I just got broadband internet and would like to know something. I have 2 pcs hooked up. Does the firewall in the primary pc which the router in configured thru protect the second pc as well or does that one need its own firewall on. Also is the firewall active when the pc is powered off on both computers? The router came with the norton for a free trial but I already bought a new firewall for the primary pc so I want to know if that is okay to use. Thanks.

hmm do you have

Cable Modem <-> Router -> PC#1 and PC#2

or

Cabel Modem <-> PC#1 <-> PC#2

Most routers come with a built-in hardware-based firewall. This will protect all computers, the exception being if you have told the router to disable the firewall for a certain computer or your have a router with no firewall protection.

Q.) Is a hardware firewall enough?
A.) Not really.

Your router will do a great job of protecting you from incoming traffic, but if your system has already been compromised, outgoing traffic can be just as bad. Routers do no protect against outbound dangers. This is where a software firewall will be useful and may be a good reason to install a software firewall on each computer.

Norton Internet Security has so many installation and uninstallation problems I can't possibly recommend it. But there are free alternatives, such as Zonealarm which work great.