Configuring Windows 7

[pparks1]

Then why does it have firewall/security stuff? I could get that from a third party.

Because for years, they didn't include these tools and their security was awful and the community was screaming foul. And compared to alternatives, I know that Linux distros also come with firewalls and some even have SELinux enabled by default. Including the basics for those who won't go out and get something else isn't a bad move in my part. I haven't worked on a low-end computer in the last 10 years that struggled in any way to run the basic Windows installation.

Shouldn't the MS security features be disabled because it's pointless to have 2 security softwares running at the same time.

Well, I don't bother with 3rd party firewalls as the one built into Windows works perfectly well for my needs.

But I plan to use a firewall that will block anything from coming in as well as anything from going out.

Yes, some people have additional needs. Many of us don't care about that out-going traffic. I for one, am not bothered in the least by it.

 

[crimson]

Windows Firewall doesn't block outgoing attempts. I tried using Comodo Firewall, and it decided to just shut my internet down. So I got a yellow triangle with an exclamation on my internet notification on the bottom right.

Exiting Comodo didn't work. I had to actually go into the Local Area Connection properties, and uninstall the Comodo driver.

 

[python134r]

My 2 cents, getting back to configuring Windows 7, yeah, ya could shut down some services you do not use but as aptly stated by others Win 7 works very well in its default state.

Many users run into problems later down the road with services that are dependent other services and most do not remember why or which services they either disabled.

I for one left it alone with win 7 because I find there is no need, unlike older versions that benefited by less resources used thus less overhead, less space on HDD and a noticeable gain in speed.