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23 Dec 2011
Excellent but basic firewall, particularly suitable for the novice user
Review Rating:
Platform: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 7, Windows Vista 64-bit
Manufacturer: ZoneLabs
Size: 149MB
Number of Downloads: 241022
Price: Free
ZoneAlarm is probably the most well-known of firewalls, partly because it's free for personal use, but also because it's effective and very simple to use. This latest version now works with Windows Vista. The download is a small utility that is used to select the correct version of ZoneAlarm for your operating system.
Its main appeal stems from the fact that you can install it and forget about it, yet be securely protected from outside intrusions or attacks.
Wizards make the installation as painless as possible, and ZoneAlarm will remember your preferences once specified.
In other words, give permission for a program to access the internet and it will always allow it access in the future (unless you specify otherwise, of course).
When in Stealth Mode, ZoneAlarm renders your PC invisible on the internet, increasing your security and privacy.
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Do you agree?
No, it's rubbish
I've just upgraded an XP box to 10.1.065.000 and as soon as the current download has finished, it's coming off. What a load! It works completely differently to the previous version 9.x, it has done away with the 'block all internet use' feature, it has bells and whistles I don't need or want. I've set up one programe to 'ask', yet it merrily connects to the internet without asking. Bag of worms. The previous version is going back on, or I shall switch to Comodo.
Posted by: Little Tyke 15 Nov 2011
Is Torrent gained software pirated?
I read where the moderator asked a user of AVG not comment on his torrent accessed software. This is an interesting issue, For example if I was a reviewer of products I could get all of them for free. Also a friend might give me some thing, even a colleague or a mere acquaintance, such as a book, a mobile phone, would that then constitute pirating? I am not buying it, and the person gifting me most likely will not be an approved agent, even a birthday present etc. How are those instances not considered pirating? Torrents are legal if the application is not sold. I remember back in the 1960s that Pirate Radio stations were considered so because they did not obtain licenses from the government licensing body, yet we like such as those operating in so called dictatorships, as we in the so called FREE West are dictated to day in day out; such as the Anti Terrorist laws that came about by CIA, MI5, Mossad etc. creating terrorism. Remember Lockerby? Well, in thed end that was shown to be done by MI5 and they had to pay Libya massive compensation; google it and you'll see. A friend was imprisoned for a bombing and after 10 years he was released and given in excess of a $1illion because the bombing was done by a Special Police Unit and blamed on the religious group some powerful people didn't like. It's all interpretation of law. If some one I work for underpays me is that then pirating of labour? I live in China! It's much freer here than in the so called "Free West"! Sure there are restrictions like no tax except POS tax, not being forced into paying 10 to 100 times the price for goods made in China. You can't criticise the government openly in any organised group but then you can't in the west either because then you'd be a terrorist and subject to rendition and end up in a secret prison some where. Dissidents here are openly restricted or imprisoned not like the west where they are forced into psychiatric hospitals, are just disappear, or subjected to public rumour mongering, all secretly. Here they openly sell pirated software in shops and on the streets and close to the local Microsoft office. How so, well, it's a developing country, so it's OK. I was looking at mobile phones this week and went to a phone market and had the option of buying the real phone or the copied phone. They are displayed next to each other.
Posted by: Rocket 02 Apr 2010
zonealarm not loading
i have given up trying to load onto vista. tara zonealarm you lost me
Posted by: adey 30 Oct 2009
I've given up on ZP
After endless crashes, running slow and various other bugs, I downloaded PC Tools free firewall. Have been using it for well over a year with no problems. IBM PC running XP Pro with SP3
Posted by: Da Gordfather 16 Aug 2009
No good for Vista
Blue screens, system crashes, slow startup - need I say more? I liked ZA for XP but won't use it again until it is more robust. PLEASE SORT IT OUT ZONE ALARM!
Posted by: Roger Clark 15 Apr 2009
No Good
This is was a nightmare for my laptop running Vista 32bit OS. I installed it and everything seemed well but i was receiving no intrusions which was fairly strange as it was about a week and had received none at all. It also seemed to affect my ability to connect to the net via dial-up at times as well as not enabling me to SHUT DOWN MY LAPTOP........i had to do so by powering off manually, which is obviously not good. I have also read quite a bit of negative things pertaining to ZA and Vista......i will be waiting until ZA has a better rep with Vista until i try it again. I never had any problems with ZA in XP and i really enjoyed it, so its a shame.
Posted by: Mat 05 Jan 2009
How about restricting comments to this article
Why are supposed 'comments on this article' dating all the way back to mid 2007 when the comments were on much earlier versions of the software and are totally inappropriate to the version discussed in the article? It is potentially very misleading. Fair enough to link to comments on earlier versions, but it should be made much more explicit that is what they are.
Posted by: Hugh 22 Dec 2008
New version 8 seems more limited
I do not get the page you illustrated above in my free v8 install. I cannot find the "custom" selection in the firewall mentioned in the help file that would allow me to open up ports and I can't find the individual program controls that I was used to in the earlier version. This version seems to be more basic than the previous basic versions I used in the past. -Or Am I Missing Something
Posted by: Pete 16 Dec 2008
7 or 8 ...
I don't always use my laptop and when I turn it on, I usually have a long list of programs that must update. I just take this for granted. I did this yesterday and got ZoneAlarm 8.0.065.000. It is not recognized by Vista and tells me I have no firewall turned on. I had trouble finding ZA 8 even listed anywhere (not on Download.com where I usually find it)
Posted by: Brian 07 Dec 2008
Zone Alarm Version 7 or is it 8?
Just downloaded what you were calling Zone alarm version 8. After installing it checked the version number and found it to be 7.0.483.0, this looks like version 7 to me or am I just going mad. vnunet.com comment: we'll check. We installed from the link and it was v8 when we put the article live.
Posted by: Shaun Drage 15 Sep 2008
AVG
Just download the trail version of AVG internet security and download the serial from a torrent site. My security is licensed till 2014. I have been using this and it is the best software out there and is has more ultilities that most software and it is easy to use. You will be amazed when you see the difference. vnunet.com comment: please do not pirate software. It's neither big nor clever. If you like this tool so much, support the developer and purchase a license. You've also commented on the wrong application.
Posted by: Vjay Sirichand 20 Aug 2008
Blocking my ISP
I have used Zone Alarm for a number of years and upgraded each time - I now find that quite suddenly it is blocking my dial up Broadband ISP ( TalkTalk) I have had to disable it - I have checked all settings and find that they are allowed. What is the problem and is there a fix. I understand other talktalk customers are having similar problems.
Posted by: Kate Roberts 12 Jul 2008
Zonealarm hardware compatibility problems
Installed Zonealarm and couldn't print to my lexmark until the recent update (took them months to fix - this wasn't lexmark's fault as other printers HP/Canon also wouldn't print with Zonealarm installed). Now I find that Zonealarm isn't compatible with the latest Logitech Setpoint to control my mouse and trackerball (the mouse screen doesn't appear when you launch setpoint!?). Again if you uninstall Zonealarm it all works fine. Had crashed in CuteFTP and Adobe products again due to Zonealarm - just check their forums. Result: Have given up on Zonealarm and switched to Comodo. It could be a good firewall but for the constant problems it causes the other hardware and software installed in your system. Would not recommend.
Posted by: James 09 Mar 2008
Zone Alarm 7
Possibly now the most widely used AV and Anti Spyware program. I have used it on XP Pro successfully without any problems. The level of protection is variable and can be altered and set by the user at anytime. It does not disable System Restore. On initial installation you will get a lot of warnings and alerts popping up which users may find annoying but this soon settles down.
Posted by: BG 02 Dec 2007
Free Firewall
Although this is good, anyone looking for a free firewall should also look at PC Tools' free Firewall
Posted by: jim 18 Aug 2007
Firewall upgrades are marketing ploys
I'm still running V 2.6 with totally satisfactory results. Firewalls are not like AV scanners, and simply do not require regular updating. This has a tiny footprint, and the test sites like Gibson cannot find a way in to my machine. That's all I need.
Posted by: Wandering 18 Aug 2007
ZoneAlarm v7x
What a disappointment. Having used previous versions fine, v7 has caused endless problems including disabling System Restore so I can't roll back to a pre- state. Have now left ZA and gone elsewhere. Why can't their Support Desk offer more help?
Posted by: tim 01 Aug 2007
zonealarm 7.1.078
Is this update is for VISTA only? It won't install on windows 2000 or XP?
Posted by: PETE 23 Jun 2007
Blue Sceen on Vista Install
Had to go into safe mode and do a system restore to get Vista running again. Definitley not ready for prime time.
Posted by: Bob 20 Jun 2007
A very satisfied user
I've just read some of the anti ZL comments and whilst I empathise with those tales of misfortune my own experience has been quite different. I've had ZoneAlarm for some ten years now over the various generations (I'm now at version 7.0.337.000 under XP). I've had no problems and find the software reliable and trouble-free.
Posted by: Richard Kennedy 28 Apr 2007
ZA 7.0.337 fatal bugs?
My daughter upgraded to 7.0.337 after her annual subscription expired and her PC continually re-booted. Uninstalled as per ZA instructions to totally remove and re-install. No difference. Bought new hard drive and installed WinXP - same problem - continual rebooting. Thought it was motherboard glitch until I installed ver 7.0.337 on my Dell 6400 Inpsiron laptop: it runs slow as a wet week and continually crashes. Cannot find viruses or malaware with Spyware Doctor or Zone Alarm. Also installed on a Compaq Evo N1020V laptop and it runs as slow as a dog - no crashes, yet! Installed on my PC and it is much slower than usual. Each computer takes ages to load software, but when Windpws Explorer finally starts changing folders can be normal speed! All three were defragged with Diskeeper beforehand. Dell laptop is a major disaster for me as I urgently need e-mail and other files on it to meet a newspaper deadline for a supplement! Dell's network assistant pops up regularly is a nuisance and cannot be killed. System Mechanic used on both laptops to fix errors but no inprovement to speed or to stop Dell crashing. Came to a conclusion - Zone Alarm 7.0.337 has serious problems! Local "Guru" who has had some similar problems and said get rid of Zone Alarm and use Windows Firewall! How good is that on broadband?
Posted by: Col Benson 13 Apr 2007
my question
does it work with Windows Vista...??? Editor: no, and this can be confirmed by visiting the ZoneAlarm website.
Posted by: H.Singhal 01 Apr 2007
No issues here
I had no issues with this version. I did an update and things are working fine. Maybe try CLEAN install if hasn't worked for you?
Posted by: Dave 30 Mar 2007
Not recommended
After installing zonealarm 7.0.337 my computer stopped accessing the internet. Only with a reduced security level (to medium) it worked again. It seems the have some major bug in this update
Posted by: Fotis Jannidis 30 Mar 2007
Zone Alarm 7
I've had the same problems as all of those above. My kit more or less packed up until I uninstalled ZA7 - works fine again now.There would seem to be a glitch in the new software provided by VNUNET. Perhaps they would be kind enough to sort it out and then advise all their subscribers! Editor note: the links provided on vnunet.com/downloads are direct from the software supplier. We don't host their software!
Posted by: Terry Carlton 25 Mar 2007
Update Problems
Horendous problems with the new 7.0 version. Slowed computer to a halt, screen froze. Eventually uninstalled the whole lot and now rely on another company.
Posted by: B. Farrow 23 Mar 2007
I didn't know how fast my PC could go
Had ZA for sometime and in my ignorance I thought it was doing a good job. Although I did think it was a bit slow. So when 7.0 came out, I jumped at it. Well was that a mistake, my pc virtually stopped working with all the usual unwanted problems. I eventually lost my temper and un-installed the whole lot of ZA, wow what a difference, my PC is now in reheat speed. So am using XP frewall, so am also looking for alternative, Any ideas.
Posted by: Ray Johannessen 23 Mar 2007
No probs!
I`ve never had any problems with Zone Alarm or the updates. Thought I would say as some of us are happy with this freebie.
Posted by: Daz Wilson 16 Mar 2007
Zone Alarm 6.x
Have you ever noticed how firewall reviews always talk about features? Features are no good if the software has bugs that vandalize your system. Zone Alarm 6.x is, from painful personal experience, such a beast.
Posted by: Ron Vanden 21 Jan 2006
ZoneAlarm 6
Yes, mostly i have to agree, but thats why they came out with 6.737 version from 6.0.67. if u had bought 6.067 u get a free upgrade to the 6.737 version just use your same code from the 6.067 version it should work and its more reliable in my opinion.
Posted by: George you can publish my email i dont care 18 Jan 2006
5.5 worked, 6.x doesn't Zonealarm doesn't care
Like many others (see Zonealarm user forum) I followed the automatic prompts to upgrade to version 6. The result was chaos - bl;ue screen, random reboots, loss of all previous settings, etc. After much work, I managed to remove the offending code and revert to 5.5. It works, but forgets when I tell it to permit program access. The main point is that users with all sorts of operating systems, using either the free or commercial version, have experienced severe problems (up through version 6.0667) and Zonealarm has not responded on its website at all. Many are now leaving what had for years been a rock-solid product. Could it be related to their recent acquisition?
Posted by: J. Cave 06 Oct 2005