What's the best Firewall?

Just went through the Zonealarm=MS update lockup.
And it got me thinking about a new firewall.
Any suggestions and why?

Rodney M--I guess you know now that the fault was with the MS Update--not Zone Alarm. But Zone Alarm has issued a new version which does not have the problem with the MS Update. http://forum.zonelabs.org/zonelabs/
I use Zone Alarm. Some people feel it is a resource hog. That has not bothered me.
Others like Comodo. http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/whyfree.html (I started you on this page since it says you can get it free. Click on the download link on the right margin. The download page is not so clear about the free part.)
And, of course, Win XP comes with Windows Firewall. But it monitors only incoming traffic (perhaps most important) not outgoing.

Hi Rodney M

I too experienced the problem with MS and ZA. I spent 30 minutes on hold to MS waiting for them to tell me how to do a botch job on the problem. Thankfully ZA fixed the problem. I don't think I would consider changing from ZA it is reliable and has never let me down. Now MS is another story!!!

Funny how the old 6.0 version of ZA, which still works, did not have any problems with the update.

I bought Sygate a long time ago and it still works just spiffy.

Ditto to Sygate...
Well, the Pro version in my system. Close enough. :)

Please, don't forget, it wasn't ZA fault, but M$'s.
Comodo here.
I've been using it for few years. No problems.

From what I've seen, something related to DNS handling was changed in ZoneAlarm beginning with version 6.5.x and later builds. This was what hit the fan when MS issued their DNS handling changes.

IMO, I'm not sure assessing blame to one or the other is quite right. MS had to do something to fix the problem (because it has bad implications if not patched) and ZA's approach to handling DNS could not have anticipated that MS's changes would be coming. Since ZA patched things in less than 24 hours, I felt their reaction time was really excellent. The bad side of all this was that it ZA users were totally cut off from the web. Which made it tough to find out what was wrong... and figure out what to do to fix it.

And a reminder to Sygate users... It does not properly monitor local proxies. Many antivirus programs use local proxies, web filtering apps like the Proxomitron do too. If your antivirus doesn't catch the new malware, your PC could be compromised and you'd never know...

From a few days ago...

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/sho...d.php?t=231950

Quote:

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something related to DNS handling was changed in ZoneAlarm beginning with version 6.5.x and later builds. This was what hit the fan when MS issued their DNS handling changes.

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I wasn't aware of it. Thanks for the info.

Hi Rodney M, I would also suggest you Zone Alarm as your firewall.
You can download the latest version from: http://download.zonealarm.com/bin/fr...eld/index.html which doesn't have any problem with the MS Update.

Enjoy it :)

GFI

Hello. I've learned that an Internet Security Program, like Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0, uses less system power, and provides all around protection (Viruses, Hackers, Spam, and Proactive Defense). I got rid of Zone Alarm Pro years ago because the program's "Vector" kept crashing. I had problems with definition updates, and the tech support was unsatisfactory. I've used McAfee, Norton, Trend Micro, Computer Associates, and Zone Labs products. I find each of them totally unsatisfactory, and a waste of money. After some research, I tried Kaspersky Internet Security. I've been totally satisfied with the protection and technical support. I've been using KIS for several years, and I suggest you consider a free trial period. (Dell 1.8G, 1G RAM, XP Home SP3, Cable, KIS 7.0, CCleaner, and Tune-Up Utilities)

I agree with Raymond. Zone Alarm eats lot of resources and makes my PC very annoying with tons of security notices. I love the all-in-one protection from KIS 7.0. I use Spyspot Search & Destroy for additional protection against spyware and evil websites. This combination provides me a safe and fast experience for years.




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