xp service pack 2 & external firewalls?

[zeke2]

I asked Zone Alarm Pro if their product is compatible
with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

They tell me yes - but I should disable the Windows XP
firewall.

Which leads me to think Windows XP firewall is as good as
Zone Alarm Pro. Or am I missing something?

 

[Dick Kistler]

I asked Zone Alarm Pro if their product is compatible
with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

They tell me yes - but I should disable the Windows XP
firewall.

Which leads me to think Windows XP firewall is as good as
Zone Alarm Pro. Or am I missing something?

Yes, you are.

They are just saying that you could have problems if you
try to run the two programs together. They are saying
nothing about the relative merits of either.

I haven't used ZA Pro, but I have used
the free version, and it has more capabilities
than the XP firewall, so undoubtedly, the
Pro version does.

Dick Kistler

 

[Tom Porterfield]

I asked Zone Alarm Pro if their product is compatible
with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

They tell me yes - but I should disable the Windows XP
firewall.

Which leads me to think Windows XP firewall is as good as
Zone Alarm Pro. Or am I missing something?

As has been covered many times in this forum, the XP firewall does an
excellent job of blocking unwanted incoming traffic. What it doesn't do
at all, that ZoneAlarm and many other firewalls do, is have the ability
to block outgoing traffic.

If you install SP2 and have the latest version of ZoneAlarm already on
your system, the XP firewall will be disabled by default as they
(Microsoft) recognize that you are already protected and don't need two
software firewalls enabled.
--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP MCE
http://support.telop.org

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

SP2's firewall is still a basic one, though functionality is improved. It
effectively can and will block unwanted inbound traffic as well as any
third-party product. Third-party ones act to also detect potentially
unwanted outgoing traffic (trojans, spyware) which the Windows firewall does
not. You should not use two firewalls at any point.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[marion]

If XP service pac 2 is so primitive why are they
releasing it?

 

[Alan]

What leap of logic is leading you to say that SP2 is "primitive," Marion?

SP2 does not have a spreadsheet program built into it either. Does that also
make it "primitive?"

Alan