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Display Name (?):

Application Layer Gateway Service

Short Name (?):

ALG

Executable (?):

alg.exe

Library (?):

None.

Depends On (?):

None.

Supports (?):

None.

Description (?):

Provides support for 3rd party protocol plug-ins for Internet Connection Sharing and the Internet Connection Firewall

OS (?):

XP Home/Professional, Vista Home/Business, Server 2003, Vista Server

Startup (?):

Default	Home	Workstation	Server	Minimal	Tweaked	Automatic
Manual	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Manual	Disabled	Disabled

Explanation (?):

The application layer gateway service is the application that controls the Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). This service is not used when these features are not enabled and can be safely turned to manual if not enabled. Generally it is a good idea to not disable this feature since it only activates and consumes resources when active and only activates when turned on the network properties. A good recommendation for anyone on the Internet is to use a firewall though so if you are not using the ICF then you may want to consider doing so unless you have another firewall program installed or a router with a builtin firewall or NAT without DMZ enabled.