Rating: 
Summary: It's the Best
Review: I don't have a problem with the way Zonealarm functions. It seems to work fine after some minor configuring. I won't access the internet without it. But a month after I bought Zonealarm 2 (download from their web site), they started bugging me to upgrade to version 3. I was annoyed that they didn't sell me version 3 to begin with but finally agreed. About a year later, my "subscription" to updates expired and now I get occasional pop-up windows, asking me to renew. My advice is to use the shareware version. They still bug you for money but at least you aren't paying them to bug you.
Rating: 
Summary: Keep that wallet open, you might need it
Review: I don't have a problem with the way Zonealarm functions. It seems to work fine after some minor configuring. I won't access the internet without it. But a month after I bought Zonealarm 2 (download from their web site), they started bugging me to upgrade to version 3. I was annoyed that they didn't sell me version 3 to begin with but finally agreed. About a year later, my "subscription" to updates expired and now I get occasional pop-up windows, asking me to renew. I don't know about you but I'm not going to pay extra to subscribe to anything. If there is a hole or bug in their software they'd better fix it for free.
Rating: 
Summary: Not recommended
Review: I generally try to write positive reviews. But I simply cannot recommend this product. I used the free ZoneAlarm firewall awhile back and it was okay. But ZoneAlarm Pro 3 did nasty things to my computer. Programs, including Internet Explorer, would slow down and eventually stop working. It was even difficult sometimes to shut down or restart Windows XP. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong. But then, I read the consumer reviews of this product at CNET and discovered there were a lot of people having the same problems.After a month and a half, I finally gave up and uninstalled ZoneAlarm. And removing ZA3, by the way, is not the easiest thing to do. Using the uninstall program on Windows does not get rid of all the ZoneAlarm files and folders. I'm now using Sygate Pro 5.0 and have had no problems. I've also used Black Ice Defender on another computer. Black Ice gives off too many false alarms, especially when you're downloading music. I have not tried the Norton Personal Firewall. Of the firewalls I have used, I would recommend Sygate because it's stable and the least intrusive.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware of potential problems
Review: I have been using Norton Personal Firewall 2001 since late 2000, and am generally happy with it. But since ZoneAlarm has been getting lots and lots of positive press coverage, I thought I should give it a try, esp. after my Norton LiveUpdate subscription expired. I downloaded the free version of ZoneAlarm from Download.com. The same site also offers the full version for a limited-time trial. When you are at download.com, you'll notice that the full release (Pro 3) is recommended by only 1/3 of the user-reviewers. The free release (2.x) has a much higher approval rating. Anyway, the installation of the free version (2.x) went well on my computer, and it didn't require a reboot of my Win2k system. I disabled Norton Personal Firewall 2001 to avoid any potential conflicts. The first 15 minutes of life with ZoneAlarm 2.x was good, as the program is very easy to configure and the interface is visually pleasing if a little bit confusing to computer newbies. (I consider myself a PC expert.) However, when I came back from a 2-hour lunch break, I found my Internet connection (over cable modem) no longer alive. I had to reboot the computer to regain the connection. At first I thought it was just a fluke with my cable modem. But soon this happened again, in the middle of surfing the Web. And again. I disabled CookieCop 2 (a free privacy guarding utility from pcmag.com), but to no avail. I was baffled. Recalling some of the negative comments regarding ZoneAlarm Pro 3 at download.com, I suspected ZoneAlarm 2.x was at fault. I exited the program, and sure enough, my Internet connection did not break... until the following day. Eventually, I discovered that even when you exit ZoneAlarm, it still keeps a small monitoring program in the background, and only when you uninstall ZoneAlarm completely does that program get stopped. I did that, and my Internet connection has been trouble-free ever since. I'm sure ZoneAlarm can be a good product. But after this rather unpleasant experience, I decided to stick with Norton's product and plan to upgrade later this year to the 2003 version. I'm glad I read the user reviews on download.com, or it would have taken longer to pinpoint what killed my Internet access. So, before you purchase this product, try out the free version as well as the limited-time trial of the Pro version. Run it for at least two weeks before considering buying it.
Rating: 
Summary: its one important piece of your security setup
Review: I have been using this product for over 2 years, and have not been hacked yet. Build your defense in layers: firewall, antivirus, and if you are on a cable or DSL- add a NAT router (such as a Linksys). Otherwise, you're just fooling yourself. REMEMBER- this is NOT antivirus software- its a firewall Most complaints I see here are people who expect the wrong things: zonealarm will ask permission to grant programs internet access- if you say "yes" when you shouldn't, whose fault is that? Know what you have, and what it does. If you aren't sure, say "no", and see if that breaks something. You can always change your mind later. Understand what this does, and don't expect miracles. It's one part of a secure PC, but not the whole picture.
Rating:
Summary: Get the best and forget the rest
Review: I have been using ZONE ALARM for several months, and like the person from Tiburon, CA, I am completely satisfied with it's performance. With a high speed connection, DSL in my case, ZONE ALARM is a must have.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: I have to say that this is the worst piece of software I ever voluntarily installed on my computer. And...at times....I have thought it was worse than some of the junk you pick up on the internet. Everytime I shut down my computer, or turn of Zone Alarm, it comes up with an error message saying that certain files cannot be found. I have tried to uninstall it, but when you try to do that, you get the same message, only with different files, so it cannot be uninstalled the normal way. So I tried to uninstall it by manually removing all its components, by doing a search and then also by searching through the registry to remove it piece by piece. Needless to say I couldn't get it all.This software has its fingers in everything. So my only option has been to reinstall it everytime I shut it down or shut down my computer. Becase as one of the previous reviews says, it has an internet lock feature that will block you from accessing the internet if it is unable to assess certain risks. This continued to happen even after I thought I had it all the way removed, which is why I have to keep reinstalling it, because I cannot find all the components to remove them and keep this from happening.Even if you have this feature disabled, it still happens, and it is a major major major pain. I have had viruses that caused less problems than this.
Rating:
Summary: Good idea, Bad Product
Review: I have used and have found that ZoneAlarm has fallen quite short as a firewall. I found it amusing it appears under the anitvirus section, when it does not come out-of-the-box capable of stopping over 2/3 of the current common trojans on the 'net. It's quite user friendly in doing what little protection it is capable of, which -on the positive side- does stop the most casual of attackers. If anyone that is attempting to hack into your machine has the know-how to find your computer through anything other than a simple port-scanning program, then they can get past this.
Rating:
Summary: Ad blocker feature alone was worth the money
Review: I have used the free version for ages and have loved it. I decided to upgrade to PRO for the additional features. I immediately browsed the same web sites on 2 computers sitting side by side. One had Zone Alarm and the other didn't. All the annoying pop-up ads disappeared on the Zone Alarm machine. What a relief. I decided to subject it to the ultimate test. I went to an adult site and then closed the window. The un-protected machine immediately started opening all the other adult site windows. The Zone Alarm machine closed the window cleanly. Anyone that has visited an adult site knows that it is next to impossible to close one adult window without 3 more opening up. I am very satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Stick with the free version - The price is right
Review: I installed the 60 day trial of ZoneAlarm Pro 3 shortly after getting a constant broadband connection. I was amazed at the number of times I was being pinged and such. I was amazed at how big the log was on intrusions after just a couple of days. While the software worked without a problem on my HP PIII 1.1 Ghz Win-XP laptop I could not get it to run on a new E-Machines 1.2 GHz Celeron system running Win-XP. It caused all types of havoc on that system. I installed a router with a firewall and am running the free version of Zone Alarm on both systems without problems now. My suggestion is to take the money you would spend on this and by a inexpensive router with a NAT firewall (D-Link DI-604 works well) instead and then run the free version for extra safety. ...
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