[jumbo 1]

Greetings,
I suppose this is a regular question.......but is there a free Firewall that is equal to or comparable to Comodo Free Firewall ...????

Cheers,

Jumbo 1

[Satchfan]

ZoneAlarm is a good firewall. The link below will direct you to a download link. Don't forget to uninstall any other and make sure Windows firewall is disabled before installing a new one.

http://www.download.com/ZoneAlarm-Firewall-Windows-2000-XP-/3000-10435_4-10039884.html

[TOGG]

I have no idea what, if any, reliance can be placed on the 'findings' of sites that purport to test security software because so many factors can affect the outcome of such tests.

Having said that, the Matousec site gives the free version of Zone Alarm a very poor rating; http://www.matousec.com/projects/pro...ge/results.php

[Satchfan]

I have had Zone Alarm free and AVG free on all my PCs for over 10 years and have never had a problem.

Having said that, I also have Spybot S&D, (free real-time registry watch), Malwarebytes Antimalware (free), SpywareBlaster, (free) and SuperAntispyware, (free) so it could be the combination that protects.

Thanks for the info anyway.

[TOGG]

I also used ZA free on my 98 computer (before I upgraded to the Pro version), and didn't have any problems. Many people seem to believe that ZA products deteriorated when the present owners took over, but I have no idea if there is any truth in that.

I had problems transferring the Pro version to my current XP computer and so started using Comodo when it first came out.

[E-7]

I've used various versions of zone alarm firewall, free and paid, and it performed excellent. As to the matousec ratings, well, that's a whole other thread on reviewing criteria, and how the tests are performed and that's well beyond my expertise. It's also very controversial but interesting reading on various forums threads.

My criteria is simple: test on my computer configurations and if it does it's job I keep it - if it fails I rip it out and move on to another product, free or paid.

[Satchfan]

I agree E-7.

After reading TOGG's interesting post, I'm tempted to try Comodo but then I think "If it ain't broke, why fix it?", so I'll stick with ZA, for now at least.

I hope all this is not confusing Jumbo 1

[golferbob]

i have been using comodo free firewall for a few years with no problems ,i also switched from avg 8.5 free to comodo antivirus. i have no problem with then running on the system. i use panda free on line scan once a week just to be sure. if you download WATCH you don't need to install "ask tool bar & browser " if you don't want them ,i don't.


http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/

[Phantom010]

ZA has been causing quite a few problems lately on some computers. Conflicts, Internet connection problems, etc.

[E-7]

Originally Posted by Phantom010

ZA has been causing quite a few problems lately on some computers. Conflicts, Internet connection problems, etc.

My experience with zone alarm - its been PEBKAC. From what I have read, on various forums about ZA, some users are installing security software without uninstalling previous firewall and/or running two firewalls, and/or running two antivirus software products and various other security software packages conflicting with one another. There is a more is better running rampant among some users and they believe they can run two firewalls, run two antivirus, etc. and then blame ZA. IMO, some users are creating quite a jumble on their computer systems. But if ZA is not to a user's liking there are other good firewalls out there and they are like opinions we all like ours best

[Satchfan]

I agree about the firewalls and AV - more than one of each can not only make the computer unstable, but can also cancel out their effectiveness.

However, there is more Malware about these days and viruses are, in some cases, hardly a problem in comparison to other forms of Malware. Other programs are extremely necessary in addition to AV and firewall.

Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D used to be the most effective against spyware and adware but are a bit out-of-date now, especially Ad Aware.

As ALL Antivirus programs have their own databases and no two are alike, so do antimalware programs and it is therefore an absolute necessity to use the free ones that are available.

Malwarebytes Antimalware, (MBAM), eg can clear the mess made of a PC by using Rogue AV programs, whereas AVs can't. SuperAntispyware can pick up others that MBAM can't, as does SpywareBlaster.

These are not making a mess of the computer and I don't notice any difference in performance. Neither do any of them conflict with each other.

Maybe a good idea to try them out and see if they find anything because lack of symptoms does not mean a clean computer - most backdoor trojans deliberately don't want to be noticed.

[E-7]

I agree with you Satchfan. MBAM, SAS and Spywareblaster are among my other software. I like them and use them and recommend them. Let me clarify "mess" I'm talking about other users that I've read their posts on other forums and they are using two firewalls and or two antivirus software packages and hybrid anti-spyware software may now include anti-virus protection and can conflict with a user's main anti-virus software; some of these are Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware, CounterSpy with VIPRE and others.

I also agree with you that lack of symptoms doesn't mean you're not infected. Besides resident antivirus, resident antispyware, and on demand scanners, there are a number of online scanners that can be used to verify the health of your computer. I agree with you, staying ahead of malware is key.

[Gizzy]

There's a lot of good free firewalls but it depends on what you're looking for in one, or what you would consider comparable to comodo, do you mean comodo's firewall strength, or it's HIPS stength (Defense+ part of comodo)?

The matousecs site doesn't really test inbound firewall strength it tests the outbound part more, a good HIPS program could pass a lot of the tests, which is why you'll notice the firewalls at the top of the list have strong HIPS, so the sites scoring could be good if you want good HIPS/outbound strength in a firewall.

[Satchfan]

Thanks for getting back to the point Gizzy.

This is good: we're talking serious stuff now. Keep the info coming, we could learn a lot here.

Are you still with us jumbo 1?