[brokenhead]

Hi cookiegal.

Your stickies are very informative, but I did have one question. I used to use Gibson Research to get an idea of how my ports look to the Internet. But lately I can't seem to connect to the site. Are you aware of any reason that may be?

I really do not know of any other site that compares with GRC's Shields Up!

Thanks

BH

[blues_harp28]

What link are you using?
http://www.grc.com/default.htm
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

[RootbeaR]

Originally Posted by brokenhead

Hi cookiegal.

You stickies are very informative, but I did have one question. I used to use Gibson Research to get an idea of how my ports look to the Internet. But lately I can't seem to connect to the site. Are you aware of any reason that may be?

I really do not know of any other site that compares with GRC's Shields Up!

Thanks

BH

Is this the page you are going to?
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Check your firewall.

Try another browser.

[brokenhead]

Originally Posted by blues_harp28

What link are you using?
http://www.grc.com/default.htm
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

I was using the first one.

I just tried the second one and got into the site. But on the Welcome To Shields Up page, there is a button to "PROCEED" after you have read their explanations. Pressing it does nothing but hang the page - another page looks as if it may be starting to load, but just kind of poops out.

Originally Posted by RootbeaR

Check your firewall.

Try another browser

.

I don't know why the firewall should be the sticking point, especially without sending any messages.

But when I swiyched to Opera, everything worked perfectly. Surprise, right?

Thanks for the suggestions!

BH

[Mr. Newton]

try this.
http://www.grc.com/default.htm

[brokenhead]

RootbeaR's suggestion to try another browser fixed everything. I also have Opera I like to fire up once in a while. You don't always need to know why a MS product doesn't function correctly - just that it doesn't and there are other alternatives out there.

I dual-boot with Kubuntu and often find myself taking refuge there for days at a time, and returning to XP when I have to.

I was tempted to switch to Kubuntu after reading RootbeaR's post. But I really needed to know how my XP setup with ZA was stealthing or closing my ports, so if I had gone to the Linux and had been able to connect to GRC successfully, the port-scan tests would have been less meaningful.

All in all: 1) I am behind a wireless router with NAT, and 2) I use Zone Alarm, so I am pretty much "stealthed" to the Internet.

BTW, I first started to use ZA after visiting this very site (grc.com) He was very high on the way ZA adjusts itself to your surfing habits to optimize your security. The fact is, many of the articles at GRC are somewhat dated. Steve conceded that many AV programs would be starting to use adaptive shielding, and they since have, at least as I see it. Even some free AV proggies do.

Thanks for the feedback!