Going 3rd Partyless on Windows 7 64 bit

For many months now I have been working on 3rd party FW's that are compatible with Windows 7 64 bit setups. Now I'm trying to minimize "suite" issues and get as close as I can to a pure FW much like my 1 st Love, Kerio.

I'm not going to venture into a list of issues with the licenced products I've worked with as those who follow this forum know anyway.

I'm going to abandon these products on W7 since Windows 7 has the ability to filter outbound. On XP for me anyway it is different since XP doesn't have 2way controls.

Resources.

I'm going to use are Stem's tutorial on how to proceed

and the rules created for me by the 3rd party FW I have right now. I'm using PC Tools FW + 6.0.0.88 ONLY to create a first cut template that is reasonably user friendly on MY applications rules.

Some of my old Kerio rules as a checklist plus a few from my OA and OP work.

Also ( sorry I forgot) I will use the treads on Windows FW control to augment the work.

The 'big' gap for me is that W7 FW has no ip block list function per sa. That I am filling with PeerBlock which is the "son of PeerGuarian". I can use the same ip lists as OP and OA plus a home grown block list of my own. This I have working now.

This way my block lists are NOT dependant on the use of a particular 3rd party FW.

I can change AV's if that becomes required. In a suite I'm dependant on 1 vendor for AV maybe ASW and block lists.

I am not suggesting that anybody else do this unless you want to have the knowledge and time to work on rules.

For myself I have the desire to do it, some knowledge and the time.

More later. I'd be interested if any of the other members here want to work on the same basis.

 

I ditched all third-party firewalls when Win 7 came out. It works great.

I do not use AV, but do have a NAT/SPI router/firewall and run as a LUA.

 

Thanks, interesting. Like you I'm on W7 LUA, and use a router with a "technical" FW as well.

What I want though is control over which applications have access to the www.