This guide will show you how to enable or disable the Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall. A firewall allows or blocks incoming and outgoing communication between your computer and external computers, Web sites and other devices. For a video version of this guide, please see the Enabling Windows XP Firewall video on our Help Desk Video Guides page.
Click Start on your Windows taskbar, select Run. Type ncpa.cpl in the Open field then click OK to begin.
In the Network Connections window, "right-click" on the connection of your choice and select Properties.
Click the Advanced tab. Here, you may encounter a checkbox for turning the firewall on or off. Check the box to turn on the Windows firewall. Otherwise, you will see a Settings button which you may click to change your firewall settings.
To turn on the firewall, select the radio button labeled On (recommended). Click OK to apply the change.