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Norton Personal Firewall 2005

Norton Firewall is so much a part of the security system that you can hardly notice it running. This maybe the most improved program of 2004. If you were frustrated with last year's model, this one may change your mind.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 

Norton Personal Firewall 2005

My biggest gripe with Norton Personal Firewall 2004 was that it never knew when to shut up and stop interrupting my surfing. Unlike the more reclusive Zone Alarm, it only required a few mouse clicks to get up and running, the previous version of Symantec’s offering was a loud confusing mess of a firewall that I just gave up on in total frustration.

Apparently, I was not the only one who felt this way.  Someone clearly told Symantec something was horribly wrong. Norton Personal Firewall 2005 is so vastly improved that it should be awarded special honors for the most improved utility of  2004.  Plagued by the complexities of just setting it up, Symantec has gone to extra lengths to insure that does not happen with the 2005 model, and that neophytes to security are not overwhelmed. In this rendition, Symantec finally got it right.

Almost invisible, setting up the firewall is a study in simplicity itself. Part of that stems from the fact that the program knows the behaviors of a large number of popular programs. Updated regularly, the firewall knows what programs need to access the net and their standard manner of operation. It also configures itself out of the box for easy operation.  For those that like to customize security, the program contains enough variable to allow those with a more sophisticated understanding to make alterations.

The tight integration with Norton Anti Virus clearly is a plus for existing users, and no doubt an incentive to take on the entire Symantec security solution. Even with that in mind, the ease of use and the way the program alerts you to problems makes this one of the easier and more powerful solutions available. The big plus here is automatic network detection. The program can automatically configure access settings for different networks. This is particularly important if you are using a wireless connection to the web.

Eliminating annoying pop up ads, banners and windows discreetly, the program has one of the most powerful ad blockers I have seen. Like almost everything with Norton Personal Firewall 2005, it operates quietly and discreetly. It is easy to forget it is running, and it does not put a drain on system resources.

Without running down a long long list of features, I think it is sufficient to say that it handles existing and emerging threats well.  The big features here are ease of use, automatic network configuration, automatic understanding of how popular programs use the net and tight integration with Norton Anti Virus 2005.

For those that think that Windows new firewall is sufficient, you may want to really consider that because the protection built into windows does not come anywhere near to the total protection that Norton offers. With few rivals, the race for the best firewall is increasingly becoming a two program. Being that both are stellar options, you cannot go wrong if you select Norton, but I do suggest that you may consider Norton Anti Virus with it should you go this path.

System Requirements

Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP

35 MB to 128 MB of Ram

35 MB of Hard Drive Space

CD-Rom Drive