Microsoft Windows Vista Manual page 62

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Part III: Securing Windows Vista
Once you've accessed Network Center, you can use it to manage your general network settings
and network status. When you are connected to a network, Network Center provides an over-
view of your networking configuration and allows you to determine your network status and
view or change settings.
The three main areas in Network Center are:
Status
whether you are connected to a network and whether you can access the Internet on
that network. Clicking View Full Map displays an expanded Network Map, as described
in the "Using Network Map" section later in this chapter.
Network Details
connected. These details include the connections being used and whether the network
has Internet access. Using the links provided, you can manage the connections in use and
the networks to which those connections are linked, as described in the "Viewing and
Managing Your Networks" section later in this chapter.
General
tings. Depending on the configuration, several options are provided, including Block,
Allow, and View Sharing Settings. You'll learn how to manage general settings in the
next section, "Managing General Networking Settings."
The sections that follow discuss using Network Center to manage settings, diagnose and
repair connectivity issues, and manage your network status.
Managing General Networking Settings
In Network Center, the settings in the General panel allow you to block or allow connections
to your computer. If you click Block, the computer's firewall blocks all access to the network.
While access is blocked, you will be unable to access other computers on the network or on
the Internet, and other computers will be unable to access your computer.
To unblock the computer, you need to click Allow. Clicking Allow sets the computer's firewall
to its normal configuration. In this configuration, you can access other computers on the net-
work or on the Internet, and other computers can access your computer, if allowed by the
firewall configuration.
Tip
To configure Windows Firewall from Network Center, click View Sharing Settings. This
link opens the Windows Firewall dialog box, which you can use to manage the Windows
Firewall configuration.
Diagnosing and Resolving Network Connectivity Issues
When you are disconnected from a network, Network Center displays a modified view, as
shown in Figure 12-2. Based on this view of your network configuration, you know at a glance
that you are not connected to a network or the Internet.
Provides a visual overview of the network infrastructure. The map depicts
Provides details about the network to which the computer is currently
Provides a summary of the computer's firewall, detection, and sharing set-