Re: Antivirus and Firewall Protection

I am no expert but I disagree with you on the "new" ZoneAlarm
I too have used the product since '98 at first the free version but now the
bought version.
I have created a network of 4 computers with 2 of them wireless,this
entailed setting up ZA to allow all Systems
to see the others as well as Outlook Express with MailWasher and entering a
Java Enabled purchasing system.
I still find ZA to be fairly easy to setup to allow all of this.A lot of the
rules where created automatically without any problems.
There is an occassional hiccup where it will ask for permission before my
Anti Virus can update itself but other than that its been problem free.
peter


--
"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others."
"Gman" <mbient@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1148218410.013036.260960@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
However, when my subscription to Symantec's updates for Norton
Internet Security 2002 came up for renewal (at a cost substantially
higher than the preceding year's subscription), I decided to try less
expensive solutions.

Bruce, and others. If you are using Norton or McAfee AV products, but
find the yearly fee for renewing the definition updates to be onerous,
to the point where you are contemplating a free product, let me offer a
money-saving suggestion.

Periodically, generally on major holiday weekends, the big box stores
like CompUSA, Office Depot, Staples and Office Max run ads offering
those two vendors' products as FREE (after rebates). Takes 3-4 weeks
to get the rebate, but, for the cost of the tax on the original
purchase and postage to send in the box tops, you end up with a fresh
copy of the AV, which includes a year's subscription to the updates. I
will keep those vendor's products installed, as long as these cheap
update deals last. Though I've never had a need for it, I like the
'implied' support included with their products.

When you're living on a fixed income, you start figuring stuff like
this out and looking for the deals. Incidently, any product that has
the AV component included, works. Just install the new AV and deep six
the other stuff, if you don't want it. I personally like Symantec's
SystemWorks.

Now firewalls, that's a different story. I've used Zone Alarm's free
version on a 98 machine for years. Easy to setup, never had a problem.
However, I got enthused reading these forums and decided to put ZA on
my XP Pro machine and turn off the MS firewall. What a disaster.
These guys took a good, easy-to-use product and created the equivalent
of software erector set. Checked in to their forum and saw a lot of
questions about all those 'rules' that users are required to construct
to let XP run and enable apps like Outlook to get email, etc.. That
may be fine for those who just like the challenge of getting their PC
to boot, but for those of us who use their PC to do real work and would
like ti to be more of an appliance, versus a work-in-progress, ZA is
now a pain.

I am curious, do you, or anyone else, know of a site that explains the
ZA setup for XP in layman's terms? On the ZA forum, Don Hoover
explains things in a short-handed style that assumes the listener is an
accomplished C++ coder, or such. Any other firewalls that are simpler,
ie. PnP variety, but still as effective for controlling both the in and
out bound stuff?

Thanks Bruce, sorry if I vented there, just frustrated when a vendor
sabatoges their own product.



.

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