Enable Windows 8 To Respond Ping Request | Configuring Windows 8 Firewall

Enable Windows 8 To Respond Ping Request | Configuring Windows 8 Firewall

By   15:27   No comments:

By default Windows 8 comes with enabled Windows firewall which will not respond to ping requests from other networked devices. Even though you can access network shares from your Win 8 computer, but still the host computer will not respond to ping request Windows 8 will only Return ‘Request Timed Out’ message as you can see in the below screen shot.

Here is the simple solution to enable ping reply or response in Windows 8 by modifying ICMP Echo rule without completely disabling the Windows firewall.

If you turn off firewall in Windows 8, yes it will respond to ping requests, but that is not the professional way.

Warning! Disabling the firewall completely for ping request will put the computer in high network threat.

Screenshot explaining what will happen if you ping a Windows 8 Machine that is connected to a network. Even when it is connected, ping result will fail as either Request Times Out Or Destination host unreachable.

How to Enable Only ICMP Echo Request which responds to ping command from other networked devices, follow the below steps.

1) Go to Control panel.

2) Click on More Settings option which is listed at last (This will bring the old style Control panel in Windows 8).

3) Click on Windows Firewall icon. Here you can completely turn off the firewall, so ping reply will work but its not recommended and we are not going to do it.

Select Advanced settings to open more and advanced Windows firewall settings.

4) There is a pre made ICMP Echo rule available in Inbound Rules, we just need to enable that rule.

You must consider two facts while enabling the rule,

a) Network protocol type ( Is it IPv4 or IPv6)

b) Network location type ( Is it Private or Public or Domain network)

Find out the correct rule matching for your scenario and enable it by right clicking and select Enable Rule.

That’s it, we have just enabled the ping response or reply in Windows 8 without disabling the Windows firewall.  Later disabling (Right Click and select Disable Rule) the same rule will prevent the Windows 8 computer to respond ping commands.

Warning! As we have already seen, You can make Windows 8 to respond to ping requests by disabling Firewall completely. However, that is not the professional way. As, disabling the firewall completely for ping request will put the computer in high network threat. Follow the above step-by-step instruction to Enable Windows 8 Respond To Ping Request by configuring Windows 8 Firewall.

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Block SPAM Messages In BlackBerry Using BlackBerry Firewall

Block SPAM Messages In BlackBerry Using BlackBerry Firewall

By   12:27   No comments:

Don’t underestimate the device because of its size: Your BlackBerry is also a powerful computer.  Read more about the features of BlackBerry.

There has been a lot of talk in the last few years about smartphones like the BlackBerry (which you are probably carrying), and how they can change the way you work,  communicate…  Read More To Know How BlackBerry Can Change Your Lifestyle

With your existing BlackBerry operating system (OS), you can block certain e-mails, SMS numbers, or BlackBerry PINs from getting to your inbox. It’s like having your own spam blocker on your BlackBerry!

To set up your personal spam blocker in your blackberry , follow these steps:

• 1. From the BlackBerry Home screen, select the Options icon.
• 2. Select Security Options.
• 3. Select the Firewall option. The Firewall screen opens.
• 4. Highlight the Status field and select Enable.

The spam blocker is enabled.

• 5. Under Block Incoming Messages, select the option(s) you would like to block:

• SMS: Select this check box if you want to block SMS (text) messages.

• PIN: Select this check box if you want to block BlackBerry PIN messages.

• BlackBerry Internet Service: Select this check box if you want to block e-mail messages (for example, the e-mail account that you set up from Google or Yahoo! mail).

• Enterprise Email: Select this check box if you are within a large corporate e-mail network and want to block the enterprise e-mail.

• 6. In the Except Messages From area, select the desired options.

• Contacts: Select this check box if you want to block everything except the e-mails and phone numbers in your Contacts.

• Specific Addresses: Select this check box if you want to block everything specified by you. (You can set up the list below.)

• 7. If you chose Specific Address, press the Menu key and select Configure Exception.

The Firewall exception screen opens.

• 8. Press the Menu key and select the desired options.

• Add Email: You can specify the e-mails you want to block by selecting this check box.

• Add PIN: You can specify the BlackBerry PIN you want to block by selecting this check box.

• Add Phone Number: You can specify the SMS number you want to block by selecting this check box.

Also Read:

Advantages And Disadvantages Of BlackBerry Curve 8530

iPhone 4 Advantages And Disadvantages

List Of Useful Mobile Applications For Online Transactions

How To Review An BlackBerry Application Before Buying It

Top 10 Applications For A General Purpose Smart Phone

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What Are The Improvements Of Windows 7 Over Vista

What Are The Improvements Of Windows 7 Over Vista

By   19:49   No comments:

The prospect of migrating an entire company to a new operating system is almost always a daunting venture. You'll need to make sure you get a return on the significant investment that you'll make in the product itself. The staff, time and resources needed to install it and work out the inevitable kinks.

Windows 7 has changed the name, look, feel, features, speed, and even the logo’s to part ways with Vista because of the bad vibes that still resonate. Windows Vista met with almost immediate critical disapproval when it was released in January 2007.

To be fair, Vista had many improvements over the XP operating system, including better security, file sharing, and search capabilities. But those were largely overshadowed by its shortcomings: constant security pop ups, excessive use of RAM, an overly aggressive User Account Control (UAC) feature, hardware incompatibility, and more.

Now comes Windows 7 and if the early reviews are any gauge including my review, Microsoft appears to have ironed out many of the issues that haunted Vista. In fact, some reviewers including myself feel it is the best Microsoft Operating System ever produced.
Improved security 
Security is always a big issue with Windows. Witness the flurry of activity and tension that surrounds the typical Patch Tuesday. Windows 7 addresses the issue with a number of security upgrades. Microsoft has added the BitLocker full-volume encryption feature that came out with Vista. The Windows 7 version still uses a 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption algorithm, but is now more flexible and simplifies drive encryption by automatically creating hidden boot partitions.

The result, users no longer need to repartition their drives after installation. And where Vista users required a unique recovery key for each protected volume, Windows 7 users only need a single encryption key. A new feature called “BitLocker To Go” lets users encrypt removable storage devices with a password or a digital certificate. 

New improvements for IT administrators

A plethora of new options that make life easier for IT professionals as shown below:

• AppLocker: This new feature is a control policy that allows administrators to precisely spell out what applications users can run on their desktops. It  can also be used to block unauthorized or unlicensed software and pplications.
• Multiple Active Firewall Policies: This feature provides a big improvement over Vista, which automatically set firewall policies depending on the type of network connection you chose such as home, public, or work. Remote Vista users couldn’t connect to multiple networks while on the road, or if someone working from home used a VPN, he or she couldn't apply settings to connect to the corporate network. Windows 7's Multiple Active Firewall Policies allows IT professionals to create multiple sets of rules for remote and desktop employees. 
  
  
• DirectAccess: A feature provides a secure way to manage and update individual PCs remotely. It uses IPv6 and IPSec protocols to create a secure, two-way connection from a remote user's PC to the corporate network. Users benefit by not having to manually set up VPN connections and IT professionals enjoy the ease of distributing patches and updates whenever remote workers are connected to the network. 
  
  
• Improved Windows Search: Is a new feature which allows for faster more thorough searches, and also provides IT administrators with better per-user policy oversight and the ability to manage resource utilization by controlling how desktop search accesses network resources. Additional improvements were the seek-and-find capabilities with Federated Search, which combines desktop, SharePoint, and Internet search methods and allows users to scan external hard drives, networked PCs, and even remote data sources. Another new feature enables the user to search for identical copies of files on drives.
  
  
• Upgraded Windows Recovery Environment: A feature Microsoft introduced in Vista and was a replacement of the Recovery Console in Windows XP. The new upgrade allows users to perform a range of system and data recovery functions, including checking for defective memory, repairing boot-level startup issues, returning the system to earlier configurations.

AeroSnap Desktop Feature

This is a new feature of Windows desktop. If you pull a window to either edge of the desktop, it automatically makes each screen half the screen and compares the two windows side by side. 

AeroPeek Desktop Feature

This is another new feature of Windows desktop. In XP and Vista you had a button to minimize all the windows and see the desktop. The problem was that all the windows you had minimized you then had to maximize one by one. The new button to the right of the clock makes all the windows invisible when  pushed. You can even click on desktop items and open them. Press the button again and all your open windows come back the way they were before you pressed the button. 

Improved Backup Utility

This improved backup utility now gives users control over which folders they want to back up which was a restriction in Vista, which allowed backups on a per-volume basis only.

Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC

These two new features address issues of incompatibility for applications designed to run older XP applications. This shows Microsoft is intent on retiring XP as a supported product in the near future.

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Firewall Configuration And Options In Windows 7

Firewall Configuration And Options In Windows 7

By   14:28   No comments:

Firewall Configuration: Well this is where windows 7 will really come in handy. No longer does the Windows firewall pop up with a screen and give you three tabs to configure port names and type to block or unblock. It is a true firewall in the sense that it is feature rich and you have to configure rules just like a hardware router or firewall.

When you first click on the firewall it will tell you the different Home, Work, and Public networks you are connected to. Each one can be configured individually. This gives you a lot of flexibility when you connect to multiple networks.

There are four options available.

1. The first option is called, “Allow a program or feature through the Windows Firewall.” If you need to allow a well known game or application this is the easiest place to go to allow it. Click and it will bring up a box with a check list. All you have to do is check the services or applications you want to allow and click Ok.
2. The second option is, “Change notification settings”. Basically this gives you options to make the little flag on the Start Bar.
3. The third option is “Turn Windows Firewall on or off”. This one is a no brainer. If you choose off, which goes against my recommendations, all the connections loose the firewall protection.
4. The fourth option is called, “Advanced Settings” which is for advanced users! 

Done!

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