In windows firewall 8.1 / 7 (advanced access page) there is a list of applications, is that only all the applications that have ever accessed the internet in the past, does it list all of them with out fail? What's the difference between the green and grey tick boxes. Is there any way to highlight the ones I want to block and select block. There is no way I am going to create manual rules for all the ones I want to block by browsing for program location. Or is there any program that I can check what apps are using the internet and block them; ideally it would automatically setup the block in windows firewall so that blocks are permanent if i uninstall the program. Any program with no ad-ware, clean install, paid or free.
Been a while since I have used Windows firewall as such. I think what you are seeing allowed are some services wanting to listen connections from internet and then respond to them no matter if you have used them or not. Or if you really need them all. So that you wont get any annoying popups from them. Just a basic template of allowing all windows services. Or some ready made outgoing rules if you want make your firewall also block outbound connections but need allow some services to work. And them all are ready made to be allowed. Could be that they will still be blocked if you go 2 way firewall protection mode, I am not sure. I never have tried use it that way, but could be that you need manually allow the needed outgoing ones. That is what I think you need to do, allow them manually. Tinywall deletes all those rules and uses just these for the Windows system at the default setting: http://www.saunalahti.fi/~jarmos3/TinyWall_rules.jpg There are some special exceptions one can add with TW for more system rules. I always was puzzled about the abundance of rules by the Windows firewall. Uninstalling TinyWall those rules come back with the default Windows install setting so TW deleting them in the install is not as drastic as it sounds. Windows firewall without some controller is not in my opinion suitable for blocking outbound connections for any normal user. As to the default installation Windows firewall, it should only prompt for server type connections possibly needed for programs not belonging to the Windows itself. Nothing more.
