Firewall Configuration in Windows XP

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 offers firewall. Firewall inspects and restricts the information that is exchanged between a computer and Internet. Windows firewall is a security tool that protects your computer and its confidential data against anyone who has evil intentions and want to access your personal detail without your permission. It gives you full control to block suspicious software and worms and provides a mean to log security events.
It helps to defend your computer by blocking unsolicited traffic. Unsolicited traffic means any attempt to connect with your machine over a network connection that was not specifically requested by applications running on your system. Therefore, firewall configuration is an essential part so that your applications like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook Express etc can work successfully without any pain.
Firewall configuration Support is not a heavy task. This blog describes how to configure firewall on a single machine.
Firewall configuration

STEP 1: From the Windows XP SP2 desktop, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
STEP 2: Next, in Control Panel, click Security Center.
STEP 3: Windows Firewall general settings allow you to configure these options:
On (recommended). This is the default setting (with Don’t allow exceptions not selected).
Don't allow exceptions. When this option is ON, the firewall is placed into ON with No Exceptions mode which blocks all unsolicited requests to connect to your system.
Off (not recommended). Turning OFF Windows Firewall might make your computer more vulnerable to damage from viruses, worms or intruders.

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Latest Devices and the Operating Systems

Do you think that it is you who are in-charge of controlling a computer? Think again! There is the trustworthy computer mouse, which you can move anywhere on the desktop, evoking up your music library or Internet browser at the slightest wave. Youfeel like a director while using your desktop or laptop but there is a lot going with in the computer and the the real man who handles all the task is the operating system.
Most of the desktop or laptop PCs come pre-loaded with Windows operating system. Macintosh computers come pre-loaded with Mac OS X operating system which is developed by Apple. The first thing loaded into the computer system is the operating system because a computer is useless without the operating system.
More recently, small computers have also started using the operating systems instead of any other software. Like Microsoft has launched different versions of Windows Mobile which is being used in mobiles such as Apple's iPhone, Microsoft's Zune and many more. If you like to experiment with electronic devices, you must be well aware with the facts that that operating systems are now available on many of the devices which we use every day like cell phones, wireless access points, digital players etc. The small computers used in all these daily use electronic devices are so powerful that they are now capable of running an operating system and all those applications that are used on a computer. The modern cell phone is now more powerful than a desktop computer, so this improvement makes sense and is a natural development.
The operating system organizes and controls hardware and software to make that device behave in a pliable but predictable way. For devices, an operating system creates the capability to:
serve for different purposes
interact with users in more complex ways
keep up with requirements that change over time

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How do I restore the Windows Sidebar?

Windows Sidebar no longer appears on the desktop. When you click the Windows Sidebar icon or try to run the program to start it, Windows Sidebar still does not appear. Several things might have caused this to occur. For example, Windows Sidebar may have disappeared when you uninstalled a program. This post provides microsoft support to fix the problem and make Windows Sidebar appear again.


To fix this problem, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.
2. Click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

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User Access Control permission
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. At the command prompt, type the following commands. Press ENTER after each command.
Regsvr32 atl.dll
Regsvr32 "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\sbdrop.dll
Regsvr32 "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Sidebar\wlsrvc.dll
exit
4. Restart the computer.

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