ZoneAlarm- what do you think?

[figaro]

I ran a question yesterday about "Do I need Norton?". The overwhelming
response was NO! In regard to anti virus and fire wall the most suggested
was ZoneAlarm. I suppose that like any other product out there complaints
will show up. What about it? Anyone want to try to scare me off this before
I buy it? I am getting a new computer. Everyone says to not connect to the
internet before I have the anti virus and fire wall installed. Them some
suggest getting the free versions of these programs. How would I do that
before my new computer is hooked up? I don't mind paying what appears to be
$40 after rebates for the antivirus and fire wall. I also assume I will get
more features. Ideas appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

My recommendations:

1. Make sure SP2 is installed.
2. All current updates installed from the Windows Update web site.
3. Use the built-in Windows firewall which is automatically enabled
after installing SP2.
4. Install Avast! antivirus program (FREE)
http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html
5. Install Microsoft AntiSpyware program (FREE)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...A2-6A57-4C57-A8BD-DBF62EDA9671&displaylang=en
6. Total cost: $ -0-

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| I ran a question yesterday about "Do I need Norton?". The overwhelming
| response was NO! In regard to anti virus and fire wall the most suggested
| was ZoneAlarm. I suppose that like any other product out there complaints
| will show up. What about it? Anyone want to try to scare me off this before
| I buy it? I am getting a new computer. Everyone says to not connect to the
| internet before I have the anti virus and fire wall installed. Them some
| suggest getting the free versions of these programs. How would I do that
| before my new computer is hooked up? I don't mind paying what appears to be
| $40 after rebates for the antivirus and fire wall. I also assume I will get
| more features. Ideas appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Kerry Brown]

I ran a question yesterday about "Do I need Norton?". The overwhelming
response was NO! In regard to anti virus and fire wall the most suggested
was ZoneAlarm. I suppose that like any other product out there complaints
will show up. What about it? Anyone want to try to scare me off this
before
I buy it? I am getting a new computer. Everyone says to not connect to the
internet before I have the anti virus and fire wall installed. Them some
suggest getting the free versions of these programs. How would I do that
before my new computer is hooked up? I don't mind paying what appears to
be
$40 after rebates for the antivirus and fire wall. I also assume I will
get
more features. Ideas appreciated. Thanks.

Try the free version of Zone Alarm. If you like it then buy the Pro version.
I've got mixed feelings about Zone Alarm. It is an excellent firewall, easy
to configure, doesn't seem to slow things down, and generally works well.
Where I've had problems is when things go wrong. I have seen computers where
it somehow got corrupted and was stopping all access to networking of any
kind. The uninstall didn't work in these cases. I had to manually shut down
the service, then delete the files and registry entries. It seems to be a
rare situation and when I have seen it the computers were severely infected
with virii and spyware which probably contributed to the problem. Personally
I use it on Win9x computers. With WinXP I use the built in firewall.

Kerry

 

[MAP]

I ran a question yesterday about "Do I need Norton?". The overwhelming
response was NO! In regard to anti virus and fire wall the most
suggested was ZoneAlarm. I suppose that like any other product out
there complaints will show up. What about it? Anyone want to try to
scare me off this before I buy it? I am getting a new computer.
Everyone says to not connect to the internet before I have the anti
virus and fire wall installed. Them some suggest getting the free
versions of these programs. How would I do that before my new
computer is hooked up? I don't mind paying what appears to be $40
after rebates for the antivirus and fire wall. I also assume I will
get more features. Ideas appreciated. Thanks.

If you are willing to spend $40 then I suggest a NOD32 and sygate combo.
http://www.nod32.com/home/home.htm
Try it for 30 days free.

Here are some independant reviews of anti-virus programs
http://www.virusbulletin.com/vb100/archives/products.xml?
Notice how effective the free ones are? Stay away from them!

Sygate personal firewall.
http://smb.sygate.com/free/spf_download.php
I have treid the free Zone Alarm firewall, yes, it does work but there have
been problems with it in the past and I just perfer the interface of Sygate
better.

 

[Karl Levinson, mvp]

Agreed. If you start with #3, make sure the Windows firewall is enabled,
then you should be fairly safe on your brand new computer. This will give
you enough time to complete steps 1 and 2, and download and install whatever
firewall you choose.

I personally have been more than satisfied with the free versions of
www.kerio.com, www.sygate.com and some people like www.zonealarm.com I
don't see any reason to pay for a firewall, unless you can explain some
feature in that firewall that you know is not available in the free
firewalls above. If you don't know the difference between the firewalls,
just go with a free firewall, any one. Even the Windows firewall is good
enough for most home users, although it has a different feature set from
those other firewalls.

 

[behemoth]

Zone Alarm (free version) is a good program. However, I have found some of
the installations to be a little buggy.

Avast is my choice for a free anti-virus program. It is easy to install,
updates its virus database on almost a daily basis, and can be used with
almost any e-mail application.

If your computer came pre-loaded with Norton, use it until you get avast
going on your system. As for the firewall issue, use the Windows XP
(assuming you have XP) firewall until Zone Alarm is installed and updated.

I am a relative novice, but this has worked for me.

 

[Guest]

I ran a question yesterday about "Do I need Norton?". The overwhelming
response was NO! In regard to anti virus and fire wall the most suggested
was ZoneAlarm. I suppose that like any other product out there complaints
will show up. What about it? Anyone want to try to scare me off this before
I buy it? I am getting a new computer. Everyone says to not connect to the
internet before I have the anti virus and fire wall installed. Them some
suggest getting the free versions of these programs. How would I do that
before my new computer is hooked up? I don't mind paying what appears to be
$40 after rebates for the antivirus and fire wall. I also assume I will get
more features. Ideas appreciated. Thanks.

In my opinion, the SP2 firewall will be more than adequate. Except for
brief experiments with some third party firewalls, I have used the SP2
firewall and its predecessor ICF since Microsoft released XP in 2001. I have
never had a firewall-related security breach of any kind. But some will
disagree about using the Windows firewall, so you should listen to all sides
and then make up your own mind. I can tell you only about my own
experiences.

If you decide to use a third party firewall, you have options. Many people
like Zone Alarm, but it has given me nothing but problems. I have had okay
results with the Norton firewall (if you go with Norton, use the standalone
firewall -- avoid the Internet security suites). And some people like
MacAfee or Sygate.

For antivirus, I would recommend Trend Micro's standalone antivirus program
(again, not the full Internet security suite). Optionally, I would also use
an antispyware program (I would recommend the Microsoft "beta" program) and
Ad Aware. But avoiding spyware and adware is more avoidance and education
than detection and repair.

Ken