You can get mad at Microsoft and scream at Windows 10 Firewall, but when you do, realize that at least part of the problem lies in the way the firewall has to work. It has to block packets that are trying to get in, unless you explicitly tell the firewall to allow them to get in. Perhaps most infuriatingly,
Windows Firewall blocks those packets by simply swallowing them, not by notifying the computer that sent the packet. Windows Firewall has to remain stealthy because if it sends back a packet that says, “Hey, I got your packet, but I can’t let it through,” the bad guys get an acknowledgment that your computer exists, they can probably
figure out which firewall you’re using, and they may be able to combine those two pieces of information to give you a headache. It’s far better for Windows Firewall to act like a black hole. Some programs need to listen to incoming traffic from the Internet; they wait until they’re contacted and then respond. Usually, you know whether you have this type of program because the installer tells you that you need to tell your firewall to back off. If you have a program that doesn’t (or
can’t) poke its own hole through Windows Firewall, you can tell WF to allow packets destined for that specific program — and only that program — in through the firewall. You may want to do that with a game that needs to accept incoming traffic, for example, or for an Outlook extender program that interacts with mobile phones.
In many cases, poking through Windows Firewall doesn’t solve the whole problem. You may have to poke through your modem or router as well — unsolicited packets that arrive at the router may get kicked back according to the router’s rules, even if Windows would allow them in. Unfortunately, each router and the method for poking holes in the router’s inbound firewall differ. Check Portforward.com for an enormous amount of information about poking through routers. About This ArticleAbout the book author:Woody Leonhard is a bestselling author and has been a Microsoft beta tester since Word for Windows 1.1. He covers Windows and Office topics on his popular Web site, AskWoody.com. This article can be found in the category:
How do I allow network access to my firewall?Click the Start button, then type Windows Firewall in the Search box. Click Windows Firewall, and then click Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall. Click the Change settings button. If a User Account Control window appears, click Yes, or enter your user name and password, then click OK.
How do I stop firewall from blocking the Internet Windows 10?Turn Microsoft Defender Firewall on or off. Select Start , then open Settings . ... . Select a network profile: Domain network, Private network, or Public network.. Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, switch the setting to On. ... . To turn it off, switch the setting to Off.. How do I know if my firewall is blocking my network?Check for Blocked Port using the Command Prompt. Type cmd in the search bar.. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.. In the command prompt, type the following command and hit enter. netsh firewall show state.. This will display all the blocked and active port configured in the firewall.. How do I stop a firewall from blocking?To manage the whitelist in the Windows Firewall, click Start, type firewall and click Windows Defender Firewall. Click Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall (or, if you're using Windows 10, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall).
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