whocares
Premium
join:2003-07-26
..
| Your advise,Plz
hello everyone, HOPE that you have a good weekend,
"Just curious" & would like your opinion/advise,about something,
Situation: running the "freebie" Zone alarm,(newest version) and have been useing freebie Z/A maybe 2,3,4,yrs, NO PROBLEMS I like it.
Question:
Since our local Office supply store sells the Z/A. PRO,(not tje plain Z/A/)
wondering if that would maybe give me a ??? (I don't know) a stronger firewall,or better firewall, against more "baddies",(more then i am being protected from now) trying to enter or get on my computer?
NO i don't d/l a lot of games,or music,ect,(most games, music, ect I have on cd, & d/l when they were freebies on the "net".
take care ok,& remember this weekend,
TAKE SOME TIME OUT for YOU jazzy"
--
I try to be friends with everyone,wary of a few,& will always be an enemy to some reguardless of what we do |
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John2g
Qui Tacet Consentit
Premium
join:2001-08-10
England
| Not really. It gives you a few extra bells and whistles, but I am fairly sure the basic firewall is much the same.
Test yourself at GRC and if you pass the tests, why spend money in upgrading.
--
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. |
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whocares
Premium
join:2003-07-26
..
1 edit | Thanks John, yes have that site/link saved & every time I ck there, (maybe once a month ) its shows me in "STEALTH" mode,
so
i am invis,invia,ugh,envi,,ugh inves, no
one can see me, lol
--
I try to be friends with everyone,wary of a few,
& will always be an enemy to some reguardless of what we do
|
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JTM1051
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-08
Moorpark, CA
| reply to whocares
By your profile you're using DSL.
If you do not already have one, IMHO better off spending money on getting a good NAT/SPI router as a first line/layer of defense.
If you already have a NAT/SPI router and still curious about ZA Pro vs. ZA Free you can click here to see the different features between ZA Free and ZA Pro.
Some users' systems and/or other security apps (e.g., Avast AV) have problems with ZA Pro's privacy features enabled. Have not seen any reviews/articles on how good/effective the "Triple Defense Firewall" is than the "Basic Firewall".
The main reason I originally bought ZA Plus was support Zone Labs. I give donations to devs that provide good freeware apps that I use on a regular basis.
Personally, I'm staying with ZA Pro 5.5.094.000 until it's no longer safe to use, then will start looking for another software firewall. For me ZA Pro 6.x version is bloated with too many non-firewall features that's a duplication of features already provided by my AV, AS and AT security apps. |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs:
 ·Optimum Online
 ·Vonage
| reply to whocares
said by whocares  :Thanks John, yes have that site/link saved & every time I ck there, (maybe once a month ) its shows me in "STEALTH" mode, so i am invis,invia,ugh,envi,,ugh inves, no
one can see me, lol Stick with ZAF, it's fine. The firewall is the same in both. You've got all your other bases covered with other products, and as mentioned, ZA Pro sometimes doesn't play nice with Avast.
--
~~Then the rainstorm came over me and I felt my spirit break; I had lost all of my belief you see, and realized my mistake...~~ |
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Gem
Premium
join:2005-09-10
·CableOne
| Hi Jazzy,
I agree with everything said so far. Stick with ZAFree.
I would even recommend version 4.5.594 over the newer models. John2g may too.
Likewise, if you don't already have a NAT router. That would be money more wisely spent.
If you do already have a Nat/Router, and want to consider another paid security program, several folks here recommend BOClean (you can google for it). There is no trial version, but it does have a 30 day money back guarantee. It may slow your computer down just slightly, but it is pretty much a "set and forget" sort of thing.
It has both supporters and detractors here, so use your own judgment in evaluating it, or your opinion of the long time members here who post pro and con about it.
The other thing you might consider that is free is the Microsoft Windows Disk Protection Shared Computer Toolkit. It is now available free from Microsoft to home users and you don't have to have a shared computer to benefit from it.
It is a bit complicated to start with, but there are folks here who might be able to help. There is also a long thread here in the security forum about it. The first 4 pages of that thread cover most of what you would need to know - after that it gets pretty esoteric (whatever that means). |
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marti
Color outside the lines
Premium,MVM
join:2001-12-14
Houston, TX
clubs:
| reply to whocares
Jazzy, stick with the free Zone Alarm firewall for now. In reading your posts in the forums that I do read here, you seem to be trying too much at the same time. You have to add something new to your system and make sure it's stable before you run off and add something else.
Sure, some of us that have a tiny bit more of experience can do things on our systems, and sometimes we get carried away and we have problems.
I'm sure your computer system is running just fine with ZA free, and unless you have piles of money laying around for new software purchases, learn how to use that firewall first, before you run off and get something more sophisticated.
Do take the time to wander around the Zone Labs site, so you can learn about the features available in each product.
--
Color outside the lines. |
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whocares
Premium
join:2003-07-26
..
| Thank you again everyone,
yes have been useing 'freebie" Z/A and REGISTERED AVAST antivirus for about 1,2 yrs, and ONLY problem / conflict ever came a cross is
when installing AVAST, theres ???a program / ICON in AVAST [b]"eyeball/blinking eye[b] icon"' that will not install because of Z/A,,other then that everything working great,
wow, Z/A "'triple firewall???
take care everyone, leaving z/a & avast as is. "jazzy"
--
I try to be friends with everyone,wary of a few,& will always be an enemy to some reguardless of what we do |
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andyb
Premium
join:2003-05-29
SW Ontario | reply to whocares
Re: Your advise,Plz
Purchase a router and you will be more secure than you need.The only thing you will need your zone alarm for is to check on outgoing stuff,unless of course you live dangerously  |
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EGeezer
Go Bobcats
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
1 edit | reply to whocares
In my last experience three years ago with purchasing Zone Alarm Pro from a (well known) reseller, we found out the hard way that ZA's support was different(IMO worse) for products purchased through resellers versus directly from them. We also found that the version shipped was a downlevel version and had a lot of difficulty getting the version upgrade, so be sure to check before you purchase.
Maybe they've changed, but I've been gun shy about recommending ZA Pro to my commercial customers based on the support we received under that license.
As for whether you want Pro, I'd say based on your long time participation and many prior posts and here in BBR that I kinda know you, and feel you're OK with the version you have.
As for a HW firewall, I recommend it since my experience was that when updating ZA, it and some other software firewalls may shut down while you're upgrading. If you're connected to the internet, that could mean being connected without firewall protection.
There was a lengthy discussion about shutdowns during updates awhile back, if anyone can find it please post. 
Have a sunny weekend!
EG
--
Enemy of those who make him an enemy, friend of those who have no friends. |
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EGeezer
Go Bobcats
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to whocares
shutdown link
Regarding the software firewall shutdown topic I referred to, I finally found the link
»firewall shutdown when updating ?
I don't think any FW vendor mentioned ever provided an answer.If they did, I missed it.
--
Enemy of those who make him an enemy, friend of those who have no friends. |
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whocares
Premium
join:2003-07-26
..
1 edit | andyb
Purchase a router and you will be more secure than you need.The only thing you will need your zone alarm for is to check on outgoing stuff,unless of course you live dangerously
so this brings up question, say i go with a router,(?/from office depot or office max)
geeze so many, which one,
»www.officedepot.com/textSearch.d···t=router
use 1 computer, 1 phone line, 1 user
IF it comes with a build in firewall,
who makes the firewall,
are there areupdates to it??
thanks again, Just casually looking at different routers.
Jazzy"
--
I try to be friends with everyone,wary of a few,
& will always be an enemy to some reguardless of what we do
|
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JTM1051
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-08
Moorpark, CA
1 edit | If you have not already done so, read BBR Security Forum's FAQs for NAT Routers. It will provide the basics and others here can help with any questions you may have.
I'm using a old simple non-wireless 4-Port Netgear RP614 v2 NAT/SPI router. The router also has PPPoE, which allows me to use my dynamic PPPoE DSL like a static "always on" DSL service.
Edit: BTW/FYI the BBR Hardware By Brand Forum has forums for most of the major router brands. |
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EGeezer
Go Bobcats
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
| reply to whocares
Of those SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) boxes in your list, the Linksys befsr41 and D-Link DI604 would work fine with a DSL or cable connection. they are basic boxes and don't function as VPN endpoints. I'm assuming you don't have requirements for complex rulesets or setups and just use your single PC for the usual home web surfing, email and shopping/banking stuff.
NOTE - if you have dialup they won't work. I know there are such devices such as the Netgear FVS328, Netopia 3686XL and (I think) some ZyXel models)that work with dialup but I have no experience with them. These are typically more expensive than the simpler ones in Office Depot's list.
As for the firewall, that's part of the firmware loaded into the router - it's integrated into the router functions by the router manufacturer. Manufacturers sometimes issue firmware upgrades, but on no particular schedule. I haven't had firmware updates on the SOHO routers I support in about a year.
If you do have dialup, your issue is simpler - just disconnect right after you download updates and don't dialup until you've completed your updates and verified your AV/firewall etc are active.
--
Enemy of those who make him an enemy, friend of those who have no friends. |
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whocares
Premium
join:2003-07-26
..
| Re: shutdown link/ JTM
so after reading about 1/2 through your link, read BBR Security Forum's FAQs for NAT Routers
IF i understand correctly where I am now/my ip # is in stealth mode,and changes each time I re boot,
it will then become visable useing a router???
THANK YOU for the help all, jazzy"
"RG" no i am dsl,not dialup
--
I try to be friends with everyone,wary of a few,& will always be an enemy to some reguardless of what we do |
|
EGeezer
Go Bobcats
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
| If you use one of the ones I mentioned from your OfficeMax link, you'll be able to specify in the router configuration whether to respond to a PING or not respond("stealth").
I'm assuming your ISP provided you with a modem and not a router. In that case, some ISPs will change the IP address every time the customer's PC or router reboots, sometimes not. It depends on your ISP, your service agreement and location.
If you're not sure, give them a call. They should be able to verify their policy.
--
Enemy of those who make him an enemy, friend of those who have no friends. |
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