XP vs Zone Alarm

[shawnsmith]

I just started using Windows XP Pro and noticed it has a
firewall built in to it. My past OS was 98 so I used Zone
Alarm Pro for the fire wall. Since XP has a firewall do I
need to install Zone Alarms product? Is XP as secure as
Zone Labs Integrity Desktop 3.7?

 

[Peter Ericson]

XP's built-in firewall is quite limited and cannot block outgoing
applications. I would only use it if I had no other option. Since you
have previously used ZoneAlarm and have experience with that firewall, I
strongly recommend that you install and use ZoneAlarm and turn off XP's
firewall.

---Peter Ericson

 

[cato]

That strong recommendation to close XP's ICF is based on what
facts??????????

Bad advice, very bad! I run ZA and ICF parallel for a long time and never
had any problem. The two firewalls compound each other for the advantage of
the user.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

WinXP's built-in firewall is fine at stopping incoming attacks, and
hiding your ports from probes. It doesn't give you any alarms to tell
you that it is working, though. What WinXP also does not do, is
protect you from any Trojans or spyware that you might download and
install inadvertently. It doesn't monitor out-going traffic at all,
much less block (or at least ask you about) the bad or the
questionable out-going packets.

ZoneAlarm, Kerio, or Sygate are all much better, and are much more
easily configured, and there are a free versions of each readily
available. Even Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall is superior,
although it does take a heavier toll of performance then do ZoneAlarm,
Kerio, 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

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

No, they don't.

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



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

 

[cato]

Checking my ports thank to the free service of Symantec or Sygate gives the
best results (all ports stealth) when ICF and the free ZA runs parallel.
That is FACT! I have XP pro. Maybe I am just lucky.