Modifying the Windows Firewall

You cannot disable the firewall. If you need to use a program that is being blocked, you need to add an exception for either the port or the program.


How do I add an exception for a port?

  1. First, you must be an administrator on the machine.
  2. Identify the port number you need
    1. Open the file: C:\windows\pfirewalls.log preferably using gvim so that you can reload the file. Remember, this file only loads DROP connections.
    2. Search the file for the IP address of the machine you are trying to connect:

      2010-03-08 14:08:54 DROP TCP 129.108.4.13 224.0.0.251 45712 3306 470-------RECEIVE

    3. From the line above, you can identify the protocol as TCP and the destination port as 3306
  3. Now, open the firewall to add the exception by right clicking the network icon and choosing Change Windows Firewall Settings

    img1

  4. Click on the Exceptions tab.

    img2

  5. Click on Add Port

    img3

  6. Select a name descriptive enough so that you can identify the exception in the future! Also, enter the port number and protocol. Click on Change Scope.

    img4

  7. Select Any Computer (including those on the Internet) and click OK.

    img5

  8. Verify that the exception you added is on the list as shown under the Exceptions tab as shown below.

    img6

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How do I add an exception for a program?

  1. First, you must be an administrator on the machine.
  2. Identify the program that you want to add the exception for.
  3. Now, open the firewall to add the exception by right clicking the network icon and choosing Change Windows Firewall Settings

    img1

  4. Click on the Exceptions tab.

    img2

  5. Click on Add Program.

    img7

  6. Click on Browse.

    img8

  7. Find the program you want to create an exception for. Select it and change the scope.

    img9

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