Miscrosoft Firewall
 

I'm running Windows XP, and just got a message that said my computer might be at risk because I'm not using a firewall. It said click the balloon to fix the problem, so I did, but then got another message - the security center could not turn on Windows Firewall. It said that to try turning it on myself, go to Windows Firewall in the control panel and select "on" in the General Tab. Well, I don't see a General Tab, so I don't see "on," so my computer is at risk.

My question is, are firewalls really that important? We never had one, and were fine, and now we're getting this message. And if I really should have one, can someone please explain how to get it? Thanks!

Firewalls = Good (to a certain extent)

Firewall from Microsoft = SHIT

That's all I need to know. Many thanks! :D

I take it that you're just running a single comuputer, but if you want to disable the software firewall, you may want to pick up a router even if it is just the one computer as this adds a hardware solution.