Working in free mode, the program is very powerful, but opt to register for $10 and there are a number of additional options available to you. This is a great alternative to navigating through the various firewall related screen that can be found in the Control Panel. Windows Firewall Control can be configured to start automatically with Windows and it is then incredibly simple to flick between using High, Medium, Low, or No Filtering modes. In just a couple of clicks you can switch between firewall profiles or even disable the firewall altogether – a handy option if you are having trouble granting a particular program access to the internet. The program sits in the notification area of the Windows taskbar and provides easy access to the most frequently used options of the Windows Firewall. This is something that Windows Firewall Control aims to rectify.

Configuring the firewall can be tricky, and if you have gone to the trouble of configuring different firewall profiles, it can seem an unnecessarily lengthy process to switch between them.

Windows 7 and Vista include a surprisingly powerful firewall tool that helps to secure your internet connection.

Windows firewall manager