How safe is Windows XP firewall?

I am so fed up with third party firewalls, so after my latest clean Windows install I'm considering just using the Windows XP firewall.

Is this a good idea?

I also have the firewall enabled on my router.

I just can't stand the constant pop-ups with ZoneAlarm and Comodo no matter which mode I use. It's driving me nuts!

 

It's safe enough, if you use common sense in your surfing and have an updated AV, plus a good active malware watch app, such as the tea timer in Spybot. The router Firewall is also a plus.
I had XP for over 5 years and never had a Firewall other than the Windows one. I never had a hijacking or serious malware, either.

 

Thanks, that's great to hear.

I do have updated virus software - F-Prot - and I use the malware protection in Spyware Doctor, although I find the latter slows my computer down a lot.

I think I'll try this for a while and see how it goes.

Thanks for the reply.

 

I liked Spyware Doctor, too. But it is hard on resources. I had to give it up on my old PC for that reason. You may want to give Spybot a test run. I haven't seen a change in performance since I DL'd the newest version. But I have plenty of RAM and a good processor, too.

 

I have been using SpyBot for years. I've even been donating generously since I think anyone willing to put so much work into a product should be rewarded.

However, I've been concerned by tests (for example in PCWorld and PC Magazine) that have shown that SpyBot is not nearly as effective at what it does compared to for example Spyware Doctor. That's why I made the switch.

I'm running a really minimalist setup right now, so hopefully performance won't take that much of a noticeable hit when using Spyware Doctor.