If you are seeing the “connection refused” message when attempting to set up a localhost access port, the chances are good that the port is blocked from allowing connections through Windows. To open the port, follow these instructions:
1. Navigate to Control Panel, System and Security and Windows Firewall.
2. Select Advanced settings and highlight Inbound Rules in the left pane.
3. Right click Inbound Rules and select New Rule.
4. Add the port you need to open and click Next.
5. Add the protocol (TCP or UDP) and the port number into the next window and click Next.
6. Select Allow the connection in the next window and hit Next.
7. Select the network type as you see fit and click Next.
8. Name the rule something meaningful and click Finish.
You can also use netsh (example):
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Open Port 80" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=80
