that is easy to use. But, that is a lesson for another post.

 

Filed Under: Articles

Latest Articles

The Anatomy of a CRT Monitor (and CRT TVs)

Most CRT monitors have case depths about as deep as the screen is wide, begging the question what is it that's inside a monitor that requires as much space as a PC's system case itself? A CRT is essentially an oddly-shaped, sealed glass bottle with no air inside. It begins with a slim neck and … [Read More...]

Pentium Prescott

In February 2004 Intel formally announced four new processors, built on the company's industry-leading, high-volume 90 nanometre manufacturing technology. Formerly codenamed Prescott, the new processors were clocked at between 2.8 and … [Read More...]

Speed Optimization Basics with Windows System Configuration

Slow computers are a bigger concern than we previously thought. One new study found that the average American wastes two hours every week, simply because their computer is running too slow. That means that 1.2% of our lives are being wasted because we aren’t optimizing our PCs to run faster. One … [Read More...]

Gaming Laptop Security Guide: Protecting Your High-End Hardware Investment in 2025

Since Jacob took over PC Tech Guide, we’ve looked at how tech intersects with personal well-being and digital safety. Gaming laptops are now … [Read More...]

20 Cool Creative Commons Photographs About the Future of AI

AI technology is starting to have a huge impact on our lives. The market value for AI is estimated to have been worth $279.22 billion in 2024 and it … [Read More...]

13 Impressive Stats on the Future of AI

AI technology is starting to become much more important in our everyday lives. Many businesses are using it as well. While he has created a lot of … [Read More...]

Graphic Designers on Reddit Share their Views of AI

There are clearly a lot of positive things about AI. However, it is not a good thing for everyone. One of the things that many people are worried … [Read More...]

Redditors Talk About the Impact of AI on Freelance Writers

AI technology has had a huge impact on our lives. A 2023 survey by Pew Research found that 56% of people use AI at least once a day or once a week. … [Read More...]

11 Most Popular Books on Perl Programming

Perl is not the most popular programming language. It has only one million users, compared to 12 million that use Python. However, it has a lot of … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

What Equipment Do You Need for Twitch and YouTube Streaming?

Streaming YouTube and Twitch video games is becoming more popular and the number of players continues to multiply. While Twitch is obviously still the … [Read More...]

Great Videos on Dangerous Computer Viruses

Computer viruses are obnoxious programs that can wreak havoc on even the most sophisticated machines. The good news is that people will be better … [Read More...]

Windows Secure Workstation

Windows Secure Workstation Welcome again to another weekly installment of our infection removal guide. If you've made your way to this page, you've … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors