block softwares from connecting to the net

[alexanderclz]

i tried to block them via outbound firewall but seems like some of the programs still manage to autoupdate themselves ... is there any software that prevent that from happening?

thanks

[Awgeewhiz]

You might want to try: http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/free-download.html

It is a freeware personal firewall and is advanced enough where you can set
behavior for individual programs or net policies.

[shalin]

You should try any firewall in the gizmo's firewall list. I use comodo firewall and there has been no problem of undetected connections.

[shalin]

Originally Posted by alexanderclz

i tried to block them via outbound firewall but seems like some of the programs still manage to autoupdate themselves ... is there any software that prevent that from happening?

thanks

Some firewall programs might allow known safe applications to connect to the internet as a default setting. I recommend you should check the same in your firewall settings.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by alexanderclz

i tried to block them via outbound firewall but seems like some of the programs still manage to autoupdate themselves

Which firewall did you use? Firewalls are the best software available to prevent software connecting to the internet.

You can try firewall suggestions here :

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-firewall.htm

Comodo Firewall is excellent, but can be difficult to use.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by shalin

Some firewall programs might allow known safe applications to connect to the internet as a default setting. I recommend you should check the same in your firewall settings.

Yes, that is a good point . For that, firewall settings and rules have to be checked, for individual software.

BTW, welcome to the forum shalin .

[alexanderclz]

erm i'm only using windows default firewall for now ... not that confident yet to try out 3rd party firewalls ... juz afraid of the instability and so ...

[J_L]

Windows Firewall in Vista and above are capable of blocking outbound connections. Setting up rules are harder though, unless you use Sphinx Windows Firewall Control.

[alexanderclz]

Originally Posted by J_L

Windows Firewall in Vista and above are capable of blocking outbound connections. Setting up rules are harder though, unless you use Sphinx Windows Firewall Control.

while we're at it, does sphinx windows firewall control uses windows firewall? or is it another firewall by itself ... i got confused by the explanation at the site ...

[MidnightCowboy]

Originally Posted by alexanderclz

while we're at it, does sphinx windows firewall control uses windows firewall? or is it another firewall by itself ... i got confused by the explanation at the site ...

This is the main problem with attempting to use a third party firewall. The vendors do explain it's operation quite well in both their F.A.Q and various forum responses, but if this doesn't mean very much please stick to using Windows own firewall to guarantee your inbound integrity. Although you won't have outbound control, if you follow safe practices and only install trusted software from verified sources, you shouldn't be concerned about what is connecting out. Without adopting these safeguards there's little point in expecting a firewall or antivirus to do it for you, and those capable of such a function require a significant knowledge of Windows and a steep learning curve.