Author Topic: The Great Firewall Hunt ... frustrating ... (Read 47295 times)

mouser · « **Reply #25 on:** January 17, 2006, 04:06 PM »

i think we discussed lavasoft on another thread - it's the one thats a licensed cut-down version of agnitum outpost i think.

Mark0 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 17, 2006, 05:14 PM »

Oh, sorry!

Bye!

m_s · « **Reply #27 on:** January 17, 2006, 05:48 PM »

After a month or so of using Look 'n' Stop, I highly recommend it - it's very light on resources (right now running at 5mb, often at 2mb or less), and extremely easy to set up and use. In fact, since its pre-installed ruleset is pretty comprehensive, it's one of those install, run, and forget programs (once you've disabled the by-default-on-irritating-noise everytime it blocks an intrusion).

mouser · « **Reply #28 on:** January 17, 2006, 06:00 PM »

mark0 we miss you on irc channel - don't be a stranger

NigelH · « **Reply #29 on:** August 30, 2006, 06:02 PM »

This thread is pretty old, but I thought I'd revive it with a new entry
Ashampoo FireWall - It's FREE for all

Has anyone tried it?
I will do so in a few days - just don't have the time right now.

http://www.ashampoo.com/frontend/products/php/product.php?session_langid=2&idstring=0050
http://www.ashampoo-root03.com/webcache/html/1/product_2_0050_.htm

app103 · « **Reply #30 on:** August 31, 2006, 08:44 AM »

There are things in Zone Alarm that conflict with a lot of antivirus programs. But that can be easily fixed by disabling the redundant features so they don't compete.

Disable the email protection and any antivirus features in Zone Alarm...they exist already in your antivirus. You don't need them and it will probably behave on your system now.

If you feel like doing a lot of reading, this might be interesting to you: http://www.appsapps....assic/firewalls.html

tomos · « **Reply #31 on:** August 31, 2006, 10:23 AM »

App,
were you saying somewhere else that you use an older version of Zone Alarm?
if so, could you tell us why - briefly

... (Edit: if its relevant

!)
thanks
tom

app103 · « **Reply #32 on:** September 01, 2006, 05:04 AM »

I use an older version of Zone Alarm Pro (v4.5) because all I want is a great firewall. I don't need features that are covered by my antivirus. When they started adding all that crap to it, I stopped upgrading.

The pro version has an advantage over the free version in that I can import/export settings and add bad IP's to a block list.

Pro version also has some pretty good ad/popup blocking for IE that was important on my other pc when I was using a very light homemade browser as my main browser.

It blocks what it should and doesn't block what it shouldn't...it works. What more do I need?

My new pc came with Norton pre-installed. What a nightmare! Every time I tried to use IRC, it would end up blocking the servers after the standard scan they do....even after telling Norton not to do that. I think I got rid of it after a max of 2 weeks of frustration.

In order to make more money, they added more crap to Zone Alarm. They didn't improve the firewall itself. That remained the same. What you get when you upgrade is stuff they have convinced you that you need, even though you probably already have it covered in other software, and maybe the other software is doing a better job of it. It's a sort of manufactured paranoia in order to boost profits.

When you have an already perfect product and there really isn't a way to improve on it, the only way you are going to get your customers to upgrade is to add new features.

How do you 'improve' the best firewall? By making it a combo firewall/antivirus....

But is that really an improvement if it's not the best antivirus?

No. You end up having to disable all the new antivirus stuff and running a good antivirus any way. Not disabling all that new stuff will make it conflict with any antivirus you decide to run.

So it would be pretty stupid for me to pay for features I am going to disable.

If you plan on relying solely on Zone Alarm as both your firewall and antivirus, then the upgrade or purchase of the latest version is worth it. But I don't have enough confidence in their product to trust it as my antivirus. I will let AVG handle that part of my security.

As far as Zone Alarm's firewall goes though, I love it.

tomos · « **Reply #33 on:** September 01, 2006, 06:20 AM »

thanks for that App

I might try out the free version, I'm having some trouble with my connection & think it may be to do with Kerio,
(... or possibly that router cable i exchanged ... $:-\$ ... )

Josh · « **Reply #34 on:** September 01, 2006, 10:04 AM »

You know, since m0n0wall has been mentioned, have any of you tried out smoothwall? Its a similar concept (although v3.0 seems to be in infinite limbo) and based off the *nix series of OS's.

http://www.smoothwall.org

mouser · « **Reply #35 on:** September 01, 2006, 11:29 AM »

ps. I'm fully back to using the latest Agnitum Outpost.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #36 on:** September 01, 2006, 12:59 PM »

I am now using Outpost fully again - and seem to have lost the crashes.

Can't say I am looking forward to version 4 being released if the version 3 debacle is repeated. I wonder if they will make the upgrade optional to allow the inevitable wrinkles to be ironed out?

JeffK · « **Reply #37 on:** September 01, 2006, 05:00 PM »

The lack of adequate support for Windows XP Fast User Switching prevents me from using Outpost even though I have a two year licence (admittedly bought with a substantial discount via DonationCoder.com).

I have been using Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall until recently when I switched to ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware which AFAICT has the full ZA firewall built in. ZA had sent me an email offering me this program together with a licence for Robofrom Pro for $US30. Given that I had a Roboform licence for home (thanks to superboyac) and I wanted one for work, this was too hard to resist.

Jeff

thunder7 · « **Reply #38 on:** September 01, 2006, 05:01 PM »

How about Blackice?

Hellie · « **Reply #39 on:** September 09, 2006, 12:04 PM »

I am using the Vistnetic Firewall at the moment, they sent me a free license as I am setting up a voluntary organistion. There is Trial though www.deerfield.com. It works well with NOD32 AV.

Also Comodo and Jetico which are both free firewalls.

Helen

NigelH · « **Reply #40 on:** September 09, 2006, 02:45 PM »

Well, I think I'm going back to ZoneAlarm Pro (the very last V5 build).
I tried both the Ashampoo and Comodo firewalls (Comodo definitely being the fuller featured) and had no problem with any of them.
However, neither have one essential requirement from my point of view (nor does any other free firewall, afaik).
That requrement? Password based access to application/rule management (and shutdown etc..).

Cloq · « **Reply #41 on:** September 15, 2006, 05:41 PM »

I have gone back to KPF 2.1.5. It may not be perfect, but it does the job. I am just worried about what I am going to use when Vista is released. I dislike most of the firewalls that are out there right now. It is sick in how bloated "personal" firewalls and antivirus have become.

NOD32 and KPF 2.1.5 are my choice programs for now.

patteo · « **Reply #42 on:** July 24, 2008, 03:00 AM »

I use an older version of Zone Alarm Pro (v4.5) because all I want is a great firewall. I don't need features that are covered by my antivirus. When they started adding all that crap to it, I stopped upgrading.

The pro version has an advantage over the free version in that I can import/export settings and add bad IP's to a block list.

Pro version also has some pretty good ad/popup blocking for IE that was important on my other pc when I was using a very light homemade browser as my main browser.

It blocks what it should and doesn't block what it shouldn't...it works. What more do I need?

My new pc came with Norton pre-installed. What a nightmare! Every time I tried to use IRC, it would end up blocking the servers after the standard scan they do....even after telling Norton not to do that. I think I got rid of it after a max of 2 weeks of frustration.

In order to make more money, they added more crap to Zone Alarm. They didn't improve the firewall itself. That remained the same. What you get when you upgrade is stuff they have convinced you that you need, even though you probably already have it covered in other software, and maybe the other software is doing a better job of it. It's a sort of manufactured paranoia in order to boost profits.

When you have an already perfect product and there really isn't a way to improve on it, the only way you are going to get your customers to upgrade is to add new features.

How do you 'improve' the best firewall? By making it a combo firewall/antivirus....

But is that really an improvement if it's not the best antivirus?

No. You end up having to disable all the new antivirus stuff and running a good antivirus any way. Not disabling all that new stuff will make it conflict with any antivirus you decide to run.

So it would be pretty stupid for me to pay for features I am going to disable.

If you plan on relying solely on Zone Alarm as both your firewall and antivirus, then the upgrade or purchase of the latest version is worth it. But I don't have enough confidence in their product to trust it as my antivirus. I will let AVG handle that part of my security.

As far as Zone Alarm's firewall goes though, I love it.

-app103 (September 01, 2006, 05:04 AM)

I just took a look at my ZoneAlarm Pro licence and discovered that Heh Heh, it expired almost 4 years ago (meaning I can use it but cannot get the latest version or neither can I get access to help when a pop-up appears) . I'm still on ZoneAlarm 5.1

And despite the various never to be repeated offers to upgrade now and get our partner XYZ world's best-do-what-ever-it-is software also for free for a low upgrade fee.

I'm not sure if it's foolishness or stupidity or it would never happen to me attitude that made me stay off the upgrade train.

I keep reading about all these drive by websites attacks and what have you. So it makes me wonder.

I of course have the AVG 7.5, Windows Defender updated. Scan periodically. I set the Windows Update to automatic, although I have not installed SP3 as yet.

I haven't had anyone steal my identity as far as I can tell. LOL. I hope I won't regret saying this.

Wow, what version is ZoneAlarm Pro at now.

Just wondering what version should it get to before I get Alarmed enough to jump back on the upgrade train.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this post was that after reading Gizmo's website about Firewall, I decided to check out Commodo's Firewall 3.0 - I dumped it not because it's bad, but it was intimidating with the number of pop-ups that I had to deal (probably will reduce as I use it more) with and it also blocked Activesync - I could not accept that.

I was wondering if there are many more out in donationcoder who have resisted the ZoneAlarm Pro upgrade train and continued with an "outdated" version for an extended period of time and still more than survived to surf another day.

Maybe if I feel the need to check out the ZoneAlarm upgrade train again, I may opt to check out Sunbelt instead and possibly just stick with the Free Sunbelt Personal Firewall which may by itself already be better than my good old trusty ZoneAlarm Pro 5.1, simply because Sunbelt has it's own upgrade train as well.

tomos · « **Reply #43 on:** July 24, 2008, 03:16 AM »

I'm trying out Online Armor (free version) after a long spell with just windows firewall

Setting it up after install was a pain - it lists all your programmes and asks you to approve them individually
"individually" means you cant select more than one at a time - I tell a lie, you can use Ctrl+click to select more than one but it's still painfully slow (think I gotta uninstall lots from this pc

)

There's still lots of popups but they're reducing in quantity very quickly = I'm happy so far

cthorpe · « **Reply #44 on:** July 24, 2008, 07:23 AM »

I am using Look 'n' Stop (http://looknstop.com).

Currently it is sitting at 0% CPU usage, 12mb ram, and 8mb pagefile usage. I have seen no evidence that it is slowing my pc down, and it doesn't appear to slow down browsing or any other internet access. I get a single pop up when a new program tries to make a connection to the internet. As for initial setup, it is not easy, however, I spent $10 and purchased a pre configured rule set, and I haven't had to worry too much about it. Licenses for Look n Stop are $29.00, however there are discounts if you order more than one copy. I bought 2 licenses (one more my desktop, and one more my wife's laptop) for $40.00 total.

C

Disclaimer - I am a registered user of Look n Stop, and I am very satisfied with the program. I have not been, and will not be, compensated in any way for positive comments made about the program or any sales generated by those comments.

Fedorov · « **Reply #45 on:** July 24, 2008, 07:36 AM »

I'm trying out Online Armor (free version) after a long spell with just windows firewall

Setting it up after install was a pain - it lists all your programmes and asks you to approve them individually
"individually" means you cant select more than one at a time - I tell a lie, you can use Ctrl+click to select more than one but it's still painfully slow (think I gotta uninstall lots from this pc )

There's still lots of popups but they're reducing in quantity very quickly = I'm happy so far
-tomos (July 24, 2008, 03:16 AM)

Just to make things easier, they are only the programs that you find in your START menu so you can easily just click the very top level and then click allow.
Of course you should only do this if you know what everything in your start menu is - I do I installed it

Choosing allow for them at this stage is only telling OnlineArmor that they are allowed to RUN, not that they can have internet access.
The Program Guard monitors what is allowed to run
The Firewall helps you block anything from getting out.

Hope that helps if you didn't already know this.
Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.

tomos · « **Reply #46 on:** July 24, 2008, 08:08 AM »

Just to make things easier, they are only the programs that you find in your START menu so you can easily just click the very top level and then click allow.
-Fedorov (July 24, 2008, 07:36 AM)

That's what I was hoping for but didnt manage to figure out

The logical route would be to be able to allow all & then select anything you want to block - true there shouldnt be anything there to block but gotta admit I didnt recognise one or two things there ..

After install, on the programs tab it showed programs -as you say- in the start menu, but it also often showed the parent folder (occasionally showing e.g. an uninstall.exe as well) i.e. a two level tree
When I "Allowed" the parent folder the contents of same were NOT automatically allowed

When I look at the tab now it only shows the software (links) no parent folders - probably cause most are already allowed?
Anyways, it's setup now

Armando · « **Reply #47 on:** July 27, 2008, 04:01 PM »

I'm very satisfied with Online Armor. It's getting great reviews almost everywhere on security sites.
I've had only a few small and temporary freeze "problems", related to HIPS, during the initial firewall's learning process.

The free version is good, but the paid version is better even (e.g. : it allows you to save your configurations)

I don't mind the occasional pop ups. I believe this is absolutely normal for a security app. The pop ups appear only rarely anyways (now that it's been running for some months), and most of them when I install a new software.

I'm so satisfied that I bought a 2 year license.

and to partly quote Carl

:

Disclaimer - I am a registered user of

Online Armor

and I am very satisfied with the program. I have not been, and will not be, compensated in any way for positive comments made about the program or any sales generated by those comments.