ZoneAlarm Security Suite - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Inferno · 10-15-2006, 04:51 PM

Has anybody tried this? I'm going to be cleaning out my computer tonight or tomorrow and I'm thinking about trying something else instead of Norton or McAfee since both hog your system and I found two spyware on my machine that Norton couldnt get rid of. MTS is offering it free for customers so I may download it if it's good.

Bobblehead · 10-15-2006, 04:57 PM

You mean for Anti-virus?

I'd say no, but no AV is perfect. However Norton has been getting a bad name, and Zone-Alarm has started getting a poor reputation as well (for screwing up Windows networking sometimes).

Inferno · 10-15-2006, 05:16 PM

I want something with Antivirus/Spyware and firewall protection. I used to use ZoneAlarm but was told by a buddy that Norton's built in firewall would be just as good so I didnt bother installing it the last time I reformatted.

Bobblehead · 10-15-2006, 05:24 PM

XP's firewall is fine.

Look for a good AV. The "Suites" are the old "Jack of all trade, master of none" type of thing.

Personally, I'm behind a router (for firewall protection) and use Avast (it's free). There are a number of solid AV solutions, but Norton isn't one of them.

Resolute 14 · 10-15-2006, 05:52 PM

Agreed. There is no suite that does not hog system resources.

XP firewall with a router is plenty fine, so just look for a decent antivirus program.

Buff · 10-15-2006, 06:04 PM

I recommend Trend Micro. I've found it to be easier on the system than either Norton or McAfee. I'm not talking about their free online scan called Housecall. They have an Internet Security Suite, or an Antivirus solution as well.

What do I run at home? I use Windows Firewall and I have a router. For antivirus I use AVG Free.

I think it is wise to stay away from McAfee and Norton though. Norton is the better of the two, but it can really hog a system's resources. I've not seen a computer that has McAfee installed on it that hasn't had problems.

Inferno · 10-15-2006, 06:12 PM

What if I dont have a router? Should I still use the XP firewall or go with another one?

calculoso · 10-15-2006, 07:03 PM

I love the Zone Alarm firewall personally. Much easier to customize to my desires than the Windows Firewall. The ZA Pro version is much better than the free one as far as customization goes, but my choice is to go with the free one regardless.

Bobblehead · 10-15-2006, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inferno

What if I dont have a router? Should I still use the XP firewall or go with another one?

XP Firewall is fine.

Cheese · 10-15-2006, 07:30 PM

Zone Alarm is nasty....if you ever want to change from that software itll take a long time to get all the residuals off your computer.
It became a real hog on my system...and took weeks to get it cleaned off....stay away.
I agree...use XP and get a router.

http://www.computergripes.com/ZoneAlarm.html
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1105700626.shtml

Coelah · 10-15-2006, 08:08 PM

The problem with relying on the XP firewall or a router is that if you ever do get infected by something (no program is perfect so you can still get infected) it won't stop that infection from connecting to the internet. They'll stop incoming threats but will still allow your computer to broadcast out.

If you want an all-in-one program; The 3 best ones, imo, are BitDefender, TrendMicro and Kaspersky.

The_Dude · 10-15-2006, 08:09 PM

Personally, I don't use a firewall or any anti-virus program. My computer has always been fine.

If it ever screws up, I just re format it.

Bobblehead · 10-15-2006, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coelah

The problem with relying on the XP firewall or a router is that if you ever do get infected by something (no program is perfect so you can still get infected) it won't stop that infection from connecting to the internet. They'll stop incoming threats but will still allow your computer to broadcast out.

If you want an all-in-one program; The 3 best ones, imo, are BitDefender, TrendMicro and Kaspersky.

If you have something on your computer that wants to broadcast out, your firewall/security has already failed.

Bill Bumface · 10-15-2006, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Dude

Personally, I don't use a firewall or any anti-virus program. My computer has always been fine.

If it ever screws up, I just re format it.

No offense, but its people like you that are a big threat to the rest of us out there. Hackers find people like you all over the place and make your computer do the dirty work for them when they go after us/our businesses. There are several free solutions, and it takes about 5 minutes to protect yourself.

cSpooge · 10-16-2006, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

No offense, but its people like you that are a big threat to the rest of us out there. Hackers find people like you all over the place and make your computer do the dirty work for them when they go after us/our businesses. There are several free solutions, and it takes about 5 minutes to protect yourself.

I don't run anything on my computer and I know its not a security risk. I have a router which is why i don't run a firewall (if a hacker can break thourgh a router firewall hes gonna get through pretty much any software firewall in under 2 mins). As for antivirus... why do I need it when I'm the only one using my computer and I don't download questionable files and I don't open email attachments unless its from somebody I know, and it is something that I was expecting. If its something unexpected I just fire off an email to the person to ask them what they are sending me. Also most hackers won't attack home computers much anymore because they can't get much power off them. Most of them will attack computer networks so that they can get at a bunch of machines at once and use it for more computing power. The other problem with home machines is that they get turned off too oftern for hackers to make good use of them.

FurnaceFace · 10-16-2006, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cSpooge

As for antivirus... why do I need it when I'm the only one using my computer and I don't download questionable files and I don't open email attachments unless its from somebody I know, and it is something that I was expecting. If its something unexpected I just fire off an email to the person to ask them what they are sending me. Also most hackers won't attack home computers much anymore because they can't get much power off them. Most of them will attack computer networks so that they can get at a bunch of machines at once and use it for more computing power. The other problem with home machines is that they get turned off too oftern for hackers to make good use of them.

Just for kicks, would you install Avast and run a scan? I'd be curious to see what it comes up with.

I think there is a significant portion of home users who leave their PCs running 24/7. I've got two of them at home right now. With the P2P file sharing these days lots of people leave their machines running so they can get their downloads down or they are just lazy like me and find it inconvenient to have to boot up every day. I know of reports from Gartner Group which indicate power consumption from modern PCs is minimal while they sit idle. The monitors are the big power consumer, and those are easily set to power save mode.

return to the red · 10-16-2006, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buff

What do I run at home? I use Windows Firewall and I have a router. For antivirus I use AVG Free.

Been using it for many years now and have never had any problems with it.

mykalberta · 10-16-2006, 10:56 AM

A combination of XP SP2 with all updatges, Windows Defender, AntiVir, along with a descent hardware firewall/router coupled with prudent surfing - example no russian or german webmastered sites etc will keep you safe.

No point in purchasing an expensive suite. If you feel the need to spend money on that, Panda Inernet Security has served my parents friends well - it eats processor and memory so be careful, the good thing is its only $15 from MemX.

MYK

Bill Bumface · 10-16-2006, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cSpooge

I don't run anything on my computer and I know its not a security risk. I have a router which is why i don't run a firewall (if a hacker can break thourgh a router firewall hes gonna get through pretty much any software firewall in under 2 mins). As for antivirus... why do I need it when I'm the only one using my computer and I don't download questionable files and I don't open email attachments unless its from somebody I know, and it is something that I was expecting. If its something unexpected I just fire off an email to the person to ask them what they are sending me. Also most hackers won't attack home computers much anymore because they can't get much power off them. Most of them will attack computer networks so that they can get at a bunch of machines at once and use it for more computing power. The other problem with home machines is that they get turned off too oftern for hackers to make good use of them.

Well you are definitely ahead of the other poster since you are behind a router (which is a hardware firewall). There have been many viruses out there that you can get just by browsing the internet however, so I wouldn't consider yourself immune.

cSpooge · 10-16-2006, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Well you are definitely ahead of the other poster since you are behind a router (which is a hardware firewall). There have been many viruses out there that you can get just by browsing the internet however, so I wouldn't consider yourself immune.

I don't.. but I run a browser that enforces HTML and HTTP standards unlike IE, so I feel im more then secure enough, and the fact that I don't go to questionable websites im fine.

As for the guy who asked me to run avast.... came up with nothing... ran adaware and it came up with 3 tracking cookies (that is about 4 months since the last scan).