new firewall blocking images

shellie · Post by **shellie** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 8:31 pm

I just downloaded a new firewall (Zone Alarm) and it's blocking everyone's lovely cel images and photos!!

When I click people's links to their RS images, I see everything, thumbnails, even the little sketches on the side fine, but no cel image. Sig boxes here are fine, but I can't see pics / images if it's in the text area. Can someone tell me what setting I need to adjust so I can see all your lovely cels again??

Post by **magician** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:05 pm

Which package and version did you install? It's probably a privacy setting somewhere. Let me know what exactly you installed and I can tell you what to change to get your images back.

-M

shellie · Post by **shellie** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:35 pm

Thanks, Magician! You're a peach!

I took care of the problem myself... by uninstalling the whole program!

Not a good fix, but I was getting too frustrated to fiddle with it anymore. I do have my good ol' Windows Firewall running, but I wanted something more. I'll just have to try another one. AVG has a new anti-virus/firewall combo that I downloaded and it worked beautifully, but I just lost that one since it was only a temp license and I figured I could just download some other freebie with the same great results...

wrong, shell!

If I try something else and get the same result, I may take you up on your kind offer! Thank you!!

hanaeleh · Post by **hanaeleh** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:02 am

Actually, ZoneAlarm is pretty good, but like Magician said, you have to configure it.

I had a similar problem as you with Norton when I first installed it, and was so annoyed that I couldn't see pics for about two weeks before I finally clicked something on one of the settings and viola! all was well.

Anyway, good luck! I get so many alerts it's scary... would hate to think about what would happen without the firewall up!

yoshito · Post by **yoshito** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:23 am

I used to use ZoneAlarm till a friend of mine showed me how he can get through it with a program from the net (no I'm not going to share the program, mostly because I wasn't really paying attention while he was doing it [didn't believe him]).

He installed BlackICE, but that seemed too strong. So now I use a hardware firewall (always the best) instead.

Sorry I couldn't help, but I've forgotten how to configure ZA since it has been about 2 years since I uninstalled it.

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:29 am

yoshito wrote: So now I use a hardware firewall (always the best) instead.

Ok - how on earth did I miss a computer-related thread? So sorry shell!! Glad you got things sorted out for now, though!

Hardware firewalls definitely are the best... gotta love my trusty router

I never used ZA, but I did use Norton's personal firewall for awhile - and now I hate it. lol.

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:49 am

zerospace wrote:Hardware firewalls definitely are the best... gotta love my trusty router

My Router has a True Firewall and I'm sure that does a pretty good job as I've not encountered any problems, but as a backup I'm also using the firewall in Norton's Internet security pack. It still enables me to share my wireless connection fine- I had problems before with Window's own Firewall and wouldn't go back to using that as it's comparatively weak, heh.

Shellie, I would suggest you use something stronger than Windows' own Firewall. If someone hacked into your system or a bug got through you wouldn't be happy. If you try ZA again, as the others said, it's probably a case of messing around with the settings. A friend of mine uses this software and say's it's good.

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:15 am

I gotta agree with Krafty here, you need something stronger than the Windows Firewall...

shellie · Post by **shellie** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:22 am

Thanks so much, everyone! I have a hardware firewall on my cable modem for the desktop, but this is just for my laptop. I'm somehow much more afraid of someone hacking me on my nifty new wireless toy than I have ever been with my attached-to-the-wall desktop. Somehow, the thought of all that data floating through the ether to reach me sitting here in a comfy chair seems much more susceptible to hackage! (All this newfangled technology... seems dangerous to us old folk! Like that blasted FM radio... I'm sticking with my safe AM signal! HA!)

Perhaps I'll reinstall Zone Alarm and ask a few of you for help configuring it. Then maybe someone can help me network my laptop with my desktop?!? I tried it a few times with the only result being getting locked out of the internet on both machines! You'd think with those dumb hold-your-hand-while-you-do-it wizards that even a computer MORON would be able to accomplish it! (I guess I'm whatever one step LOWER than computer moron is!

)

Thanks again for your wonderful suggestions and your willingness to help, guys!!

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 9:36 am

Umm.. shell... this laptop is still using the same cable modem, right? In that case, your nifty laptop is also firewalled, from the Internet. Then you don't really need the firewall as much as you need to enable wireless encryption... you also should check into how to better secure your wireless network (assuming you're using it).

A few things to think about for your wireless stuff (this is all done on the wireless router/access point): You should turn off SSID broadcasting, change the SSID to something unique, enable WEP or WPA encryption... and I'm getting into all of this not even knowing what your wireless setup even is. LOL.

Anyhoo - a firewall on the laptop is still a good idea anyway, but you really need to encrypt and secure the wireless part for sure. A firewall won't guarantee no one's sitting out in the street sniffing your wireless data packets...

shellie · Post by **shellie** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 10:20 am

zerospace wrote: A firewall won't guarantee no one's sitting out in the street sniffing your wireless data packets...

Someone might be sniffing my wireless data packets???

Eeewwww!! heeheehee! I dont' even know what that means, zs! But it made me giggle anyway!

I figured someone might be able to surf off my wireless signal for a few houses around, but I'm not too concerned since I dont think any of hte 80 year olds who surround me even have a computer!

But just becuase they could get a free ride off my wireless router doesn't mean they can actually see my stuff, does it? Doggone it, even I can't see my stuff from one computer to the other!!

I think I do have encryption enabled, at least it sounds familiar when I was doing the setup. I'll have to look at your previous post again and go back to double check those items you mentioned.

Thanks, zs!!

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 11:23 am

Well, if anyone can get a free ride on your wireless connection, they can possibly get into your computers on that connection. One other thing you can do is enable MAC filtering. MAC filtering combined with encryption should pretty much keep the free-loaders out. And it's not the fact that they're freeloaders so much as it is what they can do with your connection and with potential access to your computers... imagine someone used your wireless connection to download illegal stuff or hack other computers--it will appear to your ISP as though you are responsible for it!!

So, about MAC filtering.. you see, each of your computer's network cards (wireless or wired) has a MAC (hardware) address -- usually about 12 characters long - and seems like its random numbers and letters. This number uniquely identifies that network card. What you can do with MAC filtering is tell your wireless router/access point to only allow the MAC addresses of your computers to connect. Between that and encryption, any potential moocher will likely go elsewhere looking for an easier target.

If you need help - just PM me with what kind of router/access point you have and I'll get ya some instructions - or better yet - check the manual

Oh yeah.. and I'm really sorry if I'm confusing ya with all my silly geek-speak. You know I'm computer nerd..

shellie · Post by **shellie** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 12:35 pm

Nooo, you're not geek-speakin' me too much, zs! I love it. And when I have more time this evening, I may pm you to ask for specific info on encryption. Thanks for being willing to help the computer illiterate of this world!

zerospace · Post by **zerospace** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:53 pm

No problem shellie!!

Being the geeky gal I am, I try to help wherever I can... so feel free to PM me anytime with comp issues.

yoshito · Post by **yoshito** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 2:26 pm

Gah, you forgot to tell her to turn OFF her SSID broadcasting. Rule number 1, turn that bugger off. Although, with todays programs and equipment, finding even wireless with it turned off is easy stuff. >.>

Even though you have 80 year olds around you, never know when they'll have their grandkids over.

Edit: Was wondering how zero missed this topic. ^_^; Although I did too.