Is AVG a firewall? Can it be temporarily disabled?

[MrsER]

I am unable to email out from Incredimail. On the forum it was suggested that it may have been blocked by a firewall.

I have AVG. Should I disable it to see if Incredimail IS blocked.

All ideas welcome.

Many thanks,
E.R

[ChuckFickens]

AVG is a general term for a range of products, one of which is a firewall. (though typically when people say AVG they mean the anti-virus rather than the firewall)

So if you have the AVG firewall installed you can turn it off

OR you could just stop using incredimail and no longer annoy everyone you send mails to!

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

The free version of AVG (which is currently AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0) is not a firewall. It's simply a program which identifies and blocks computer viruses.

The paid-for version of AVG (which is currently AVG Internet Security 9.0) includes a firewall (which should automatically disable the firewall which is already built into Windows XP, Vista and 7).

Disabling your firewall for a short time, in order to check whether Incredimail is blocked, is unlikely to do any harm to your PC.

However it's far more likely that Incredimail has lost your account settings. Make sure that you know the following:
1. Your username for logging onto your ISP's (or other provider's) servers. That's usually the part before the @ sign in your email address but a few email providers require you to enter your full email address ;
2. Your password for logging on to those servers ;
3 & 4. The POP3 and SMTP server addresses used by your email provider. If you get your email service from your ISP they should be on that company's support pages. Alternatively you can probably find them listed here
http://www.idl.uk.com/email/isp_settings.htm
and/or here
http://www.kitz.co.uk/isp/dns.htm

[Buenchico]

Then click on Tools>Accounts>Mail.
Click on the name of your email account to highlight it.
Click 'Properties' and look to see if the information there matches what it should be. If it's wrong, change it, then click 'Apply' and 'OK'

If the information appears to be correct, don't necessarily believe that it is so. Start as before but, instead of clicking 'Properties', click 'Remove to delete your account settings. (You'll be asked to confirm that you really want to do so. Click 'Yes'). Then click 'Add' to create the account again, filling in the empty fields with the relevant information.

Chris

[Buenchico]

PS: As Chuck hinted at, Incredimail is widely despised by most people around here!

[Sci_Fi]

Buenchico, further to you answer about AVG

'The paid-for version of AVG (which is currently AVG Internet Security 9.0) includes a firewall (which should automatically disable the firewall which is already built into Windows XP, Vista and 7).'

Is it worth buying if XP etc.. already has a firewall seems to me you paying for something you already have.

[Buenchico]

Sci-Fi:
The Windows firewall has been widely criticised as not being up to the required standard. This link is from 2004 but it refers to XP which many people (including myself) are still using:
http://www.pcworld.co..._firewall_secure.html
Further, I'm unaware of Microsoft actually doing anything since then to upgrade their firewall in their more recent versions of Windows.

Most people around here would suggest using an alternative firewall but there's no need to pay for one. The free versions of Zone Alarm or Comodo will do the job perfectly well.

AVG's commercial version includes a good firewall but it has other features as well (which I didn't mention above because the original question related solely to firewalls):
http://free.avg.com/gb-en/internet-security
However there's plenty of free software around which, when combined together, can carry out the tasks of any commercial security suite.

Chris

[ChuckFickens]

Sci_Fi,

The XP firewall (and later versions of the windows firewall if left in default settings) is an inbound firewall only, so it will do nothing to stop rogue programs creating an outbound connection to anything they want. (and probably over 90% of people already have an inbound firewall on their broadband routers anyhow)

Third party firewalls are 2 way firewalls, so they will stop inbound connections just like the XP firewall, but they would also stop any rogue programs that may infect your computer from setting up an outbound connection and sending all your personal details to a nice man in an eastern European country!

[Sci_Fi]

Thanks Chris, I have the free version of AVG and trusted the XP firewall, I have not had any trouble with it but will try those you have suggested.

Thanks again for the info.

[Sci_Fi]

lol, thanks also ChuckFickens.

[Sci_Fi]

MrsER, Sorry for for semi hi-jacking your thread.

Chris/ChuckFickens, will installing a different firewall have any effect to 'windows defender?'

[ChuckFickens]

nope, windows defender is AntiSpyware (another different type of security software)

[Sci_Fi]

Thanks, talk about preplexed.

[MrsER]

Thanks Buenchico. Will try .

I wouldn't say Chuck exactly hinted!

What is worrying me is that I have agreed to have paperless bills etc from British Gas and should they ask me for a reading I can't reply.

I've als got a lot of stuff store in folders in Incredimail.

[AlBags]

Y'know, Incredimail install infests the PC registry with over 600 entries. It is tricky to remove, as a standard uninstall leaves the entries all in the Registry, no matter what the uninstall tells you.
Not only is IM annoying to receivers, it's like having a resident virus (like AOL) : )