Firewall protection -windows/zone alarm?
I downloaded zone alarm and want to use it as my firewall.should I turn off windows firewall?
Also will zone alarm work with my spybot antispyware and eset nod32 antivirus programs? will it hog system recources ?Do you recommend using it?
Thanks.
Tagged with: antispyware • antivirus programs • eset nod32 • firewall • hog system • Zone Alarm
Filed under: Zone Alarm
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Generally, you only want to use one firewall at a time, so turning off the Windows Firewall is recommended if you have another firewall on your system. Certain firewall programs will actually FORCE you to disable it. So yes, I would turn it off.
I have never experienced any issues with Spybot when running ZoneAlarm’s firewall. You will receive a prompt to grant access to the Internet when you update Spybot’s definitions, however, and again if you install a new version that ZoneAlarm doesn’t recognize. Otherwise, Spybot will function normally. You probably won’t notice TOO much of an impact on your system’s performance, though the size of the firewall is more than I would like to see. An alternative is Comodo Firewall Pro, which despite the name is also free; set it to firewall mode only when setting it up if you choose to try it.
As far as your anti-virus is concerned, the only way you should have a conflict is if you’re using the entire ZoneAlarm Internet Security suite; having two anti-virus engines running simultaneously is NEVER a good idea, so if you have the full security suite, you need to uninstall Nod32. However, if you only downloaded the free ZoneAlarm firewall, you should have no issues aside from granting access for updates.
I used to use the free ZoneAlarm firewall for quite a long time before I eventually graduated to full security suites and started experimenting with different security programs. I never had any major issues with the program, and it seemed to provide very good protection. So yes, I would definitely recommend it, especially if it’s your first major firewall.
I hope this helps. If you need additional computer assistance, please consider supporting me on-line at http://www.supportspace.com/support/expert/The_PC_Ally or visiting my blog on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/the_pc_ally .
You should only use 1 firewall! I think the 3 should get along fine depending on how much RAM you have.
Most firewall programs you don’t have to turn off Windows firewall. It’s
good to have a multi-layered security system in place.
It should work with your other programs. You may need to go in and configure it to allow some applications.
If it’s ZoneAlarm Firewall then you should be fine with its interaction with those other apps. It is a system hog compared to other current firewalls, but it’s decent for it’s "price". Yeah, I’d turn off Windows Firewall just because it’s pointless at this point and yields annoying incoming request pops. Just make sure you set up your network correctly on ZA.