Windows 7: Windows 7 Firewall

The firewall doesn't notify me when it blocks any programs. The Notification state is set to notify.

So, how do I know the firewall is working?




Gloria

Because it's worked perfectly for everyone with no complaints since before Windows 7 release, and believe me we would have heard about it if it hasn't. I would say it is perfected in Windows 7.

Use a free lightweight AV solution like Microsoft Security Essentials backed up by on-demand scanning using Malwarebytes unless you get infected then I would buy it's Real Time protection.

Since I made this post I did some fooling around with the settings. The very next day I heard from Windows Firewall that a program had been blocked.

Something I did caused it to start working because it hasn't worked for over a year.

Thank you for replying.

Note that Windows built-in firewall is pretty limited in that sense. It only shows notifications for incoming connections attempts, not outbound ones (when a program n your PC tries to "phone home").
If you want really informative and reliable notifications, you need another firewall.

Then why wouldn't we have heard that more than once since before Windows 7 was released?

If you're here in the trenches every day dealing with every imaginable problem and you have no Firewall complaints to speak of in three years, why would we advise anyone to use anything except the Windows 7 firewall?