Hi guys, I have a quick question on how well the Windows 7 firewall performs: does it work well for the most part? Or should one invest in a paid solution? I'm asking for a friend because I myself have it disabled due to being behind a firewall configured on a Linux server.

Ps: I put this in general discussion because I want a quick answer, thank you.

I use Zone Alarm's Firewall, also free, and LeakTest helped me make up my mind on that. Follow the link and give it a read.
I feel completely safe using it but it can be somewhat annoying until it learns all your programs. It warns you in a way similar to the UAC that is so annoying but at least it learns and becomes less annoying over time. The good news is you know it's working.

owcraftsman

I use Zone Alarm's Firewall, also free, and LeakTest helped me make up my mind on that. Follow the link and give it a read.
I feel completely safe using it but it can be somewhat annoying until it learns all your programs. It warns you in a way similar to the UAC that is so annoying but at least it learns and becomes less annoying over time. The good news is you know it's working.

Yeah ZoneAlarm used to be my firewall of choice but they didn't have a version compatible with 64 bits so I stopped using it.
The built in Firewall in Windows 7 is actually supposed to be decent now compared to Windows XP anyways, which was junk, but it's not as user friendly or as intuitive as something like Zonealarm.

I run Zone Alarm on a 64 bit system with no issues.
However I respect your opinions dwoodward.
Tell me, does it (Comodo) pass the leak test?

Justed switched to Comodo over microsofts firewall and thus far, I am pleased.  Thanks dwoodward for the link....

Thanks for the links dwoodward, I know Gibson is old school but matousec is the only active game in the internet universe ATM which at best doesn't serve us all best I'd like to see some competition when it comes to Firewall testing. That said and after much reading and searching on the topic (thanks again) Comodo comes out on top no matter how you slice it.

In any case give THIS a read and see what you think, just and alternative view.

Since we are in essence talking security I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few things. No matter which firewall you use please see/use the additional security layers linked below or find your own. They help to protect against malware and prevent attacks from harming your PC, or from making outbound connections to steal your personal information or to take control of your PC. I highly recommend and use myself a secure DNS provider OpenDNS, site safety advisers (WOT), and software update monitors (Secunia PSI) on all my PCs/laptops. There are of course other providers for example Google has free Public DNS lookup and I think even Comodo offers it as well.... wait a minute.... yep here it is.  Also some routers come with free DNS providers like my Dlink DIR 655 uses DynDNS which is easily setup through the routers configuration pages. Which leads us to passwords not only should you not save them locally your router should be password protected too. You are best to have a very strong password to access it. Use a  Password generator (haha back to Gibson) or a password manager like RoboForm that has a generator built in. Okay finally, sorry to bore you, but, I can not emphasize enough to keep you software up to date. Keeping windows up to date is not the only concern you should have. Equally important are Flash Players Readers and activeX to name a few. As mentioned above I use Secunia PSI but no matter how you do it get-r-done. Attacks like this are becoming more and more prevalent so protect yourself. 

dwoodward

Matousec's standards of testing may be a little off, But a Firewall that passes 100% means that it never failed once. And generally that is all people should care about. TBH, I don't really care what firewall people use, so long as they use one, any firewall is better than none, even windows built in firewall.

There's a fine balance between security and usability.
I remember zonealarm and most other firewall I used long ago used to have problems with online games and blocking steam and other apps so that is FAIL IMO even though it's making your computer more secure.
What's the point if you can't even use your PC if your firewall is overzealous?
Nowadays, that is rarely the case though since most firewall's are smart enough now to automatically detect commonly used apps and let them through.

Change your behavior - web browsing - use FF with NoScript and NoFlash - or even IE8 64-bit InPrivate Browsing / Filtering.
And I'd stick with MS Security Essentials. IE8 is good, but 64-bit has one nice feature that I hope stays that way: no support for plug-ins, and probably better security as well as more stable.

I added rules and services to my router, then log some port exploits to see if/who/when (and add to it as I read of unpatched exploits) - amazing what gets past my 1st line modem/switch firewall (default settings).

You can configure things like NoScript to allow for sites you trust.
No one would use it if it was always off (or on).

When I propose using something else... I don't mean to use exclusively, either.

I have FF, IE8, IE8 64-bit, and maybe another browser open, and use them for different purposes.

IE prompts (or you should reconfigure), Norton, Kaspersky and FF all scan downloads.

I installed Spywareblaster, but it doesn't even show a running process???

I'm not worried about files I intentionally download.  I'm careful.  I'm worried about hidden malware that gets downloaded, without my permission, for say, clicking on a picture or hyperlink.