What is a firewall? / Setting up a firewall.

Setting up a firewall:

Explaining what a firewall is, it is important to have a firewall before downloading any of the other software.

What is a firewall:

In simple terms a firewall is a hardware or software device that acts like a fence around your system or network, it would be great just to put up a big fence and never let anyone in (some systems do this) but in real terms you would lose all communication with the outside world a bit like a siege.

So what is needed is a walled garden with access to and from strictly controlled and limited to applications and data that you trust and that is exactly the job of a firewall, of course they range from free software only firewalls to full on corporate wide hardware system.

Look at the link below to see a list to some commonly used firewalls. (Emphasis on Zone Alarm)

http://download.cnet.com/windows/firewall-software/?tag=ltcol;nav 

Firewall Software for Windows

The Firewall Software category consists of programs designed to monitor and control the flow of traffic between computers and networks. Firewalls are generally used to prevent unauthorized access to computers or networks. The programs in this category can allow, restrict, encrypt, or proxy computer traffic based on settings and definitions such as trust levels. Notable titles include ZoneAlarm and Comodo.