[Corrine]

Originally Posted by tweakwindows

^A firewall acts as a barrier between the public internet and your private computer or network and blocks threats including some viruses.

@alsiladka, in addition to tweakwindows response, should your computer become infected, a software firewall also acts as a barrier to block the infector from calling home.

I use the Windows Vista Firewall behind a Linksys WRT160N router. Linksys.com ? Products/Wireless/Basic Networking/Broadband Routers/Wireless-N (draft 802.11n)/WRT160N. (By the way, WVC member, Vista4Beginners, has a nice tutorial on the Windows Vista firewall: Windows Firewall | Windows Vista for Beginners

Since I find I am still running up against logs where the users don't have a software firewall, I keep the list of firewall programs free for personal use handy (Due to the Ask toolbar leofelix alluded to I don't choose to list either Comodo or ZA.)

Agnitum Outpost Firewall
Kerio Personal Firewall
Online Armor Free

Scott Finnie did a review of firewalls last year and selected Online Armor as the best product. (See Scot?s Newsletter Blog Blog Archive The Best Firewall Software of 2008: Online Armor)