Zone Alarm Headsup

[ranchhand]

Not a major issue, but be aware that Zone Alarm has sold out and is installing a nag screen with all new downloads. I am not sure if they will install it with normal updates on existing installations or not, but I will almost guarantee it will come with upgrade installations. It will popup with every boot and reboot, offering a Buy or Decline button message box. I guess it's not the biggest issue, but I resent someone hacking into my computer with a non-negotiable install item. It's my machine, I built it, I paid for it. If i find a fix I will post it. Hopefully someone will beat me to it.

[budz]

I haven't used Zone Alarm in years! Comodo Firewall for me.

[p_l]

Ditto Comodo. Switched when ZoneAlarm didn't support Vista 64-bit.

[AlanHK]

I use ZA 3.7, never updated, no need. All I want is for it to be a firewall, not any of the other scanning stuff they've added in later versions. It blocks stuff trying to probe me and tells me if any of my apps are trying to go online.

[marioval]

Maybe something very recentl? I'll check my version when I get home tonight. I downloaded the free ZA from their website about 1 week ago for Win732 and I have not had a single nag screen or popup.

[bevills1]

Older versions of Zonealarm are available for download at http://download.zonealarm.com/bin/free/information/znalm/zaReleaseHistory.html . I still use version 7.0.483.000 which was required to run Zonealarm internet security at recommended levels after some Windows update a little over a year ago. Options were to not install the update or lower internet security level after the Windows update.

[Ron B]

I stopped using ZoneAlarm a couple years ago. Since I have a couple websites; blog, etc., I finally bit the bullet and paid for a real AV program. For $40 a year, NOD32 has stopped everything that comes by and has a very small footprint; hardly know it's there until you need it.

[AlanHK]

I stopped using ZoneAlarm a couple years ago. Since I have a couple websites; blog, etc., I finally bit the bullet and paid for a real AV program. For $40 a year, NOD32 has stopped everything that comes by and has a very small footprint; hardly know it's there until you need it.

A firewall is not an antivirus program.

ZA was originally just a firewall (and that's what I use it for). NOD32 was originally an antivirus.
Both have added more functions in recent versions to claim to be the entire "security package", and that's a whole different category.

[Ron B]

A firewall is not an antivirus program.

True. But now, NOD32 blocks known malicious URLs which has kind of moved it beyond an AV program. The Windows firewall is activated on my Windows 7 rig(I didn't even check it until I wrote this post); so the Windows firewall and NOD32 is all the security I need. I've had Win7 for about a month; the MS firewall hasn't done jack, NOD32 has blocked a half dozen URLs. If you use a router and have some kind of dynamic broadband in addition to the stock MS firewall and a top shelf security program like NOD32; what kind of websites are you going to? If you are taking a "walk on the wild side" of the internet; better have a cloned boot drive handy.
If your firewall is notifying you about a program sending outgoing information; the horse is out of the barn.

[AlanHK]

If your firewall is notifying you about a program sending outgoing information; the horse is out of the barn.

No, first the program isn't "sending", it's trying to, and has been blocked pending authorisation.
Usually it's telling me things like Firefox is trying to go online, and as it's been updated its treated as a new program. Other programs trying to "phone home" to do things that aren't dangerous, but unnecessary, so I add them to the unauthorised list. Lots of programs want to "check for updates" every time they're launched, regardless of the fact that there haven't been any updates for years. And I particularly mistrust Microsoft programs that will try to update things I really do not want.

When I was hooked up directly to the modem, I could see the log showing probes every second. Since I use a router now, hardly anything gets to the software firewall.

what kind of websites are you going to? If you are taking a "walk on the wild side" of the internet; better have a cloned boot drive handy.

I don't use antivirus continuously, I just don't install anything I'm not sure of. Sometimes I use Sandboxie.

I've never had a virus in the 15 years or so I've been online, though you'll no doubt assume I'm actually riddled with them. I have run AV occasionally just to see if anything has got by and nothing has, aside from some mail attachments that I wasn't silly enough to run.

[JohnnyBob]

Zone Alarm has sold out...
Reference?