[reidinho]

Hey guys

I am currently trying to fix my home network. We have wired and wireless systems all linked up through a router and we used to be able to hsare files and printers fine. Then we got McAfee Security Center. After a bit of tinkering we found that if we disable the firewall completely we can then access the shared folders, but then we are unprotected. Most of the PCs use XP, one uses xp professional and the other uses vista. I know the simple solution is to chuck McAfee because it is gash but we get it for free and my dad likes it...

Any tips guys?

[perfume]

Dear reidinho,
A hardware firewall properly configured can save the day and keep your dad smiling. Thus you can disable the McAfee firewall and turn on the default windows firewall. The talk in the forum is that the Vista firewall is better than the one in XP. As far as transferring files from one platform(XP) to a new one (Vista) i am clueless! Better ideas and suggestions will come in. just hang on! The buck stops here at TSG!

[perfume]

Flash! Have you thoroughly gone thru' and understood the nuances of configuring the McAfee Firewall? There should be a way that will allow you to enable"folder sharing" in a network there! Of all the components of a security suite, it's the Firewall that really needs understanding and your input is extremely vital to make it work the way you want it to!

[reidinho]

I currently have the ftp, common os ports, upnp and windows file sharing (netbios) allowed but there are no other options to unblock that i feel would be relevant to the issue. it gives you the option to add more exceptions but I woldnt know where to start with this

[lunarlander]

Keep your Mcafee Security Center if your Dad likes it. I suppose it has antivirus, antispyware and other features that remain useful. Since windows file sharing is allowed on the product and things still don't work, then turn off the firewall feature and buy a good hardware firewall for Perimeter defence. ( like Perfume says ) The concept of a Perimeter Defence is that it separates and protects you from the outside internet. A perimeter firewall will protect your shared folders and keep private network things private. It should be supplimented with firewalls on each PC, since only a firewall running on the machine knows what the programs are doing, so you should re-enable your Windows firewall.

The bare mininum is a feature called Stateful Packet Inspection or SPI. This will only allow return traffic from the internet and it watches and knows which sites you went out to. The second feature would be a rule editor, where you specify things like forwarding FTP traffic to your FTP server machine. This is also the place where you can narrow down what is allowed outbound, for example web and ftp download requests. This way should you ever get infected and the thing trys to IRC home and join a botnet, you will be protected. Then comes other features like blocking various malformed tcp/ip packet attacks, warning you of port scans, and banning various protocols. There's usually also traffic priority settings, that allow you to prioritize and alot, for example, a preset bandwidth for your VOIP phone connection, your ftp/web server etc. So these services won't be starved or overwhelm the rest of the network. Most will also have a True DMZ network, which allows you to separate high risk public server machines (or your brother's virus loaded machine, ha) so that, should they be attacked, it wouldn't infiltrate your private network. Some also have optional subscription based email antivirus protection.


These brands all have products aimed at small networks ( which is what you have ), SonicWall, Checkpoint's Safe@Office, Watchguard. Expect to pay around $400 USD. There are less configurable and fewer featured brands like TrendNet, Dlink and Netgear ( but should all have SPI ). Expect to pay around $200.

[reidinho]

the solution was so basic I feel ashamed... Whilst installing the McAfee the windows firewall appeared to be turned back on. It was definately off before. I simply turned it off and let McAfee do its thing... finally!

[perfume]

Dear reidinho,
No need to feel ashamed at all! Many folks don't know that the default Windows firewall should be turned off while installing a third party firewall! After installation and configuration of your McAfee firewall, the Windows firewall should be in the "OFF" mode!

Best wishes.