[dotty999]

I've recently downloaded this firewall and I like the look of it, I thought it was working well however, I've done a Leak Test via Steve Gibson's site and it failed! it passed the other security checks though.
Has anyone used the PC Tools firewall before or can offer any explanation for the result?

[hrlow2]

Dotty
I have used the PCTools firewall several years ago, but removed it simply because it seemed to let things in. Not as good as Comodo Personal that I now use.Older version, but I like the interface.
Comodo now has Comodo Internet Security that combines firewall and antivirus. The firewall is the better part of the package. You have the option( and lots of people do) of NOT installing the AV portion. Some just because they like what they already have.
Definately a better choice than PCTools.

[dotty999]

thanks hrlow for your reply, I've tried several firewalls in the past including Comodo, I didn't much care for it as I didn't find it as straightforward as perhaps Zone Alarm which I've recently had to uninstall due to conflicting issues since their latest updates, it's generally a case of personal preference although some aren't as easy to understand or configure as others, guess I should check a few out and see if I can find a more reliable one.

[Gizzy]

I used pctools firewall but not for very long I do want to look into it more though,

I happen to like how it runs light,
shows the website it's connecting to instead of the ip,
how you don't get many pop-ups,
and it's just a plain firewall unlike most now a days how all the firewalls are adding HIPS,
I happen to like HIPS and use it as my main security but they're not very easy to use and configure for people that don't really know about them,

I believe pc tools firewall has a light HIPS but it's turned off by default,

I think it's a strong firewall but might need a little more configuring...like I said I want to look at it deeper one day, I never tried it against the leaktest I think you're talking about (ShieldsUP?) since my router takes care of that so I'd have to turn it off first,

If you meant a different leaktest I'll try it and see if I can figure out why it fails, I think it's still installed on my virtual machine,

Here's a thread that might help http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showt...earning+thread if you're still interested in pctools firewall

It's changed a lot in the past several years I think and if you like matousec's tests then it scores well on their site not far behind comodo...

[dotty999]

Thanks Giz

I'll check that info out! I like the way it works and the fact it's easy to understand unlike others, it was indeed the Steve Gibson Shields Up I used but what I don't understand is it passed every other test which included all ports which were found to be totally secure so how could it penetrate the firewall without permission?
I've had some serious pc issues recently, mainly umpteen crashes a day! after much investigation I think I've found the culprit! Zone Alarm! since I got rid of it everything seems to be working fine!
I would appreciate any more info re firewalls as I may have to try out others to find the best that suits me, simplicity of use being as important as performance though I do wonder if the Leak Test is showing a false positive due to other results.

[Gizzy]

Well at least you found out what was causing your crashes now it's just the problem of finding a replacement,

What part of the test did it fail?

I could be wrong but I thought I remember reading that it failed the stealth test (could've been a different firewall) if that's the case then it should still be safe to use as long as your ports come up closed,

Out of the firewalls I'm familiar with pctools is the easiest and quietest but I haven't tried them all so maybe other people will offer suggestions.

[dotty999]

thanks Giz!
it passed the stealth test and only failed the Leak Test, I was under the impression that my router would add extra security to my firewall and so it could be a glitch with the test.
I haven't heard of any other firewall that's as easy as this apart from Zone Alarm however, Steve Gibson states every other firewall failed his tests apart from Zone Alarm! if that's the case then it doesn't really matter which I use, I certainly wont be reverting to pc crashings again that's for sure!

[Gizzy]

A router will offer extra inbound security,

And that's true if only zonealarm passes then it won't matter which you use, and it is better than the computer crashing.

[TOGG]

PC Tools gets a good rating at the Matousec site, second only to the Comodo Internet Security firewall (as far as free programs are concerned); http://www.matousec.com/projects/fir...ge/results.php

The thing to bear in mind with all these 'testing' sites (including Steve Gibson's) is that we can't know exactly how much reliance to place on their findings (if any)

The other thing, particularly with sites like Matousec, is that they may not be testing the version that you have. I use the CIS firewall, minus the AV, and my version number, 3.8.65951.477, is very different to the one tested by Matousec, presumably because it's a later version.

[dotty999]

I checked out some free firewall reviews from different sites, one said Zone Alarm was poor! it also said PC Tools was quite good but better for advanced users who could configure it better than a mere novice like me!
Comodo does well but I personally didn't like it, nor was it as easy as others, guess I'll see how this one performs as I really like the look of it.

[dotty999]

Originally Posted by TOGG

PC Tools gets a good rating at the Matousec site, second only to the Comodo Internet Security firewall (as far as free programs are concerned); http://www.matousec.com/projects/fir...ge/results.php

The thing to bear in mind with all these 'testing' sites (including Steve Gibson's) is that we can't know exactly how much reliance to place on their findings (if any)

The other thing, particularly with sites like Matousec, is that they may not be testing the version that you have. I use the CIS firewall, minus the AV, and my version number, 3.8.65951.477, is very different to the one tested by Matousec, presumably because it's a later version.

I checked that site out earlier, I just decided to try out the SSTS Firewall Challenge and on downloading the file, Avast says it is a trojan!