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June 3, 2005
Dear CNET members,
Thank you for all the wonderful and detailed submissions on firewalls this week. Grandpa Stanley, you're in good hands with our community of members. These folks have really outdone themselves, and I hope these explanations, analogies of firewalls, and recommendations will give you a better understanding of firewalls and why it is so important to use one. So without further delay, here is this week's winning answer by Miguel. While this answer is one of many great responses, please read through them all. In addition to this week's honorable mention and other advice from our members, I've included a section called "Advice from one grandparent to another." So enjoy! For all of you who are just learning about firewalls and securing your computer for safer computing, this week's information covers a lot of ground. So computer newbies, veterans, and everyone in between, join us in this week's discussion, because there's always something to learn from one another. Thank you all for your time and participation! Have a wonderful weekend!
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Member Question of the Week
Hi, I'm really new to computers and the Internet. I keep hearing people say I should use a firewall on my computer to prevent Web nasties, but I'm confused as to what a firewall is and if it's really absolutely necessary. If you say I need one, which one would you recommend? I want one that I can use and easily understand without pulling out what's left of my hair. Understanding my antivirus app was difficult enough, but I'm always willing to learn new things given a chance. Any advice to a grandpa who's just starting to explorer the computer world is sincerely appreciated.
Submitted by:
Stanley M.
Stanley, a firewall acts as a gatekeeper between your computer and all the other machines that make up the Internet. Why do we need such a gatekeeper? It's because the nature of communication across computer networks allows for a loophole that can be exploited by malicious hackers. I'll use a telephone analogy to make the aforementioned points clearer, then make a recommendation...
Submitted by:
Miguel K. of Columbus, Ohio
For
Miguel's efforts, we're sending him his choice
efforts, we're sending him his choice of any
Help.com Learning CD.
Community Buzz
 Each week we take a look at topics discussed in the forums.
Best regards and enjoy!
program is working?
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Check out next week's question:
My old computer died, so I bought a new one. I took my old hard drive out of my old computer to use it as a second hard drive in my new computer and to access the data stored on my old drive. After installing the old hard drive on my new Windows XP Home edition computer, I find that the only task the Disk Management feature will let me do is format my drive. Can anyone help or tell me how I can access the information on my old hard drive? My old drive had Windows XP Home edition on it also. Could this be the culprit?
--Submitted by:
Wayne S.
If you have the answer,
e-mail us at messageboards@cnet.com.
If we choose your response, you'll get a
free Help.com CD.
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