Firewall

[Carl G]

Hi all
Is the windows xp sp2 firewall as good as the free zone alarm,or close to as
good.
I don't like to add all those extra programs if there is no significant
advantage.
Thanks

 

[Leythos]

Hi all
Is the windows xp sp2 firewall as good as the free zone alarm,or close to as
good.
I don't like to add all those extra programs if there is no significant
advantage.

It's not even close to ZA or any other free firewall on the market. Keep
using ZA and disable the MS one.

 

[Richard Urban]

Read a bit. I am certain that you will find that this has been covered if
you go back - even just for 2 days. It has been beaten to death!

My answer = NO!

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you thought you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Is the windows xp sp2 firewall as good as the free zone
alarm,or
close to as good.

No. The XP firewall monitors incoming traffic, but does nothing
to stop spyware programs trying to call home. It also is much
less configurable than other choices (although it's much improved
in SP2).
For those reasons I recommend the free version of ZoneAlarm
instead.

I don't like to add all those extra programs if there is no
significant advantage.

There is nothing wrong with adding extra programs. If you buy a
tool set, and it comes with a regular slotted screwdriver,
there's no disadvantage in also buying a phillips-head
screwdriver if you need one. Use what's best for the job you need
done, and don't concern yourself with whether it comes with
Windows or whether it's an "extra program."

 

[Yves Leclerc]

ZA Free will automatically disables the SP2 firewall.

 

[Chris Holden]

ZA Free will automatically disables the SP2 firewall.

SNIP

How?

 

[John E. Carty]

SNIP

How?

Microsoft had published the code required for developers to silently disable
the firewall before SP2 RTM was even released

 

[Chris Holden]

Microsoft had published the code required for developers to silently
disable the firewall before SP2 RTM was even released

In SP2, run ZA free (the product in question)...
Does the XP firewall report as being on?
If it does... cool... but is it in light of what you say, is it? Does it
report falsely, or what?

 

[Chris Holden]

In SP2, run ZA free (the product in question)...
Does the XP firewall report as being on?
If it does... cool... but is it in light of what you say, is it? Does it
report falsely, or what?

Okay so I'm wrong -before you reply...
I just checked:

"I am running ZoneAlarm on my PC. After installing XP SP2, is Windows
Firewall automatically running as well?
If you are running a ZoneAlarm product (version 5.1 or higher), ZoneAlarm
will disable Windows Firewall upon installation of XP SP2 so that the
ZoneAlarm product is the only firewall running. This process was recommended
by Microsoft because of the potential negative side effects of running two
firewalls at the same time. Please see question #8 for more information on
running two firewalls concurrently."

So why does the XP SP2 firewall report as running as correctly?
I guess I need to update ZA - or is there more to it than that?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi all
Is the windows xp sp2 firewall as good as the free zone alarm,or close to as
good.
I don't like to add all those extra programs if there is no significant
advantage.
Thanks

WinXP's built-in firewall is adequate at stopping incoming attacks,
and hiding your ports from probes. What WinXP SP2's firewall does not
do, is give you any kind of alerts or other indication that it's working
or has blocked any attempted intrusions. It also does not protect you
from any Trojans or spyware that you (or someone else using your
computer) might download and install inadvertently. It doesn't monitor
out-going traffic at all, other than to check for IP-spoofing, much less
block (or at even ask you about) the bad or the questionable out-going
signals. It assumes that any application you have on your hard drive is
there because you want it there, and therefore has your "permission" to
access the Internet. Further, because the Windows Firewall is a
"stateful" firewall, it will also assume that any incoming traffic
that's a direct response to a Trojan's or spyware's out-going signal is
also authorized.

Description of a Personal Firewall
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321050

ZoneAlarm, Kerio, or Sygate are all much better than WinXP's
built-in firewall, and are much more easily configured, and there are
free versions of each readily available. Even the commercially
available Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall is superior by far,
although it does take a heavier toll of system performance then do
ZoneAlarm or Sygate.

--

Bruce Chambers

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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Carl G]

Hi All
Thanks for all the info , sounds like i better get another firewallinstead
of windows.
Will check out zone alarn again. I did use it with windows 2000.
Thanks again