what are ports



Essentially, an Internet port acts as a virtual door on your computer. An open port allows information to pass between your computer and another. That other computer could be a friend’s computer during an instant messaging conversation, or a host server while you’re playing a game online. Sometimes though, malicious software such as a worms or Trojan horses will look for open ports through which it can infect your computer.




How do I make sure my ports are safe

Keeping a firewall between your computer and the Internet is one of the best ways to help protect your computer and personal information. A firewall places a virtual barrier between your computer and hackers who might seek to delete information from your computer, make it crash, or even steal personal information.
If you are using Window XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), the most updated version of Windows XP, you have a one-way firewall built-in and turned on by default. If not, you can download SP2 from the Microsoft Update (////////////// الروابط الي بيحطوها الأعضاء بيقدر فقط الأعضاء يشوفوها ، اذا مصرّ تشوف الرابط بك تسجل يعني تصير عضو بأخوية سوريا بالأول -///////////////) site. You can also check out Windows OneCare Live beta (////////////// الروابط الي بيحطوها الأعضاء بيقدر فقط الأعضاء يشوفوها ، اذا مصرّ تشوف الرابط بك تسجل يعني تصير عضو بأخوية سوريا بالأول -///////////////) (U.S. only), which provides a two-way firewall.



Is it okay to have open ports


Absolutely. In order to access the Internet, send and receive e-mail, or move files between computers, you need open ports, or doors, in your firewall.
However, whenever you allow access to an individual program or user, or open a port for a program to communicate through your firewall, your computer becomes more vulnerable.
Opening a port is like poking a hole through the firewall. Hackers often use software that scans the Internet looking for computers with open ports that might allow unprotected connections. The more open ports you have, the more exposed your computer is to these intruders.
The Windows Live Safety scanner scans for four commonly open ports (FTP, ////////////// الروابط الي بيحطوها الأعضاء بيقدر فقط الأعضاء يشوفوها ، اذا مصرّ تشوف الرابط بك تسجل يعني تصير عضو بأخوية سوريا بالأول -/////////////// SMTP, and Telnet) and lets you know which ones are open.





When and how do I open and close ports

Most of the time, you won’t need to open or close ports manually. Each port has a number which works as an address. Many programs and services have a "permanent address"; that is, they have a predetermined port number that they use every time.


Some programs (some games, for example) do not have predefined port numbers. These programs open ports automatically as needed. Programs will either use their predefined port numbers or you will be prompted by your firewall to open the port, usually just by clicking “OK.”
If you’re running Windows XP Service Pack 2, you can use the Windows Firewall to check which ports are open on your computer, or to open and close ports manually. (You must be logged on to your computer
as an administrator to do this
.)
To access the Windows Firewall:
1. Click Start, then click Control Panel.
(You might have to click Switch to Classic View.)
2. Click Network and Internet Connections, then click Windows Firewall.
3. On the Exceptions tab, choose one of the following options:
· To open a port for a program or service, select the check box for the program or service.
· To close a port for a program or service, clear the check box for the program or service.