ShieldsUP! Ping Reply failed

  • Be sure to checkout “Tips & Tricks”
    Dear Guest Visitor → Once you register and log-in please checkout the “Tips & Tricks” page for some very handy tips!

    /Steve.
  • BootAble – FreeDOS boot testing freeware

    To obtain direct, low-level access to a system's mass storage drives, SpinRite runs under a GRC-customized version of FreeDOS which has been modified to add compatibility with all file systems. In order to run SpinRite it must first be possible to boot FreeDOS.

    GRC's “BootAble” freeware allows anyone to easily create BIOS-bootable media in order to workout and confirm the details of getting a machine to boot FreeDOS through a BIOS. Once the means of doing that has been determined, the media created by SpinRite can be booted and run in the same way.

    The participants here, who have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience, their successes and some frustrations with booting their computers into FreeDOS, have created a valuable knowledgebase which will benefit everyone who follows.

    You may click on the image to the right to obtain your own copy of BootAble. Then use the knowledge and experience documented here to boot your computer(s) into FreeDOS. And please do not hesitate to ask questions – nowhere else can better answers be found.

    (You may permanently close this reminder with the 'X' in the upper right.)

calisto

New member
Jul 21, 2024
4
0
I just ran ShieldsUP! and pass all green except Ping Reply. Internet search on "Win 11 disable Ping Reply" and similar yielded no results.
I have ExpressVPN but connected or not, or closed, same result.

Any recommendations?

Cheers.
 
Router and VPN will not necessarily block pings, However a good firewall will. I use the free Comodo firewall and it is compatible with my VPN and Win11 Defender (no conflicts). Also good on win7. Word of warning. they try really really hard to force their antivirus onto your PC so you have to be VERY careful during the installation to Click the Options button and unmark the security option if you don't want it, but that's where the problem lies. Hard to find and you really have to hunt for the free firewall version option. Do a search for "Comodo free firewall ONLY" or click this link.
The big downside is the installation is followed up with a virus scan even though internet security was not requested during installation (unchecked above). Hope this helps.

ALSO be aware. Your VPN server will likely reply to a ping coming from any server trying to reach you, even with a good firewall.
 
Router and VPN will not necessarily block pings, However a good firewall will. I use the free Comodo firewall and it is compatible with my VPN and Win11 Defender (no conflicts). Also good on win7. Word of warning. they try really really hard to force their antivirus onto your PC so you have to be VERY careful during the installation to Click the Options button and unmark the security option if you don't want it, but that's where the problem lies. Hard to find and you really have to hunt for the free firewall version option. Do a search for "Comodo free firewall ONLY" or click this link.
The big downside is the installation is followed up with a virus scan even though internet security was not requested during installation (unchecked above). Hope this helps.

ALSO be aware. Your VPN server will likely reply to a ping coming from any server trying to reach you, even with a good firewall.
Thanks for this option. I will go the router direction, my personal belief is that the less 3rd party apps I use, the better. I got that cemented in my head after an episode where Steve talked about the dangers of antiviruse or anything deeply rooted in the system. Stuck with Defender ever since.