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Windows Firewall Control - Mini Review

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highend01:
Thanks for the review. Would you mind clarifying what are the features of the program that the donation unlocks, so I can use it at its full potential?
-Babis (May 29, 2012, 08:05 AM)
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Registered Users Features
√ Learning Mode which provides notifications for blocked outgoing connections.
√ Lock the current state of the program and Windows Firewall with password.
√ Reset a forgotten password used to lock the current state of the program.

4wd:
Thanks for the review. Would you mind clarifying what are the features of the program that the donation unlocks, so I can use it at its full potential?-Babis (May 29, 2012, 08:05 AM)
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highend01 pointed them out above but here's the picture version :)

With the unregistered version, you will not get notifications like this:



And the item arrowed below will not work:



The Reset a forgotten password naturally won't be useful since unregistered users can't lock the program in the first place. ;)

Everything else will work, Shell Integration, Rule Management, Import/Export, etc, etc.

IainB:
There is also a third program, (other than TinyWall and WFN), that works a similar way but I cannot remember the name of it - I do know it only came out in the last 2-3 months so if I happen to find it again, I'll add it above.
-4wd (May 29, 2012, 02:31 AM)
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Well, prompted by your review, and after a bit of hasty trialling today, so far I have tried these out:

* 1. Windows7 Firewall Control (FREE version): Been using this for a while now. I reckon it's very good. Probably dead simple to use for most users. My installation was uninstalled nice and easy by the PAID (nagware) version install.
* 2. Windows7 Firewall Control (PAID nagware version): Just quickly tried this out today. Bit more complicated to use (more options/decisions to take) than the FREE version. Uninstalls nice and easy.
* 3. TinyWall: I just quickly tried this out today. Probably a bit complicated to use for many users (more options/decisions to take). Not sure I like it (does not seem to be very intuitive). Devil of a job to uninstall. I think it left some damage judging by the state of my firewall just now, which I am still fixing as I write this. Maybe it was attributable to my ignorance/misuse of the thing.
* 4. Windows Firewall Notifier: Not a firewall control per se, but a useful notification tool. Probably a bit complicated to use for many users (more options/decisions to take). In use is annoying as heck and does not seem to be very intuitive. Uninstalls relatively easily via brute force.
* 5. Windows Firewall Control: Just quickly tried this out today. It seemed to silently install on my system - no evidence that anything had happened, though it was self-aware enough to ask me to change the filename back to wfc.exe before installing. I think the install file may have been corrupted, or something - didn't appear to do anything - and then I later noticed that it was there. Seemed like it could be a useful notification/control tool. Probably a bit too complicated to use for many users (more options/decisions to take). In use is annoying and does not seem to be very intuitive. Uninstalled it.
EDIT: Just discovered I had an old version (v3.1.0.3) of Windows Firewall Control. Latest version is v3.3.0.1.
Ended up by:

* (a) renistalling Windows7 Firewall Control (FREE version).
* (b) giving up on fixing the damage done by all the Firewall rules changed (especially TinyWall) and going back to square one with the otherwise excellent Win7 Firewall by going to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Firewall and selecting Restore defaults.
* (c) Reinstalling latest version (v3.3.0.1) of Windows Firewall Control. Not sure whether this is redundant. Seemed to install without any conflicts with  W7FC, so far.[/b]
Phew!    :)

EDITED: 2012-05-30 1934hrs (NZT)

Lutz_:
Thanks a lot for this maxi-review!!!
Very interesting - I am testing the software right now.

4wd:

* 1. Windows7 Firewall Control (FREE version): .... Probably dead simple to use for most users. ....
* 5. Windows Firewall Control: .... Probably a bit too complicated to use for many users (more options/decisions to take)....-IainB (May 29, 2012, 01:19 PM)
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My experience was the opposite, W7FC was more confusing than Outpost Security Suite, (was about a month before I found WFC), so I ended going back to OSS.  There's also less options for a user to act upon in the WFC notifications, generally just Allow or Block compared to W7FC which presents all of them all at once, (IIRC).  In WFC, if you want to customise the rule before accepting you can but otherwise it's just three buttons.

I probably should have pointed out, (but didn't because I haven't used the feature), that WFC also allows you to have multiple rules per application, (I'm sure someone can think of a use for this but my brain escapes me at the moment).

CRAP!!   :-\
Just realised I didn't put up an image of the rule Properties dialog.........edit....edit......there!   :D


* ... and selecting Restore defaults.
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You could have done that from within WFC or as part of its uninstall procedure. :)


* (c) Reinstalling latest version (v3.1.0.3) of Windows Firewall Control. Not sure whether this is redundant. Seemed to install without any conflicts with  W7FC, so far.[/b]

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Are you sure this is right?

The latest version is 3.3.0.1.

There won't be any conflicts because WFC is just an alternative interface to the native Windows Firewall which W7FC will work with.

I see if I can hunt up the other one for you to play with.

Edit:  Possibly some confusion, (or lack of intuitive interface), may arise with WFC because unlike most other free versions of firewalls you don't get any notifications - that's one of the advantages of the paid version.
As such, that is why it defaults to Low Filtering, (so you don't suddenly find all your programs cease to work), unlike other firewalls where you are immediately bombarded with access notifications.

And to be honest, it doesn't say that it will bombard you with notifications - that is a bonus(?) - because it is not a firewall, (unlike W7FC).

It does what the website says:
"Windows Firewall Control is a nifty little application which extends the functionality of the Windows Firewall and provides quick access to the most frequent options of Windows Firewall. It runs in the system tray and allows user to control the native firewall easily without having to waste time by navigating to the specific part of the firewall. This is the best tool to manage the native firewall from Windows 7 and Windows Vista."
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PS: Sorry if I seem to be pushing its case overly hard but I probably should have made it clearer that in and of itself, it is not a firewall.

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